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FWIW, Safari on iOS allows extensions. Same manifest-v3-like limitations as desktop Safari (only allowlist-based blocking), but otherwise it implements a decent chunk of webextension APIs.

Also on iOS, Orion supports both Chrome and Firefox extensions.

Kiwi Browser is Chromium based and has had extensions on Android forever so they wouldn't exactly be a "pioneer".

Thanks for the pointer. I had never heard of Kiwi before.

I agree 100% with the author's take. But I'd go further: Whenever you have to reach for an extension, it means the browser has failed to do its job as the user's agent, and it's become the user's problem to correct this defect. I'd much rather a world where extensions didn't have to exist, because the browser acts on behalf of the user. Failing that, I'm glad we at least have extensions.

Have you read the article?

The author is playing with his own bookmarklets and extensions that will never be part of the browser, as it serves his own needs, not someone else’s.

For the browser to act as the user agent, it needs to be scriptable.