Test Pilot projects have been available for desktop versions of the Firefox web browser until now; this changes with the release of Notes by Firefox for Android and Firefox Lockbox for iOS.

Regular visitors of Ghacks may know the two new experiments for Firefox Mobile already has they have been available on the desktop for a while.

We reviewed Firefox Lockbox back in 2017 when Mozilla released a first alpha version of the password manager (revealed it in October 2017 for the first time). What made Lockbox interesting on the desktop was that it replaced the decade-old Firefox password manager.

An alpha version is good enough to get a first impression of a new feature but it should not be used to give a final verdict. Lockbox was very basic in its initial state as it did not support the importing or exporting of passwords. It required an Firefox Account for protection, and lacked must-have features such as automatic sign-ins or auto-completion of user data in login forms.

Mozilla launched Firefox Notes as a Test Pilot project in July 2017 for Firefox on the desktop. It added basic note taking functionality to the browser. The organization published an update in April 2018 that added multi-notes support and other new features to Notes.

Lockbox and Notes are launched as standalone apps for iOS and Android, and not as browser extensions.

Firefox Lockbox for iOS



Lockbox is the first Test Pilot experiment for Firefox on Apple iOS devices. Lockbox syncs passwords with desktop versions of Firefox, and supports Face ID and Fingerprint touch to unlock the application.

Firefox Lockbox requires an Firefox Account. It is a standalone application, not an extension for Firefox. Note that it is only available in select countries currently including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

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Mozilla is working on an Android version of the application. I don't have access to an iOS device and cannot test the functionality. If you do, let me know about it in the comment section below.

Notes for Firefox on Android

Notes comes as an application for devices running Google Android. Users can download and install Notes from the official store to keep their notes in sync between other Firefox installations and the Android device.

Notes can be used as a standalone application to take notes but one of its main advantages is that it syncs notes between Firefox installations.

You can create notes on Android and have them synced to your desktop Firefox installations, or read notes on Android that you jotted down on the desktop.

Notes does not appear to be restricted to certain geographical regions.

How to get the experiments?

Head over to the official Firefox Test Pilot website. Firefox Lockbox and Notes are listed on the page and you see who was involved in the creation and get download links.

You may want to check the "your privacy" section as it lists data collected specifically by that experiment. Mozilla uses experiments to test features that may one day be integrated into Firefox natively.

Firefox Lockbox is offered as an application for iOS that you can install from the Apple Store whereas Notes by Firefox: A Secure Notepad App is available on Google Play instead.

Both require a Firefox Account and Firefox Sync. The apps may be built into Firefox one day but there is no guarantee for that.