Firefox rolls out update with download offerings; Yandex, Mail.ru removed

Mozilla has announced release of its Firefox 98.0.1 with a major update, and also removed optional search providers Yandex and Mail.ru from the browser’s search list.

“Yandex and Mail.ru have been removed as optional search providers in the drop-down search menu in Firefox,” Mozilla said.  

“If you had previously installed a customized version of Firefox with Yandex or Mail.ru, offered through partner distribution channels, this release removes those customizations, including add-ons and default bookmarks.  

Where applicable, your browser will revert back to default settings, as offered by Mozilla. All other releases of Firefox remain unaffected by the change,” it said.  

The alterations will affect any Firefox release marked as a distribution from Yandex, Mail.ru, or OK.ru.  

The release comes in less than a week after Mozilla had rolled out 98.0. A revamped download experience is the differentiator for this release.  

“You can now click on a file in the downloads panel to open it even before it has finished downloading. Firefox will open the file as soon as it is available,” said Mozilla last week. 

“Any files you download will be immediately saved on your disk. Depending on the current configuration, they’ll be saved in your preferred download folder, or you’ll be asked to select a location for each download. Windows and Linux users will find their downloaded files in the destination folder. They’ll no longer be put in the Temp folder,” it said.  

Firefox 98 has taken off the default search engine for a number of users when Mozilla and the search engine ended the agreement.