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Samsung Internet 101: How to Sync Your Open Tabs with Desktop Firefox

Mar 23, 2018 10:48 PM

Mobile phone screen displaying app icons for messaging and Firefox browser.

It's always a pleasure when your activity syncs across all of your devices. Herein lies another reason to use Samsung Internet — the app natively syncs with your open tabs on desktop Firefox. Anything you do on your computer can be easily accessible from your smartphone.

Now, just having Firefox on your computer won't magically connect it to your Android device's Samsung Internet app. You'll need to make sure you have a Firefox account as well. It's entirely possible you don't have an account, even if you use Firefox as your main browser. Don't worry — Samsung Internet will walk you through everything during setup below.

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Add a Firefox Account to Samsung Internet

To start, tap on the "Tabs" icon on the main screen, then tap the three dots in the top-right corner. On the popup, tap "Open tabs from other devices."

Samsung Internet 101: How to Sync Your Open Tabs with Desktop Firefox

Screenshot of a mobile device displaying a browser tab interface with a menu icon.

Browser tab settings screen with options for opening titles and incognito mode.

Next, tap "Sign in" on the popup, then, under Add an account, tap "Firefox account." From here, "Firefox Sync" will boot up. Tap "Get started" to do just that.

Sign-in prompt for Google account on a mobile device

Add an account options on a mobile device.

"Welcome screen for Firefox Sync with 'Get started' button."

If you don't have a Firefox account, you can quickly make one on this page. If you have an existing account, just scroll down to the bottom of the display, tap "Already have an account? Sign in," then enter your credentials on the following page.

Create Firefox account form displayed on a mobile device.

Login screen for an app with username and password fields.

Sign into the Same Account on Desktop Firefox

Next, you'll need to log in to this same account on your desktop Firefox if you haven't already done so. You'll find the login page if you open Firefox's preferences, then click "Firefox Account."

Sign in to create or access a Firefox account.

Access Your Open Tabs

Once you've either signed into the account on both platforms, tap "Resume browsing" in the Android app to launch back to Samsung Internet. From the new tab menu, hit the three-dot menu button and tap "Open tabs from other devices," then locate and tap your desktop device on the list. This will open a list of your device's tabs, any of which you can tap on to launch on mobile.

Account verification confirmation screen with a prompt to resume browsing.

Browser tab options with quick access to Google services.

In my experience, it can take some time for Samsung Internet to refresh the open tabs list, so don't be frustrated if your mobile browser isn't reflective of what's on your computer at any given instant. It'll get there!

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Cover image and screenshots by Jake Peterson/Gadget Hacks

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