Back to Firefox for iOS landing page

Product Phases

Definition

All proposed phases are planned out based on the user (as defined in each option) without consideration for the developer or potential pre-install distributor opportunity. This is important in the context that the phases and resulting product definition are written with the user primarily in mind.

These two other audiences (developers and distribution partners) will be addressed in a later phase of the iOS product roadmap.

What defines a basic Firefox browsing experience

• Tabbed browsing
• Combined URL / search bar
• Awesomescreen
• Search provider options
• Privacy <- largely considered through our policies and not on in-product features since we are using WebKit and not Gecko due to Apple policies)

What provides delight

When signed in or signed up to a Firefox Account, this will enable a connected experience to Firefox Desktop, Firefox for Android and/or other Firefox for iOS instances, including:

• Current Firefox Sync experience (ie history, passwords, etc)
• Send tab to ** see NB below

Users have told us that they love our Reader View and Reading List (which provides offline support) on Firefox for Android. It's one of those imperative features for some to get through the commute to/from work. Therefore we wanted to ensure that experience was replicated on Firefox for iOS from the initial launch and achieve parity with the current Firefox for Android implementation.

Without delight, we won't be able to differentiate from other browser options and nothing to hook the user into the experience. Relying on brand may get someone to try the app, whilst our goal is to hook users to using Firefox because they *love* it and choose to use it.

NB Although we will ensure this is developed with 'send tab to' support in mind, the feature will be best served once Desktop and Firefox for Android fully support receiving / sending of this function. Therefore full cross-platform support may not be available upon launch.

Development Milestone

foundational browsing + sync, no additional services

User: Mozilla employees who know about the iOS initiative, wishes to contribute in any way, and has an iPhone or an iPad

Objective: Testing out the basic browsing experience

Product positioning: Development milestone

Timing: Current in development

This is a development milestone whilst Firefox Services prepare hooks to support a cloud-based reading list service & send tab to back-end support.

Phase 1

foundational browsing + sync + services

User: Knows about Firefox, probably already uses Firefox on their desktop and has an iPhone or an iPad

Objective: Simple browsing experience plus something to delight

Product positioning: The independent alternative to Safari or Chrome for users who love to read and browse occasionally

Value / User proposition:

• Firefox brand
• Wants Firefox but no real expectation as to what Firefox truly is (a Firefox Friendly vs a Firefox Fanboy/Fangirl)
• With browsing capabilities, allows users to also enjoy their Reading List, offline Reading
• Provides a connected Firefox experience by enabling Sync through Firefox Accounts

Timing: Target H1 - final date TBD

Phase 2

good browser + sync + services

User: Tech aware (or has a person of influence who is tech aware), likely already a Firefox desktop user, has an iPad

Objective: Similar browsing experience to what is built for Android

Product positioning: The independent alternative to Safari or Chrome for users who love to read and browse on a frequent basis

Value proposition:

• Firefox brand
• Wants Firefox but no strong expectation as to what a Firefox browser should be
• With good browsing capabilities, allows users to also enjoy Reading List, offline Reading, and password management improvements enabled across all Firefox browsers

Timing: Target H2 - final date TBD

Phase 3

great browser + sync + services

User: Tech savvy, already a Firefox desktop user, has the iPhone and iPad, follows the blogs

Objective: Same browsing experience to what is built for Android with a suite of services

Product positioning: The independent, alternative connected desktop alternative to Safari or Chrome for users who love to read and have a strong connected experience who browse on a daily basis

Value proposition:

• Firefox brand and loyalty
• Wants Firefox with a personal expectation as to what a Firefox browser should be