--- a/toolkit/components/extensions/ExtensionXPCShellUtils.jsm
+++ b/toolkit/components/extensions/ExtensionXPCShellUtils.jsm
@@ -264,32 +264,32 @@ var ExtensionTestUtils = {
       Services.dirsvc.unregisterProvider(dirProvider);
 
       this.currentScope = null;
     });
   },
 
   addonManagerStarted: false,
 
+  mockAppInfo() {
+    const {updateAppInfo} = Cu.import("resource://testing-common/AppInfo.jsm", {});
+    updateAppInfo({
+      ID: "xpcshell@tests.mozilla.org",
+      name: "XPCShell",
+      version: "48",
+      platformVersion: "48",
+    });
+  },
+
   startAddonManager() {
     if (this.addonManagerStarted) {
       return;
     }
     this.addonManagerStarted = true;
-
-    let appInfo = {};
-    Cu.import("resource://testing-common/AppInfo.jsm", appInfo);
-
-    appInfo.updateAppInfo({
-      ID: "xpcshell@tests.mozilla.org",
-      name: "XPCShell",
-      version: "48",
-      platformVersion: "48",
-    });
-
+    this.mockAppInfo();
 
     let manager = Cc["@mozilla.org/addons/integration;1"].getService(Ci.nsIObserver)
                                                          .QueryInterface(Ci.nsITimerCallback);
     manager.observe(null, "addons-startup", null);
   },
 
   loadExtension(data) {
     let extension = Extension.generate(data);

--- a/toolkit/components/extensions/ext-runtime.js
+++ b/toolkit/components/extensions/ext-runtime.js
@@ -71,16 +71,22 @@ extensions.registerSchemaAPI("runtime", 
 
       get lastError() {
         // TODO(robwu): Figure out how to make sure that errors in the parent
         // process are propagated to the child process.
         // lastError should not be accessed from the parent.
         return context.lastError;
       },
 
+      getBrowserInfo: function() {
+        const {name, vendor, version, appBuildID} = Services.appinfo;
+        const info = {name, vendor, version, buildID: appBuildID};
+        return Promise.resolve(info);
+      },
+
       getPlatformInfo: function() {
         return Promise.resolve(ExtensionUtils.PlatformInfo);
       },
 
       openOptionsPage: function() {
         if (!extension.manifest.options_ui) {
           return Promise.reject({message: "No `options_ui` declared"});
         }

--- a/toolkit/components/extensions/schemas/runtime.json
+++ b/toolkit/components/extensions/schemas/runtime.json
@@ -85,16 +85,39 @@
           "nacl_arch" : {
             "unsupported": true,
             "description": "The native client architecture. This may be different from arch on some platforms.",
             "$ref": "PlatformNaclArch"
           }
         }
       },
       {
+        "id": "BrowserInfo",
+        "type": "object",
+        "description": "An object containing information about the current browser.",
+        "properties": {
+          "name": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "The name of the browser, for example 'Firefox'."
+          },
+          "vendor": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "The name of the browser vendor, for example 'Mozilla'."
+          },
+          "version": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "The browser's version, for example '42.0.0' or '0.8.1pre'."
+          },
+          "buildID": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "The browser's build ID/date, for example '20160101'."
+          }
+        }
+      },
+      {
         "id": "RequestUpdateCheckStatus",
         "type": "string",
         "enum": ["throttled", "no_update", "update_available"],
         "restrictions": ["content"],
         "description": "Result of the update check."
       },
       {
         "id": "OnInstalledReason",
@@ -363,16 +386,35 @@
                 "type": "any",
                 "description": "The response message sent by the native messaging host. If an error occurs while connecting to the native messaging host, the callback will be called with no arguments and $(ref:runtime.lastError) will be set to the error message."
               }
             ]
           }
         ]
       },
       {
+        "name": "getBrowserInfo",
+        "type": "function",
+        "description": "Returns information about the current browser.",
+        "async": "callback",
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "type": "function",
+            "name": "callback",
+            "description": "Called with results",
+            "parameters": [
+              {
+                "name": "browserInfo",
+                "$ref": "BrowserInfo"
+              }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      {
         "name": "getPlatformInfo",
         "type": "function",
         "description": "Returns information about the current platform.",
         "async": "callback",
         "parameters": [
           {
             "type": "function",
             "name": "callback",

new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/toolkit/components/extensions/test/xpcshell/test_ext_runtime_getBrowserInfo.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+/* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
+"use strict";
+
+add_task(function* setup() {
+  ExtensionTestUtils.mockAppInfo();
+});
+
+add_task(function* test_getBrowserInfo() {
+  function background() {
+    browser.runtime.getBrowserInfo().then(info => {
+      browser.test.assertEq(info.name, "XPCShell", "name is valid");
+      browser.test.assertEq(info.vendor, "Mozilla", "vendor is Mozilla");
+      browser.test.assertEq(info.version, "48", "version is correct");
+      browser.test.assertEq(info.buildID, "20160315", "buildID is correct");
+
+      browser.test.notifyPass("runtime.getBrowserInfo");
+    });
+  }
+
+  const extension = ExtensionTestUtils.loadExtension({background});
+  yield extension.startup();
+  yield extension.awaitFinish("runtime.getBrowserInfo");
+  yield extension.unload();
+});

--- a/toolkit/components/extensions/test/xpcshell/xpcshell.ini
+++ b/toolkit/components/extensions/test/xpcshell/xpcshell.ini
@@ -38,16 +38,17 @@ skip-if = release_build
 [test_ext_json_parser.js]
 [test_ext_localStorage.js]
 [test_ext_management.js]
 [test_ext_manifest_content_security_policy.js]
 [test_ext_manifest_incognito.js]
 [test_ext_manifest_minimum_chrome_version.js]
 [test_ext_onmessage_removelistener.js]
 [test_ext_runtime_connect_no_receiver.js]
+[test_ext_runtime_getBrowserInfo.js]
 [test_ext_runtime_getPlatformInfo.js]
 [test_ext_runtime_sendMessage.js]
 [test_ext_runtime_sendMessage_errors.js]
 [test_ext_runtime_sendMessage_no_receiver.js]
 [test_ext_runtime_sendMessage_self.js]
 [test_ext_schemas.js]
 [test_ext_schemas_api_injection.js]
 [test_ext_schemas_restrictions.js]