Firefox 98.0.1 removes the search providers Yandex Search and Mail.ru
Mozilla released Firefox 98.0.1 on March 14, 2022. It is a minor release that comes a week after Firefox 98. Firefox 98.0.1 removes the Yandex and Mail.ru search providers from the web browser in select regions.
When Mozilla released Firefox 98, it hinted at removing search engine providers from Firefox, but did not mention any by name or provide any further details other than that it did not “receive formal permission” to integrate the unmentioned search engines into Firefox.
Firefox 98.0.1 provides details, but it is not yet clear which search providers were affected in the Firefox 98.0 release.
Mozilla Notes in the official Release Notes:
Yandex and Mail.ru have been removed as optional search providers in the Firefox search dropdown menu.
Search providers were available as default providers in select regions, including Russia and Turkey. Mozilla removed them from the list of search providers that Firefox users could switch to by default in the web browser. The release removed vendors from Firefox installations in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Turkey.
Mozilla replaced the search engine, if it has been the default, with Google Search. Google search queries use the Firefox tag by default.
Mozilla further notes that search engines have also been removed from custom versions of Firefox that partners may have distributed in select regions.
If you previously installed a custom version of Firefox with Yandex or Mail.ru, offered through partner distribution channels, this version removes those customizations, including plugins and default bookmarks. When applicable, your browser will revert to the default settings as provided by Mozilla. All other versions of Firefox are not affected by the change.
No explanation for the change is provided in the release notes. Firefox users can add the removed search engines back to the browser. One of the easiest ways to do this is as follows:
- Select Firefox Menu > More Tools > Customize Toolbar.
- Drag and drop the search field into the Firefox address bar.
- Visit the search engine you want to add, for example https://www.yandex.com/
- The search field displays a plus symbol above its icon, indicating that it has detected a search engine that you can add to Firefox.
- Left-click on the icon and then on the Yandex icon, which is also highlighted with a plus icon.
The search engine has been added to Firefox and you can make it the default or use it only occasionally. Search providers are managed by loading about:preferences#search in the Firefox address bar.
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Details are not yet clear. What kind of agreement did Mozilla want search providers to sign for its inclusion in Firefox? Firefox users affected by this can add search engines back to the browser.
Now you: What is your opinion about all this?
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