Firefox Sync

Overview

Firefox Syncing
Firefox Sync Not Working

Firefox browser gives you effortless privacy protection with lighting-fast page loads. Enhanced Tracking Protection automatically blocks over 2000 known online trackers from invading your privacy and slowing down your pages. Firefox browser also introduces a clean new design that makes it easier to get more things done, more quickly.
GET IT FOR: Apps.

Firefox Sync encrypts your data before it ever leaves your device, and ensures that the password to unlock this encryption is never transmitted to the server. Remove a synced device from Firefox Accounts How to disconnect a device from your Firefox account and stop syncing its data with other devices. Disable Firefox Sync.

A Firefox Account user can connect a new device to their account without entering a password,by instead 'pairing' with an already-connected device in order to obtain account credentials.

Currently, the pairing implementation is limited to a mobile device (Firefox Android and iOS) scanning a QR code displayed on a computer (Firefox Desktop) already connected to a Firefox Account. We hope to expand these capabilities in future.

User Flow

Let's assume that the user is already signed-in to their Desktop Firefox profile.

On their mobile device, Firefox invites them to navigate to firefox.com/pair on their Desktop browser,and offers to scan the QR code which will be generated by that device. Like this:

When they visit that URL on their Desktop device, it will confirm their intent to connectanother device, and then generate and display a QR code. Like this:

When the user scans the QR code, each device will show a confirmation screen,and after user approval the new device will be connected to their account.

A detailed technical user-flow is available here.

Implementation

High-level description of the flow

The two devices exchange a one-time secret key via QR code, and use it to createa shared, encrypted and authenticated communication channel over websockets.
- The Channel Server is responsiblefor proxying communication between the two devices.
- The Pairing Channel library provides thecrypto necessary to authenticate and encrypt the channel, using TLS1.3 in pre-shared-key mode.
- The Desktop device is responsible for creating the channel and its corresponding secret key,and advertising those details in a QR code.
- The Mobile device connects to the channel using the details it scans from the QR code.
The Mobile device prepares an OAuth request for connecting to FxA, but instead of redirectingto a webpage on https://accounts.firefox.com, it sends the OAuth request to the Desktop deviceover the pairing channel.
The Desktop device receives the OAuth request, confirms user consent, and uses its existingcredentials to tell the FxA server to grant a corresponding OAuth authorization code. Insteadof delivering the code via the usual OAuth HTTP redirect, it sends the code back to the Mobile device over the pairing channel.
The Mobile device receives the code and processes it just as it would for an ordinaryweb-based OAuth flow, by talking to the FxA server to exchange the code for some OAuth tokens.

There is some additional message-passing the takes place over the pairing channel in order toshow confirmation screens and help smooth out the experience, but the high-level abstractionis 'do an OAuth flow, but using the pairing channel instead of HTTP redirects'.

Detailed implementation description

The implementation is described here.

Please note that the FxA Pairing Flow - Application Layer Lucidchart diagram should be treated as the source of truthregarding the pairing protocol and kept up-to-date. There is also a rendered png of the diagram available on the detailed architecture docs.

Where does the code live?

Desktop client implementation (UI)

Security concerns and desired security properties

Described here.

Possible evolutions

Reverse pairing: allow a computer to connect to an account by scanning a QR code with an already connected mobile Firefox.
Pairing using a code to type: more accessible, allows device without a back camera to pair (i.e. 2 computers).

Even though I've switched to Vivaldi as my daily web browser, I still like Firefox. In fact, the default browser on my primary desktop (Pop!_OS, running on a System76 Thelio) seems to switch almost weekly. Maybe after writing this piece, I'll switch back to Firefox--crazier things have happened.

More about Mobility

The Firefox menu will let you know if your browser is connected to a sync account.

There's one thing that's become increasingly important for modern web browser users--the ability to sync data between instances. With Google stripping the open source Chromium of this features, users who prefer to stay away from proprietary solutions will want to find an open source option that allows them to sync their desktop browser with the mobile browser.

Fortunately, most every major browser on the market does this, but the Firefox developers have made this even easier. Once upon a time, you had to actually go through the process of entering a username and password to set up Firefox sync on your mobile device. Who has time for that?

I'm kidding, of course. Sort of. For those who really are that busy (basically every system administrator on the planet), that's not necessary now. Firefox has gone the way of the QR code to connect instances of desktop and mobile browsers.

Let's see how it works.

SEE: TechRepublic Premium editorial calendar: IT policies, checklists, toolkits, and research for download (TechRepublic Premium)

What you'll need

To make this work, you'll need a desktop instance of Firefox which is associated with a sync account. If you haven't already set that up, check out this quick (albeit slightly outdated) video: How to connect Firefox Quantum to your Firefox account. You'll also need the mobile version of Firefox, either running on Android or iOS.

Once you have Firefox connected to your account, you're ready to connect your mobile instance of Firefox.

How to connect quickly sync desktop and mobile Firefox to the same account

Open Firefox on your desktop and click the menu button (three horizontal lines in the upper-right corner). From the popup menu, click the email address associated with your Firefox account (Figure A).

Figure A

In the resulting menu, click Connect Another Device (Figure B).

Figure B

A new window will appear, where you can reveal the QR code for quick device connection (Figure C).

Figure C

Open Firefox on your mobile device. If this is the first time you've opened the mobile browser, you should see a Sign In To Firefox button (Figure D).

Figure D

Tap Sign in to Firefox and then, when prompted, tap Ready To Scan (Figure E).

Figure E

Scan the code and your devices will begin to sync. You'll be informed of the connection, which will include the location and IP address of the mobile device, so you know it was you.

It'll take a few seconds for everything to sync from desktop to mobile, but once it's done, you'll find all of your bookmarks, tabs, cookies, and passwords are now in sync.

If you're a Firefox user, looking to migrate from the default browser on your mobile device, this quick sync connection feature will make that process an absolute no-brainer.

Subscribe to TechRepublic's How To Make Tech Work on YouTube for all the latest tech advice for business pros from Jack Wallen.

Firefox Syncing

Also see

Firefox Sync Not Working

Wi-Fi 6: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
Microsoft Surface Book 3: A cheat sheet (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
Hiring Kit: Application engineer (TechRepublic Premium)
The 10 best smartphones you can buy right now (ZDNet)
Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)