14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla has officially released Firefox 81 for all supported desktop platforms, namely Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Needless to say, Firefox 81 comes with several worthy improvements, and the first of them is the introduction of a new visual theme called Alpenglow.
As we’ve known for a while, Firefox already supported dark and light modes, and the browsed could also follow the system visual style. In other words, if Windows 10 was configured to use the black mode, Firefox switched to the dark theme too, and the same thing for the light visual style.
But beginning with this new update, Firefox also introduces a stylish Alpenglow theme, and this one is available on all desktop platforms, not just on Windows. It needs to be manually enabled from the settings screen.
“In addition to our default, dark and light themes, with this release, Firefox introduces the Alpenglow theme: a colorful appearance for buttons, menus, and windows. You can update your Firefox themes under settings or preferences,” Mozilla said.
Firefox 81 is also the first version of the browser that comes with support for controlling audio playback using the keyboard or the headset, even if the computer is locked. Similar functionality has been available in other browsers for quite a while, and now Mozilla has finally updated its browser with such features too.
“You can pause and play audio or video in Firefox right from your keyboard or headset, giving you easy access to control your media when in another Firefox tab, another program, or even when your computer is locked,” it says.
The PDF viewer that’s integrated into Firefox comes with a new look, and Mozilla is also preparing for more significant updates for the way the application handles this type of documents. More specifically, Firefox, which already comes with support for AcroForm, will get new capabilities for PDF files, including filling in, printing, and saving PDF forms right from the browser.
Browser makers are investing more and more in the PDF capabilities of their apps, and Microsoft and Mozilla are two of the biggest names doing this right now. Sooner or later, dedicated PDF apps would no longer make much sense, and for users, this means a streamlined experience with PDF documents.
There are also improvements for Pocket users, with specific regions now getting recommendations for stories on the web. Mozilla explains:
“Our users in Austria, Belgium and Switzerland using the German version of Firefox will now see Pocket recommendations in their new tab featuring some of the best stories on the web. If you don’t see them, you can turn on Pocket articles in your new tab by following these steps. In addition to Firefox’s new tab, Pocket is also available as an app on iOS and Android.”
In addition, users in the United States and Canada are provided with credit card management, so they can save, manage, and auto-fill information when shopping online. As we’ve known already, this feature is currently available in most other browsers out there, so it’s definitely a good thing Firefox now supports it too, especially because more people stay home these days due to obvious reasons and online shopping has become a more common practice.
Needless to say, the new Firefox version also comes with plenty of security fixes and other improvements, including new iconography for the Picture-in-Picture mode. The supported file types also include new items, like XML, SVG, and WEBP, so you can open all of them right in the browser without the need for downloading a dedicated app just for this purpose.