Firefox 46 has officially arrived. This release is focused on security and stability on the desktop side, meaning you’re not really going to find new features for computer users. Mobile users, meanwhile, can read cached sites offline for the first time, and unauthorized add-ons will no longer work on Android.
It’s not the most exciting release to be sure, but everyone should still make sure they’re up to date. Head to “About Firefox” on your computer to see what version you’re using, or to your app store on mobile. If there’s an update available, it will download automatically, and all you’ll need to do is restart your browser.
So what’s in the release? Check out the release notes, but here’s a quick list for desktop users with a little bit of extra context:
- Improved security for the JavaScrip Just-In-Time compiler.
- GTK3 integration, something certain Linux users will be very happy about.
- Correction of the blank spaces that caused problems for the screen reader in Google Docs.
- Correct rendering for scaled SVGs that use a clip and mask.
- Security and performance fixes for WebRTC, which powers video conferencing and P2P file sharing in the browser.
- Support for developers to display dominator trees in memory.
- Support for documents.elementsFromPoint.
- Addition of allocation and garbage collection pause profiling to the performance panel.
- HKDF support for Web Crypto API, improving the encryption Web applications can use to keep users safe.
If you’re not excited about any of this, maybe the mobile features will be more interesting: they’re a lot more user-facing. Here’s what’s new in Android:
- Notifications about tabs opened in the background will now include the URL, making it easier to remember what it was you opened earlier.
- You’ll be asked about new permissions when you first start Firefox, instead of when you install the app.
- Cached pages will work when you’re offline, meaning you can load up your Web history while your train goes through a tunnel.
- Unverified add-ons will no longer install.
- History and bookmarks now show up in the menu, where they should have been all along.
- The homescreen was cleaned up a little.
- Firefox Sync 1.1 is gone; Firefox Accounts are now required for syncing.
- Support for Android Honeycomb is gone.
Finally, iOS got just a few changes.
- Better handling of links to third-party apps, like Apple Maps and Twitter.
- You can now delete the default suggested sites, if you want.
- Alexa’s top five sites are now the default suggested sites (no more ads!).
- TouchID support added for the password manager.
- Danish language support.
Overall, it’s an incremental update, but it’s still worth installing. Update now and stay secure.
