Can Chrome iOS have extensions?

Which iOS browser has extensions?

I really like having extensions on Chrome and Firefox on the desktop.

Does anyone know if there are any extensions for Safari on iOS? I tried installing extensions from other apps, but none of them seemed to be a Safari extension.

As @H2CO3 pointed out, extensions work in Safari just like they do in Chrome and Firefox. However, one thing to note is that there are two different versions of Safari on the iPhone: The original version from Apple that's included with the phone, and the newer version bundled with iOS 5. The older version does not support extensions, and the newer version has the ability to add extensions as well as a more complete set of them.

The older version of Safari does not support extensions, while the newer version does. One of the main reasons for this change is that mobile Safari has a different web page design compared to what you would get on the desktop. The mobile page design is optimized for touch devices, and supports a much more natural user interface for browsing than the desktop design does. One way they accomplish this is by using tabs instead of the old bookmarks style browser view. Bookmarking a web page on the mobile Safari is accomplished with tabs, instead of using the old bookmarks feature on the desktop. Also, if you use the new bookmarking method, you can bookmark a single web page, which is very different from bookmarking multiple web pages.

On iOS 5, the newer version of Safari is the only version available. If you want to use extensions in your Safari web pages on the iPhone 4S, iPod touch 4th gen, iPad 2, or iPad mini, you'll need to use Safari 5.1 (the newer version of Safari).

Does Firefox on iOS support extensions?

No.

iOS doesn't support extensions and Firefox has no plans to support them either. This is a common misconception.

The answer is no. Firefox on iOS does not support extensions. To our knowledge, there are no plans to do so.

Firefox supports extensions via the WebExtension API, but it has to be implemented as a web app. The Firefox for iOS app cannot use extensions because it is built with a native iOS app wrapper. This means that all UI elements must be drawn on a separate native view inside of a view controller. This view controller cannot be used to present a web app extension, as it will not be part of a web page.

What are the pros and cons of using a native iOS app wrapper instead of an extension? Pros. WebExtension APIs are a much cleaner way to do things than extensions. The developer experience is much better and the APIs are easier to understand.

WebExtension APIs are supported by other platforms, like Android. Cons. It's very hard to create an extension on a mobile platform. You can't run the extension as a web app, so you have to build it as a native app.

It's very hard to run an extension. You have to create a web view in a separate view controller.

Why can't I install extensions? In Firefox for iOS, extensions are not installed in the browser itself. They are installed in a sandboxed container that runs alongside the app and cannot access any native APIs. This means that they do not have access to the filesystem, local storage, etc.

They are installed in a container and do not access the filesystem, local storage, etc. I tried running an extension as a web app but it didn't work. What happened? A web app cannot interact with the OS. It is not allowed to access the filesystem, local storage, etc. As such, we cannot allow it to access these resources. We would be doing you a disservice if we allowed your app to access them.

Why don't I see the "Downloads" or "History" tabs? Firefox for iOS is not a WebExtension app. To use extensions, we recommend using Firefox on Android. If you would like to use extensions on iOS, then please make sure to choose the right app.

Which browser has extensions?

Can't you just add them via Google Chrome?

It's probably on the bottom of the Extensions tab. I have always used that. When I use Firefox, it seems you are supposed to use the about:plugins page but then it's not as well organised. I know for other sites I have to use the about:extensions tab.

If you're using a PC with Windows 7 and later, Chrome uses an extension system based on app packages (ie, it's not much different than an app store) and you'll want to install Google's web store for this purpose. There is no browser built on the concept of extensions. They add the features needed by each specific project, some add features that help you interact with web content better, others add features that help you automate tasks. The latter, which should not be confused with what I guess you are after, is built from the ground up, while the former you can download.

In case you're asking "What is the official list of extensions for a browser?", this is simply called the Extension List. The latter has, as usual, a very limited number of entries. The main advantage of the Extension List is its completeness and being up to date.

The extension list (on about:addons for Firefox) currently includes all the extensions listed in my extension database. That is also the point I made already. There is no "official" list of extensions. It may be "the official list", but the official means official.

The official list is built at a time when Mozilla was interested in promoting extensions (ie, you were more visible, I guess). The current extension development tools have the tendency to keep the extension process hidden because it's very cumbersome and requires several steps to complete, which is good if you don't like surprises. You're not interested in hiding the extension process, are you?

I did try to search for the meaning of "list of extensions for a browser". That's what I was talking about, but I haven't yet looked for an alternative phrasing. How about "extensions list"? You seem to be very keen to get all the extensions for a browser.

You also claimed that you can't install extensions if you are on Firefox and have not the latest version.

Can Chrome iOS have extensions?

I think they're really going to be a great feature on the Chrome web store.

The only question I have is, if extensions can't run in the background, does that mean that I couldn't have an extension that allowed me to, say, check my twitter or facebook feeds without needing to launch the app itself? Is this possible? Yes, as long as you are not talking about background pages. All extensions require a JavaScript runtime and browser support for JavaScript. If you want to have a service in the background, you might be interested in a local service (like the built-in browser action) or perhaps a native one. Here is the information about background pages. "In addition to JavaScript, background pages must include a manifest file, which provides additional information about the page and its content, as well as the page's intended behavior. This section describes how to create a background page, what kinds of content are prohibited, and what the web store needs from the manifest file.