Services/Sync/EOL Sync Add On Phase 1
Status
| EOL Sync Add-on Phase 1 | |
| Stage | Development |
| Status | Complete |
| Release target | TBD - Not dependent on train schedule |
| Health | OK |
| Status note | Has been deployed to AMO and tested. |
Team
| Product manager | Jennifer Arguello |
| Directly Responsible Individual | Jennifer Arguello |
| Lead engineer | Philipp von Weitershausen |
| Security lead | Yvan Boily |
| Privacy lead | ` |
| Localization lead | ` |
| Accessibility lead | ` |
| QA lead | Tracy Walker |
| UX lead | Alex Faaborg |
| Product marketing lead | Jaclyn Fu |
| Operations lead | ` |
| Additional members | Ibai Garcia |
Open issues/risks
- Add-on users stop using Sync because they believe it has been disabled.
- Sync web search results confusing because the AMO link shows up and we are advising to not use the Add-on on the AMO page.
- Open question: Are we forcing an update or just letting users self-discover this?
- What will the experience be if someone is trying to download the add-on and they don't have it installed? Does the installation do nothing? Can we block them from doing this?
Stage 1: Definition
1. Feature overview
Firefox Sync has been integrated into the client since version 4 and the Firefox Sync Add-on will not longer be maintained. This is a plan to end of life the use of the Firefox Sync Add-on. Users in 3.6.* will continue to use the Sync Add-on until they upgrade to FF 4+ and the Sync Add-on will not have an update for 3.6.* users. Users who upgraded to Firefox 4 or greater and who had the Sync Add-on installed still show that the add-on is active, even though Sync is using the integrated client. This is a plan to get Sync add-on users off the Sync add-on and onto the most current version of Sync. Phase 1, is to provide a path for the users to uninstall the Sync add-on.
The benefit of moving users to the current version of Sync is that it is a supported version of the service, which is continuously being worked on.
To see current metrics of the Sync Add-on go to this link.
2. Users & use cases
- For FF 3.6.* users, the Sync add-on will keep working as before. It must be communicated that the Sync Add-on is not longer maintained.
- For FF3.6 Sync add-on users who upgraded to FF4+ and still have the add-on installed. Steps to upgrade are below for manual upgrade
- User goes to the Sync AMO page
- User downloads the Sync Add-on
- The Sync Add-on uninstalls any installed Sync add-on
- For FF4+ users who still have the add-on installed. Steps to upgrade are below for automatic upgrade
- User gets prompted Sync add-on has an update
- User downloads the Sync Add-on
- The Sync Add-on uninstalls any installed Sync add-on
3. Dependencies
- Sync Add-on references removed from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/mobile/sync/. Owner: Chrissie. Status: Done.
- Provide Services Support instructions expected behavior. Owner: Jen . Status: Not Started
- Provide Product Planning and PMM the schedule of the plan. Owner: Jen. Status: Not Started
- PMM keeps touting Sync as part of the next few releases. (With rapid release, we are finding that some users do not notice when new features come online and so we should keep promoting them with subsequent releases). Owner: PMM. Status: Not started
4. Requirements
- Existing add-on users must have a seamless uninstall experience when updating the add-on.
- Communicate this plan more broadly (i.e. blogs, SUMO page)
- Sync service for a user must not be disrupted
- (nice to have) No user Sync data gets lost.
Non-goals
- Disabling the AMO page for Firefox Sync. This will be part of Phase 2 when 3.6.* EOL.
Stage 2: Design
5. Functional specification
The flow below should be the same across all OS's, Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- Manual download from the Sync Add-on page for users with FF4+
- From Sync Add-on Page click "Download Now"
- Sync Add-on will be downloaded.
- As part of the install, it will automatically uninstall the Sync Add-on
- Pushed update to Sync Add-on users with FF4+
- The update dialog will appear on the desktop browser
- User selects update
- The add-on downloads update and then installs
- The update will uninstall the Sync Add-on
- Update the message on the AMO page
Old: Note: Firefox Sync is built into Firefox 4 and later! We recommend you upgrade to the latest Firefox version instead of installing this add-on.
New: Note: Firefox Sync is now built into Firefox! This page exists solely for legacy reasons. Please upgrade to the latest Firefox version instead of installing this add-on.
- Long note:
Note: Firefox Sync is now built into Firefox! This page exists solely for legacy reasons. Please upgrade to the latest Firefox version instead of installing this add-on. To set up Firefox Sync please see this page.
6. User experience design
No extra UX work is necessary.
Stage 3: Planning
7. Implementation plan
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8. Reviews
Security review
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Privacy review
`
Localization review
`
Accessibility
`
Quality Assurance review
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Operations review
`
Stage 4: Development
9. Implementation
Bug 677366 tracks the work for the Sync Add-on.
Stage 5: Release
10. Landing criteria
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Feature details
| Priority | P1 |
| Rank | 999 |
| Theme / Goal | ` |
| Roadmap | Sync |
| Secondary roadmap | ` |
| Feature list | ` |
| Project | ` |
| Engineering team | Services |
Team status notes
| status | notes | |
| Products | ` | ` |
| Engineering | ` | ` |
| Security | pass | ` |
| Privacy | ` | ` |
| Localization | ` | ` |
| Accessibility | ` | ` |
| Quality assurance | pass | ` |
| User experience | ` | ` |
| Product marketing | ` | ` |
| Operations | ` | ` |
Support Plan Notes:
- For users on Firefox 3.6: Please advise them to upgrade to Firefox 4 and then uninstall the Sync Add-on.
- For manual uninstall of the Sync Add-on: tools->Add-ons then select "remove" next to the Sync Firefox add-on (is this true for all OS's?)
- Sync will keep working as it did before. Here are directions for looking at Sync preferences:
- windows users can go to menu drop down -> options ->options and then the Sync tab (Need to double check these instructions)
- mac users go to Firefox -> Preferences ->Sync tab
- linux users ???
- For users of Firefox 4 and later with the Sync Add-on: Please advise them to uninstall the Sync Add-on.
- For all users, tools->Add-ons then select "remove" next to the Sync Firefox add-on (is this true for all OS's?)
- Sync will keep working as it did before. Here are directions for looking at Sync preferences:
- windows users can go to menu drop down -> options ->options and then the Sync tab (Need to double check these instructions)
- mac users go to Firefox -> Preferences ->Sync tab
- linux users ???
