14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla has just released a new version of Firefox that comes with a series of improvements on all supported platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Firefox 66, which you can download using the links below, is the first release that blocks all autoplay media with sound by default. Users are allowed to whitelist websites if they want to enable this behavior on load, but also to disable the feature altogether.
“Any playback that happens before the user has interacted with a page via a mouse click, printable key press, or touch event, is deemed to be autoplay and will be blocked if it is potentially audible,” Mozilla engineer Chris Pearce explains.
Audible autoplay blocking is also available in Firefox for Android beginning with today’s update.
Windows 10 dark theme improvements
While Mozilla hasn’t yet published the full release notes for the new version, Firefox 66 is also expected to introduce support for Microsoft’s Windows Hello on Windows 10.
The biometric authentication system available on Windows 10 allows users to log into services with fingerprint scanners or face recognition cameras if they are available on their devices. Beginning with this update, Firefox would technically make it possible for the authentication to work on websites as well, in a way that was already demonstrated in Microsoft Edge for Windows 10.
This new version also introduces welcome fixes for all platforms, but worth highlighting is one that’s specifically aimed at Windows 10 users.
Firefox 66 resolves a bug affecting the visual styles, so the dark and light Firefox themes now override the system setting for title bar accent color on Windows 10. This was a bug documented in this Bugzilla thread, and according to a recent post, was fixed in the stable release of Firefox.
You can download Mozilla Firefox 66 for Windows, Linux, and macOS using these links.