If, on Android, "chrome_settings_overrides" is not supported, there is no way to add a custom search engine?

Add-ons Development
#1

I had uploaded an OpenSearch XML, and it worked on both the destkop and Android FireFox. Now that that is obsolete, I created a new extension using chrome_settings_overrides, uploaded it to the official site, and had it approved. But when I installed it on my Android Firefox (68.7.0), it did not work. I searched Google, and it turned out to be, according to this page,

There are some other UI features not supported, these are: The chrome_url_overrides and chrome_settings_overrides manifest.json keys, which means you cannot add custom home and new tab pages.

But I was not trying to add a “custom home” or “new tab pages”; I want to add a new search engine with a custom URL for auto-complete (suggestion). Is this not possible with Android version of FireFox?

#2

Hi,

The search_provider propertie is part of the chrome_settings_overrides key which is the only way to add a search engine with web-extensions.

My understanding is that documentation at https://extensionworkshop.com/documentation/develop/differences-between-desktop-and-android-extensions/ omits this fact and only enumerate changes related to homepage / newtab.

#3

I think you meant that there is no way to add a search engine using an extension in FireFox Android. As far as I know, the UI of FireFox Android does not expose a method to add a custom search engine or edit existing search engine. The only way seems to be long-pressing a search field on a website, and it allows no customisation other than changing the name. That makes it impossible to make search suggestion work properly.

Why is this so? It seems as if the web browser developers almost do not want users to add a custom search engine. What benefit does it have to make it impossible or very difficult to add or edit search engine settings?

#4

To my knowledge this is exact. Not sure if it’s the case for Firefox Preview / Firefox Fenix (more info here https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/04/14/april-extensions-for-firefox-preview/)