11 mo. ago • 79%

THE ONE THING that I hate about Firefox.

Why can't the devs have it update in the background or on next startup? I was in the middle of my work when I got this. Now I need to close everything and go through all the logins and 2FA again. 😡

Chrome is much better at this, hands down. It has never interrupted me the way Firefox does during updates.

86 comments

I use it on both Windows and Mac, I’ve never seen this o.o

76
- I've seen it multiple times over the years. Don't know what could be causing this.
  
  9
  
  In my experience - having 2 different instances (e.g. if you want 2 icons on the taskbar) and one having updated.
  
  12
  
  https://lemm.ee/comment/7512318
  
  7
  
  It's after an update, since the update might change used files.
  
  1
- What version has your FF? I'm worried that you never update.
  
  1
- Yup, this is called 'User Error'. User messes it up, User blames the software.
  
  -8
  
  Does Firefox communicate this to the user?
  
  3
If you don't want this you can change things.

When you first install Firefox, uncheck install updates as a service. Personally, I don't like applications running services in the background all the time. When I close something I expect it to be gone, and I don't want it running until I tell it to.

Second, go into settings and change your update settings to "Check for updates but let you choose to install them". Firefox will pop up with a discrete notification telling you when an update is available, asking you to download, then another dismissable notification telling you to restart to update.

60
- Stupid people don't read anything when they install, then they complain they didn't ask for this...
  
  -11
I've been using Firefox since 1.0PR and I've never seen this message before. For me, Firefox has always quietly downloaded the update in the background and then installed it the next time I used it.

I'm curious to know just exactly what it is you're doing to make this message come up.

44
- I saw this yesterday on Linux after a typical update command and it surprised me. Restarting FF reopened all my tabs without issue and it wasn't really an inconvenience to me.
  
  20
- You should be able to replicate it with:
  
  Ubuntu 20.04 container
  
  Install Firefox from a deb earlier than 120.0.1(current in repo)
  
  Open a few tabs and navigate to various web apps
  
  apt update, upgrade
  
  Once update completes, open new tab and navigate somewhere, you'll get this message
  
  Not sure if it actually happens with each update, but it seems so to me.
  
  7
- I typically keep Firefox open all the time with 50-100 tabs, (using various extensions to keep the organized)
  
  This happens to me every few weeks and it's genuinely annoying, unless I had all my tabs saved it just lose them, and instead of giving me a chance to do that, Firefox just becomes useless until I hit the button.
  
  I don't understand why, if it's going to put a page like this up anyway, that it doesn't just restart on its own; I would prefer it to not do either but at least that removes the unneeded button click.
  
  6
For anyone who is still confused about what causes this: Firefox launches copies of itself when creating new website instances (usually when loading a website that has not already been loaded). Because of this, if it is updated in the background (through any means; I usually see this after a manual system update), Firefox has to restart when you try and load a new site because it cannot create any compatible copies of itself, since the old version is the one that is still running and the copies would use the new (updated) version.

The solution is to only update when Firefox is closed, or restart it when it asks.

37
- IME it happens when I open a new tab.
  
  3
  
  Yep; sometimes I will be able to do a search and then when I try to click on a result it has me restart.
  
  11
- The solution is not a solution but is good enough.
  
  1
This happens when FF updates out of band. Ie package manager.

Your windows updates are probably set to also get applications when it updates. Turn that off and see what happens (next month).

31
I've never ever seen this screen before, there must be a setting for it.

30
- I see it under linux after updating Firefox through the package manager. Maybe OP's distro auto updates packages?
  
  14
- it usually happens on linux (and maybe macos??)
  if you update firefox using your system package manager it will ask for a restart
  
  1
Probably already been said, but I'm wondering why you haven't just checked the box in Settings for automatic updates that says "When Firefox is not running", because I've never encountered this problem with that turned on.

29
- I wasn't aware there was such a setting. Thanks
  
  5
  
  no problem
  
  4
I feel like I only see this on Linux installs and never on windows.

28
- This is on Windows.
  
  17
  
  Are you sure you don't have some other software updating Firefox in the background?
  
  Normally this only happens on Linux when your package manager updates Firefox while it's running, and on Windows that doesn't happen because Firefox updates itself only when you (re)start it.
  
  27
  
  Odd. For me FF only updates when I open Firefox. I think I’ve seen this before but only a long time ago.
  
  5
- Not on the Linux systems I'm familiar with. The only way to trigger anything similar is to execute a package update while running FF, at which point new tabs will show a message to restart, but you can keep on using the open ones indefinitely.
  
  7
- Never seen it on Linux in all 5 years I've used it.
  
  3
- I have never seen it on Linux.
  
  1
- I've seen them on macos.
  
  0
I’ve literally never seen this in decades of using Firefox. It always downloads in the background then I get an icon on the taskbar telling me to restart to finish the update.

27
Maybe don't update your system when you're using firefox?

17
That's a Linux (and similar) issue. When Linux updates via it's package managers it will update Firefox in the background even though it's open. Firefox then forces you to close it rather than open other tabs to prevent problems.

But you don't have to install Firefox via the package managers or flathub. You can build it yourself or install a binary manually and I believe it well self update as it does on other platforms. I haven't done it for a while though.

Otherwise manually control Linux updates so it doesn't mess with Firefox when you're in the middle of something important.

Edit: the exception on Windows would be if some other software is handling firefox's updates or there is a group policy / system management of Firefox. I've never had this issue on windows on my own PCs

Edit: btw I have had worse happen on windows with chrome on a work pc. An update was forced on my and chrome close itself without warning and reopened with the update. Pissed me off no end.

14
- In 4 or 5 years on Ubuntu I have no memory of ever seeing it.
  
  My complaint is the roulette of sometimes being unable to reopen my last session after restarting my computer. I'd say once every 10 restarts, the "reload last session" button is grayed out and I lose all my open tabs.
  
  4
  
  You could try pinning tabs you want to keep before restarting. I do the same if I really want to be sure. Pinned tabs generally survive restarts, even during updates.
  
  4
  
  I had this exact scenario (asking me to restart after an update) happen to me yesterday on pop os which is Ubuntu based. And I've definitely seen it other times too. Having said that, it was absolutely no big deal whatsoever.
  
  I don't remember seeing the other issue you mention. I've literally had some tabs open several months. Have you tried looking for the "restore tabs" option in the History menu when this happens? Afaik that's available even if you don't have any option set to save your tabs
  
  2
  
  If you are okay with trusting an extension, I use Tab Session Manager, it takes snapshots of all your open windows and tabs, and it can restore them when, for example, you forget to restore the previous session before closing Firefox, and overwrite the previous session of dozens of tabs, with the current session that you don't care about.
  
  I usually just rely on the built-in restore, but having the backup just in case is such a relief to have on those occasions when "reload last session" is grayed out.
  
  2
  
  If that happens, you should recover from a snapshot... I never experienced this unless the profile folder was damaged or lost.
  
  2
- via its* package manager.
  
  2
- That’s a Linux (and similar) issue. When Linux updates via it’s package managers it will update Firefox in the background even though it’s open.
  
  This is fundamentally wrong. If you are using Firefox on Linux, you would not update at a time when you're working - because you KNOW that you have to restart it.
  
  It is considered a 'User Error' if they update their system and then complain later that they're unhappy that they suddenly need to restart something.
  
  -6
My pet peeve is when it updates and instead of letting me go on my way, it opens the stupid "Firefox has updated" tab.

Nobody asked, just duck off, shut up.

10
- The site that launches after updates is for telemetry - the request gives them information on the updater (IP, geo location, OS, localization, fonts, fingerprinting, etc).
  
  10
At least I see it coming as I manually do updates on my Linux machine, so I know when I've updated Firefox.

The one that gets me is some websites don't throw that message, they just fail to load. Youtube is bad at that.

9
And if you'd tried to use a search engine in that new tab, you're presented with a blank tab after restart, having to remember what your search query was.

7
- Do you often forget what you were searching for?
  
  -1
  
  The general idea? More or less never.
  
  Some fine important details? Every now and again
  
  5
Manual update is best update. FF has background update tho, and it shouldnt log you out from your websites unless you have it set to delete cookies on exit or smthng.

5
I get something similar to this on Linux all the time and it makes it hard to choose Firefox, as much as I want to try.

I dug around once to try to find out why and how to stop it. The alternative is just straight up crashing, and so they chose to slap up that blank new tab page instead. related bugzilla

Depending on how you've installed it / configured updates, you may just be out of luck whenever an auto update happens and you just have to restart the browser.

It sucks, even if it remembers your tabs, because some of them are inevitably returned in a different state, have to relogin, etc.

4
When does this appear?

4
- For me this happens after I update Linux, so if you have Firefox open while a Firefox update is installing, upon finishing, if you open a new tab in Firefox then it shows that screen. For me the more annoying part is that on Linux the language I set Firefox to is reset to Englisch after every update, I maybe set something up wrong because on windows I don't remember having this problem but it happens after every Firefox update on linux
  
  4
Saw that for the first time today, it was a wierd feeling

3
Can I see your update settings? Should be under FireFox Updates in General.

2
I'm experiencing this too, but I don't have reopen any tabs. Everything comes back when restart.

2
- Yes but incognito tabs are lost.
  
  2
  
  clutches pearls
  
  -5
Since Firefox doesn't controls it's updates It's a way to be sure Firefox doesn't have old and new files loaded

2
Well, you are right and I hate this too.

However - why can't you choose your own time to update your system with all packages? That's on Linux, and Windows has suffering embedded in its license agreement anyway, even if this bit of it isn't from MS.

Also its current UI is what I hate much more. Why could they not make it look like FF 3 at least is beyond me. It was good , usable, and it also carries an element of brand continuity, loyalty if you wish.

I understand why XUL had to go ... well, not really, they didn't have to reinvent C for multithreading, and just like that FF developers didn't have to abolish XUL in its entirety for having separate threads for separate tabs and the UI.

Actually I also hate the fact of them abolishing XUL instead of changing it into something incompatible but just as powerful.

2
Yeah, caught out the first.time. Now I never OK the update until I am about to close.down, which is a bulahit workaround but there it is. Why can't it be downloaded with a pop uo notification saying install the update now or wait until you reboot?

2
I've been using Firefox on all my machines for (many) years now and literally not once have I ever seen this. Maybe you unintentionally have some option set to install updates more quickly/directly?

2
I've never seen this and I keep firefox open pretty much until it decides to randomly crash (probably an extension so something but still goes for a few days usually)

How long are you going without restarting firefox once?

2
Are you on Linux?

1
Better safe than sorry.

-2
Permanently Deleted

-3
What're you a chrome shill?

-5
This is a completely ridiculous post.

To compare spyware Chrome with Firefox is also a sign that there's something lacking in this thinking processes...

It seems very obvious to me that this cannot happen unless you specifically choose to update Firefox. Perhaps you have issues with your operating system and don't understand what you're doing?

Windows users usually complain about having a ton of services running in the background, so I'd vote that you've opted to allow Firefox to run as a service, so even if you close the browser it's still running there - and probably set to update automatically too.

After updating, then you have to restart it, and there aren't 'all the logins and 2FA' unless you chose to do that. After I restart Firefox, my session is returned to me - without 'all the logins and 2FA' because I didn't set stupid protection to make it forget everything and log out of everything when it gets restarted.

When I update the system, I do it when I'm not busy working - and that means I choose when to update Firefox.

So it cannot interrupt me without MY permission. Then again, I wouldn't enable any unattended or automatic updates, my updates are checked when I say they should be, they can be automatically downloaded in the background, but NOTHING gets executed unless I allow it.

I suggest you learn to get a grip and learn to use your computer - or sit back and play patsy and allow the software giants completely control your life while you sit back whinging.

-6
- even if you close the browser it's still running there - and probably set to update automatically too.
  
  But then I wouldn't complain about losing my work and having to go through login process, would I? Since it would be updated after I've closed it, not while I'm using it.
  
  All this wall of text, you didn't even consider if your made up scenario makes sense or not.
  
  Ciao
  
  1
just don't update stuff unless you're ready to restart apps? cuz you're not gonna get the new stuff until it restarts anyway. also it should restore your session

-9
- Did you know you can avoid costly medical bills by just not getting sick?
  
  13
- This is automatic update. Not manual.
  
  8
  
  like others said FF never update during browsing;something wrong with your windows
  
  5
  
  wow, I have never got that, always does the click here to update when updates are managed by the browser itself
  
  1
  
  Yup, they should label it 'Automatic Updates - for Idiots Only' with a checkbox...
  
  -7
- Why is this being downvoted? It's true, don't upgrade if you can't affort to restart. If it is some shitty OS or package manager feature that does this automatically, then turn it off.
  
  -5

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