Ubuntu
firefox package

Search defaults to Yahoo when it shouldn't

Bug #1485741 reported by Chris Coulson
6
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
firefox (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Critical
Chris Coulson
Precise
Fix Released
Critical
Chris Coulson
Trusty
Fix Released
Critical
Chris Coulson
Vivid
Fix Released
Critical
Chris Coulson

Bug Description

When Mozilla initially switched to Yahoo by default for US users, it did this with a non-localized geo-specific preference (browser.search.defaultenginename.US), used when the locale was en-US, the user was in a US timezone and Firefox was not a partner build. This meant that Ubuntu builds continued with Google as the default search engine.

Some users are reporting that the default is switching to Yahoo after upgrading to 40.0, which is not intentional.

Since http://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-release/rev/37ea9e22ac42, it looks like Firefox downloads a region specific default from a Mozilla server even for partner builds like ours.

*Test plan for updates*

- Ideally the testing will be done by somebody in the US. This can be done by people outside, but is a bit trickier.

1) No customization
a) Before updating, open Firefox with a clean profile. Verify that the default search is Google.
b) Close Firefox and then reopen it. Verify that the default search engine switched to Yahoo.
c) Close Firefox, install the update, reopen Firefox and verify that the default search engine is Google.

2) Customized
a) Before updating, open Firefox with a clean profile. Set the default search engine to something else other than Google or Yahoo (eg, DDG).
b) Close Firefox and then reopen it to make sure the choice sticks.
c) Close Firefox, install the update, reopen Firefox and verify that the default search engine is still the one you chose.

3) Customized (Yahoo)
a) Downgrade to Firefox 39, open it with a clean profile and set the default search engine to Yahoo.
b) Close Firefox, upgrade to Firefox 40 (the unfixed version), open Firefox and verify that the default search engine is still Yahoo.
c) Close Firefox, install the update, reopen Firefox and verify that the default search engine is still Yahoo.

See original description
Revision history for this message
Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson) wrote :

Setting browser.search.geoSpecificDefaults to false and deleting search-metadata.json seems to stop the default being changed to Yahoo (verified after clearing browser.search.countryCode too).

Changed in firefox (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → Critical
status: New → Triaged
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Precise):
status: New → Triaged
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Trusty):
status: New → Triaged
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Vivid):
status: New → Triaged
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Precise):
importance: Undecided → Critical
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Trusty):
importance: Undecided → Critical
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Vivid):
importance: Undecided → Critical
Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)
description: updated
Revision history for this message
Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson) wrote :

Whilst flipping browser.search.geoSpecificDefaults to false with an update is sufficient to stop more people being switched to Yahoo, it's not sufficient to bring those who have already been switched to Yahoo back to Google again.

This sucks

Revision history for this message
Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson) wrote :

Ok, I've pushed builds to https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-mozilla-security/+archive/ubuntu/ppa which:

- Flips browser.search.geoSpecificDefaults to false on en-US.
- On startup, removes the "searchDefault" entry from the search metadata when browser.search.geoSpecificDefaults is false an the build is a partner build (ie, all Ubuntu builds). Note, this entry is only used for the region default - removing it won't affect any decision a user has previously made wrt to their search default.

Revision history for this message
Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson) wrote :

Note, these changes haven't been properly tested yet. I'll need someone in the US to do this for me

Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)
description: updated
Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)
description: updated
description: updated
Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu):
assignee: nobody → Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Precise):
assignee: nobody → Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Trusty):
assignee: nobody → Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Vivid):
assignee: nobody → Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu):
status: Triaged → In Progress
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Precise):
status: Triaged → In Progress
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Trusty):
status: Triaged → In Progress
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Vivid):
status: Triaged → In Progress
Revision history for this message
Jamie Strandboge (jdstrand) wrote :

I tested precise, trusty and vivid on amd64 using Chris' test plan and it works as expected.

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package firefox - 40.0+build4-0ubuntu0.12.04.4

---------------
firefox (40.0+build4-0ubuntu0.12.04.4) precise-security; urgency=medium

  * Disable geo-specific search defaults, and clean up profiles that have
    been inadvertently switched to the wrong search default (LP: #1485741)
    - add debian/patches/disable-geo-specific-search-defaults-for-us.patch
    - add debian/patches/cleanup-geo-specific-search-defaults.patch
    - update debian/patches/series

 -- Chris Coulson <email address hidden> Tue, 18 Aug 2015 15:10:02 +0100

Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Precise):
status: In Progress → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package firefox - 40.0+build4-0ubuntu0.14.04.4

---------------
firefox (40.0+build4-0ubuntu0.14.04.4) trusty-security; urgency=medium

  * Disable geo-specific search defaults, and clean up profiles that have
    been inadvertently switched to the wrong search default (LP: #1485741)
    - add debian/patches/disable-geo-specific-search-defaults-for-us.patch
    - add debian/patches/cleanup-geo-specific-search-defaults.patch
    - update debian/patches/series

 -- Chris Coulson <email address hidden> Tue, 18 Aug 2015 15:08:02 +0100

Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Trusty):
status: In Progress → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package firefox - 40.0+build4-0ubuntu0.15.04.4

---------------
firefox (40.0+build4-0ubuntu0.15.04.4) vivid-security; urgency=medium

  * Disable geo-specific search defaults, and clean up profiles that have
    been inadvertently switched to the wrong search default (LP: #1485741)
    - add debian/patches/disable-geo-specific-search-defaults-for-us.patch
    - add debian/patches/cleanup-geo-specific-search-defaults.patch
    - update debian/patches/series

 -- Chris Coulson <email address hidden> Tue, 18 Aug 2015 15:06:51 +0100

Changed in firefox (Ubuntu Vivid):
status: In Progress → Fix Released
Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)
Changed in firefox (Ubuntu):
status: In Progress → Fix Released
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