How to Download and Update Firefox for Android Without Google Play
The easiest way to download Firefox for Android without Google Play is FFUpdater, a free, open source app from the F-Droid store that downloads official Firefox builds, checks each APK's signature, installs it and keeps it updated in the background. If you prefer a store build, install Fennec F-Droid, a Firefox-based browser with telemetry removed. Firefox for Android needs Android 8.0 or later.
This guide covers both routes step by step, how updates work for each, what changed in FFUpdater since its early versions, and which download sources to avoid.
Ways to install Firefox on Android without Google Play
Firefox can be installed on Android without Google Play in three practical ways (plus one to avoid), and they differ mainly in who builds the app and how it updates. Mozilla's own Firefox for Android download page only links to Google Play, so every other route uses a third-party channel.
| Route | What you get | How it updates |
|---|---|---|
| FFUpdater (from F-Droid) | Mozilla's official Firefox Release, Beta or Nightly APK, signature checked | Background checks; silent installs on Android 12+, root or Shizuku |
| Fennec F-Droid | Firefox-based build compiled by F-Droid, proprietary parts and telemetry removed | Through the F-Droid client |
| Regional app store | Mozilla's build where Google Play is not available | Through that store |
| APK from a mirror site | Unknown origin unless you verify the signature | Manual, every release |
Mozilla's support article says that if Google Play is not available in your region, you should update Firefox "through the appropriate app marketplace in your country". For most people without Play, FFUpdater is the closest thing to the official app with automatic updates.
How to install Firefox with FFUpdater
FFUpdater installs Firefox in a few steps once the F-Droid client is on the device. F-Droid's own listing recommends installing apps through the F-Droid client rather than as loose APKs, because direct installs get no update notifications.
- Open f-droid.org in the phone's browser, download the F-Droid client and open the APK.
- When Android asks, allow your browser or file manager to install unknown apps, then confirm the installation.
- Open F-Droid, let it refresh its repositories, and search for FFUpdater.
- Tap Install. The app is also linked from the FFUpdater F-Droid page.
- Open FFUpdater, pick Firefox Release (or Beta or Nightly) from the list and tap the download button.
- Allow FFUpdater to install unknown apps when prompted and confirm the Firefox installation.
FFUpdater is licensed under GPL-3.0 and its source code is on GitHub. The F-Droid listing requires Android 5.0 or newer for FFUpdater itself, but the Firefox build it installs follows Mozilla's Android 8.0 minimum.
Is FFUpdater safe?
FFUpdater is designed so it cannot install a tampered Firefox: its security documentation says it compares each downloaded APK's signature fingerprint with an internal allowlist, which blocks apps that do not come from the original developer. It also uses only HTTPS connections and trusts only the system certificate authorities by default.
F-Droid publishes two signed variants of FFUpdater for every version, one signed by the developer and one built and signed by F-Droid, together with build logs and PGP signatures. The F-Droid listing carries a "Non-Free Addons" anti-feature label because the app helps you install software that is not fully free, such as Mozilla's official Firefox.
This is a meaningful step up from grabbing an APK from a download portal, where you have to trust the site to serve the original file. If you do use such sites, read our look at whether APKPure is safe first.
How to update Firefox on Android
Firefox on Android updates through whichever channel installed it, so the steps depend on how you got the app.
- FFUpdater: it checks for updates in the background, downloads them and shows a notification. On Android 12 or newer, on rooted devices, or with Shizuku or Sui, it can install updates without a prompt. Power-saving mode can delay these checks.
- Fennec F-Droid: open the F-Droid client and install the pending update from its updates list.
- Google Play: open the Play Store, go to your installed apps, and tap Update next to Firefox if it appears in the updates list.
- Manual APK: no automatic updates; you have to install every new release yourself.
To check which version you run, open Firefox, tap the three-dot menu, then Settings, scroll to About and tap About Firefox. The version number is shown below the logo. Mozilla's update guide lists the same path.
FFUpdater only tracks apps it installed itself. If Firefox came from somewhere else, uninstall that copy (sync your data first) and reinstall it through FFUpdater.
Fennec F-Droid: Firefox without Mozilla's binary
Fennec F-Droid is a browser based on the latest Firefox release that F-Droid compiles from source with proprietary components and telemetry removed. It is the better pick if you want a fully free build that installs and updates directly from the F-Droid client, without a second updater app.
According to its F-Droid listing, Fennec F-Droid needs Android 8.0 or newer and ships separate builds for arm64-v8a, armeabi-v7a and x86_64 devices. It carries a "Tracking" anti-feature label because it still connects to Mozilla services.
Fennec F-Droid uses its own package name, so it installs next to Mozilla's Firefox rather than replacing it. Use Firefox Sync if you want to move bookmarks, passwords and open tabs between the two. It is built from the same code base as Firefox for Android, which supports add-ons such as Tampermonkey on Firefox for Android.
What else FFUpdater can install
FFUpdater has grown from a Firefox updater into an updater for privacy-focused browsers and a few related apps. The apps on its GitHub list include:
- Firefox Release, Beta and Nightly, Firefox Focus, Focus Beta and Firefox Klar
- Fennec F-Droid, Iceraven and Tor Browser
- Brave (Release, Beta and Nightly), Cromite, Chromium, DuckDuckGo Browser, Privacy Browser, Thorium and Vivaldi
- Thunderbird for Android, K-9 Mail, FairEmail and Orbot
When this article first appeared in January 2021, FFUpdater also offered Firefox Lite and Firefox Lockwise; neither is on the current list. On the desktop side, Mozilla still offers standalone builds, covered in our guide to Firefox offline installers.
FAQ
Can I download the Firefox APK directly from Mozilla?
Mozilla's Firefox for Android download page only links to Google Play. FFUpdater is the practical way to get Mozilla's own APK with a signature check and automatic updates.
Does Firefox work on Android phones without Google services?
Yes, that is the main use case for FFUpdater and Fennec F-Droid: both install and update without the Play Store. If a feature misbehaves, check whether it relies on Google services on your device.
Which Android version does Firefox need?
Firefox for Android requires Android 8.0 or later, according to Mozilla's support site. Fennec F-Droid has the same minimum.
Related: APK download site safety, user scripts in Firefox for Android, Firefox offline installers for desktop
Hi guys.
Does anyone care to comment on whether Brave on android as a browser is preferable to Firefox (regular or focus)?
Wanting Firefox browser for android tv,had a few downloads they all seem corrupted,ads freeze up tv,mostly ones stating you need to download this cleaner,Have same problem with Chrome on android tv,these are from various side loading options such as filelinked ,even the ones at Aptoid doing same thing. I had one Firefox from a youtuber shortcut via downloader,loved the way it worked,but ads would interupt IPTV viewing in the evening,any suggestions,no I dont want puffin browser.
microsoft, google and apple have made our computers and phones a dystopian nightmare.
“One core difference between F-Droid and Google Play is that the former hosts only FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications.”
And very importantly, F-Droid flags anti-features like ads and tracking, because nowadays FOSS is not enough to avoid that. It’s the solution to the spyware plague that is the norm among mobile applications thanks to Google and Apple.
About FFUpdater, don’t bother with it, once you’ve understood that you should install F-Droid, you can use the partly cleaned F-Droid version of Firefox, “Fennec F-Droid”, instead of the smelly original:
https://f-droid.org/packages/org.mozilla.fennec_fdroid/
It’s interesting that the original Firefox is not on F-Droid because Mozilla never accepted to remove Firefox’s proprietary bits.
@Anonymous
Thumbs up for Fennec F-Droid, whoever needs Firefox on Android should actually be using this. Mainly for privacy reasons.
if you don’t need a full-featured browser on your mobile, i would HIGHLY recommend ditching Firefox and using Privacy Browser instead, also available on F-Droid
Inferior to Bromite in every way imaginable.
@Iron Heart wrote this nonsense:
> The guy should also provide a Firefox uninstaller, for it will be needed in due time. Mozilla will abandon it in favor of Chromium or they might even exit the browser market completely, focusing on advocacy efforts.
Why does this troll continue to push such unfounded nonsense? If they had credible sources to backup their nonsense (which we all know they do not), then they would post them, and do it a more appropriate place than here.
So tired of people like that trolling on gHacks. Get a life already and stop trying to pump false information… most people here hopefully aren’t as gullible regarding tech issues as you apparently think.
Or you can, you know, not read his opinions?
It’s the owners of this website’s fault that they haven’t implemented an account system for so long. Imagine if some spammers found out about it and flooded it with their website advertising.
It will become like this: https://i.imgur.com/09oZYnd.png
@Allwynd
It’s not even my “opinion”, it just reflects the current market situation. What I said is bound to happen at this stage.
I’d even encourage an account system on gHacks for that would hinder imposters. Martin would have no reason to ban / delete my account because nothing I say is ban-worthy. Unless one thinks market realities should be banned from being discussed here…
People must spread their opinion. It’s internetnature.
@Ronaldo
> If they had credible sources to backup their nonsense (which we all know they do not), then they would post them, and do it a more appropriate place than here.
You mean a source for Firefox being on its way out? Here it is:
https://www.bleepstatic.com/images/news/u/1097497/Windows-10/Browsers/browser-wars-2020/browser-market-share.jpg
Web devs are testing for different browser engines, and the only two relevant ones these days are Blink (Chromium) and WebKit (Safari). Gecko losing users and becoming more and more irrelevant leads to websites becoming less and less compatible, again driving people away from Gecko – it’s a death spiral. Gecko has 3% market share meaning the end is nigh.
Mozilla is an Internet advocacy group (it’s on their website), so if they exit the browser market, it is only reasonable to assume that this will be their main focus.
I am not a troll, and your worthless bickering and accusations out of thin air won’t change that.
Getting rid of Google and Samsung apps using debloater or Titanium Backup always brings joy to my heart.
Updating apps manually every couple of months is no big deal.
>Do you keep your Android apps and devices up to date?<
I keep Play disabled. I'm not a big phone user and Play just scrapes and scrapes and scrapes data. With our four phones, every six hours or so, it uses hundreds of MB's of additional data if kept on.
I use FF Focus as a browser, will have to see if there's a sideload for it; Google Play hides the real downloader, instead giving you screen after screen of scrolling with bogus links and a suspiciously slow install.
Since google play recommends saudi spy corona app i use only the Aurora Store (also from F-Droid).
The guy should also provide a Firefox uninstaller, for it will be needed in due time. Mozilla will abandon it in favor of Chromium or they might even exit the browser market completely, focusing on advocacy efforts.
Nice short term project anyway.
You can do that through app info so no need.
@edio
You can also update Firefox via the Play Store already, and you can uninstall it without the app, too. The app this article describes is useless, unless you use a specifically de-googled custom ROM. My posting had a tad of irony in it.
How can it be ironic when you just gave great reason why this a good feature?
@edio
Look up the market share of custom ROMs (and remove all users who install Google Play Services anyway, even on custom ROMs, from the equation) and you’ll see that it’s useless for the vast majority of users.