The issue:

Android users with Firefox can’t access Google Search (including intl sites and localized domains like google.de, .co.uk, .com.br). Instead, they see a blank page.

Cause:

A server-side bug on Google’s end related to User-Agent (UA) sniffing, which serves an empty page to newer Firefox versions.

Affected versions:

All Firefox versions on Android (>= 65) including Mobile 121.0, Nightly 123, and older.

Chrome not affected:

The bug is specific to Firefox.

Solutions:

  • Use a different browser (Chrome, etc.) or search engine (DuckDuckGo).

Advanced users can:

  • Change Firefox’s UA in developer settings or with add-ons.

  • Request the desktop version of Google from Firefox settings (region-dependent).

Status:

  • Problem identified as critical and escalated.
  • Still unresolved at the time of reporting.

Additional notes:

  • Disabling Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection doesn’t fix the issue.
  • Some users report google.co.in loading the desktop site instead of mobile.
  • Katlah@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    6 months ago

    “bug” aka purposely making firefox unusable on one of the largest websites in the world so more people use chromium

    (these allegations are based solely on prejudice against google and its subsidiaries, and do not necessarily hold true in reality)

  • nieceandtows@programming.dev
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    6 months ago

    I tried signing into Google today on Firefox and got ‘sigin in using a safe browser. This is not a safe browser’. I refreshed the page and it was gone and I was able to sign in. What the heck.

  • albert180@feddit.de
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    6 months ago

    Yeah they have so many “convenient” bugs discriminating Firefox that there is already for a few Years a special Add-On that switches the User Agent to Google for the Search

  • 1984@lemmy.today
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    6 months ago

    Real professional engineers at Google. Reading the browser name is just so hard.

  • JokeDeity@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    I really don’t understand why Google isn’t being taken to court over the obvious monopolistic strategies they’ve been implementing.