Mozilla’s Firefox OS apps now run natively on Android

Mozilla has announced mobile web apps developed for Firefox OS now work like native apps on Android devices.

The news means Android users who install the latest version of Firefox for Android can download apps from Mozilla’s Firefox Marketplace app store rather than through Google Play.

In a statement on Mozilla’s official blog, Mozilla Firefox OS Services product manager Vishwanathan Krishnamoorthy said the move has “made web first app development a viable alternative to native platforms”.

“Over the past few months, we have been working on providing a ‘native experience’ for Open Web Apps. What this means is that as a user, you can now manage your web app just like you would a native app,” said Krishnamoorthy.

“You can install/update/uninstall the app and the app will also show up in the App Drawer as well as the Recent Apps list. As a developer, you can now build your Open Web App for Firefox OS devices and have that app reach millions of existing Firefox for Android users without having to change a single line of code!”

Based on its Firefox web browser and Linux, Mozilla’s Firefox OS is an operating system designed to run web apps based on open standards such as HTML5 on low-end devices.

Aside from powering an ultra low-cost $US25 smartphone unveiled during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, Firefox OS also powers low-end devices from companies such as ZTE, as well as tablets, low-end PCs and smart TVs.