Mozilla has released Firefox Preview 2.0 – the first major update to the test version of its fully reworked Android browser – and the company says it's up to two times faster than previous versions of Firefox.

Firefox Preview made its debut in June, and differs from the existing Firefox browser for Android in several ways. Not only is it a more streamlined affair, designed to be used with one hand, it also offers more privacy options and is based on Mozilla's own browser engine, GeckoView, rather than Blink, which is owned and developed by Google.

The latest release adds a raft of new features, including a browser widget for your phone's home screen, and the ability to add website shortcuts to your home screen for quicker access to your favorite sites.

You can send tabs between devices (an option that appeared in the desktop browser in February), and sign into your Firefox account with a single tap if you're already signed in on another device.

You're in control

There are new privacy features too, including the ability to launch private browsing from your home screen, which could be a real time-saver, and the ability to delete all of your browsing data or just a specific page - for buying surprise gifts for your significant other, of course.

Finally, and perhaps most usefully, Firefox Preview will now show you a notification whenever video or audio begins playing on a page, complete with media controls so that you can pause or play it. This could be a huge help for controlling sites with autoplaying video.

As its name implies, Firefox Preview is still in development, but Mozilla plans to release it as a final, polished version later this year.

Via Techdows