Firefox 151 Adds Web Serial API as Mozilla Prepares Project Nova With AI Off Switch
Updated
Updated · The Verge · May 21
Firefox 151 Adds Web Serial API as Mozilla Prepares Project Nova With AI Off Switch
8 articles · Updated · The Verge · May 21
Firefox 151 shipped this week with Web Serial API support, PDF merging in the built-in viewer, an updated Firefox Home page and new wallpapers.
Mozilla said the bigger change is Project Nova, a redesign rolling out later this year that reorganizes Settings so privacy controls—and a master switch to disable current and future AI features—are easier to find.
The overhaul adds rounded tabs, a refreshed fire-inspired palette, more consistent icons across light and dark themes, and brings back compact mode alongside easier access to tab groups, split view and vertical tabs.
Mozilla said AI models are not downloaded unless users choose them, contrasting that approach with Google Chrome's disputed 4GB download, while Nova also expands browser-wide themes and other customization options.
The release follows Mozilla's earlier Nightly rollout of redesigned Settings and broadens a redesign push aimed at making Firefox cleaner, more customizable and more privacy-focused.
With its market share falling, can Firefox's 'Project Nova' redesign actually challenge the dominance of Google Chrome?
Can Firefox deliver ultimate privacy while its primary revenue still comes from its biggest competitor, Google?