mozilla-mobile/firefox-ios

#29044 “Close Private Tabs” from widget does not close Private Browsing tabs

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#29,044 opened on Aug 29, 2025

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Description

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Open Firefox on iOS 26.
  2. Open at least one tab in Private Browsing mode.
  3. Force close the app
  4. Go to the iOS Home Screen and add the Firefox Quick Action Widget
  5. Set the widget to Close Private tabs
  6. Tap on Close Private Tabs from the widget.
  7. Reopen Firefox and switch to Private Browsing.

Expected result: All Private Browsing tabs should be closed after selecting Close Private Tabs from the widget.

Actual result: Private Browsing tabs remain open; the widget action does not close them.

Note:

  • Able to reproduce the issue using Firefox shortcuts widget.
  • Not able to reproduce if at the step 3 the app in put on background and not force closed

Device & Build Information:

  • Device: iPhone 16 Pro (iOS 26 beta 8 – 23A5330a); iPhone 14+ (16.0.3)
  • Build version: v9000 (60549)

:information_source: Reference Person

+@Foxbolts+

┆Issue is synchronized with this Jira Bug

Contributor guide

Research direction
Investigate the widget's code and how it triggers the closure of private tabs. Check if the widget properly communicates with the main app and if the private browsing state is correctly restored after force closing the app.
Tech stack
swift
Domain
mobile
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
SwiftiOS developmentXcode
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60