Until now there were only two popular operating systems choices available for the mobile devices – Android and iOS. But now Mozilla developers have also joined the race by releasing their own Firefox OS for mobile phones and tablet computers. As with all other operating systems for mobile devices, the Firefox OS also has to be flashed to the mobile device’s memory. But this is usually done by the geekiest of the geeks. Mozilla does not want to leave anyone behind, so they have made the new version of Firefox OS available in form of an app that anyone can install in their Android phones.
This app version of Firefox OS offers you to feel how the Firefox OS works on your mobile device. At the same time it must be mentioned that it is not full Firefox OS. It is just an attempt from Mozilla to make everyone (specifically Android users) familiar with the Firefox OS interface.
Here is how you can install Firefox OS on your Android device (I tested it on an Android KitKat 4.4.4 device that has 2GB RAM and 1.3 GHz quad-core processor) :
- Download the Firefox OS Developer Preview APK from https://d2yw7jilxa8093.cloudfront.net/B2GDroid-mozilla-central-nightly-latest.apk. Copy this APK file on your Android device and install the Firefox OS from the APK file. If you do not know how it is done, then you can read – how to install apps in Android from APK files.
- After the installation is done, press the Home button on your Android device. When asked to choose a home app, choose Firefox OS and then tap Always or Just Once. Depending on the hardware of your mobile device, the Firefox OS will load faster or slower. It first shows the Firefox OS logo and then after a couple of seconds the Foxfood logo is displayed.
- A welcome screen is displayed and you have to tap on the Continue button to proceed and start experiencing what Firefox OS has to offer. You can launch Firefox OS pre-installed apps, download more apps from the Mozilla Marketplace and change the various settings related to Firefox OS.
- If you want to go back to Android home app launcher, then scroll down in the Firefox OS apps drawer. There you will find Android apps including a shortcut to Android settings. Using this shortcut, open Android settings and set the Home launcher app back to something else like stock launcher app.
Conclusion: Firefox OS is the new kid on the block in the mobile operating systems world. You can experience what it has to offer using the Firefox OS APK for Android devices, without having to flash anything or erasing the Android OS.