this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2024
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Firefox

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The issue:

Android users with Firefox can't access Google Search (including intl sites and localized domains like google.de, .co.uk, .com.br). Instead, they see a blank page.

Cause:

A server-side bug on Google's end related to User-Agent (UA) sniffing, which serves an empty page to newer Firefox versions.

Affected versions:

All Firefox versions on Android (>= 65) including Mobile 121.0, Nightly 123, and older.

Chrome not affected:

The bug is specific to Firefox.

Solutions:

  • Use a different browser (Chrome, etc.) or search engine (DuckDuckGo).

Advanced users can:

  • Change Firefox's UA in developer settings or with add-ons.

  • Request the desktop version of Google from Firefox settings (region-dependent).

Status:

  • Problem identified as critical and escalated.
  • Still unresolved at the time of reporting.

Additional notes:

  • Disabling Firefox's Enhanced Tracking Protection doesn't fix the issue.
  • Some users report google.co.in loading the desktop site instead of mobile.
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[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 13 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Even if it's for only a short period of time, it's enough to do a lot of damage. Especially as people are becoming privacy conscious and are looking to start using Firefox.

[–] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

What does this mean, I'm confused?

[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yes. So was I when I wrote this comment. I don't know why I wrote Chrome.... 😑

[–] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago

Makes way more sense now, lol.