Firefox 56 is now available to download.
The latest update to the browser isn’t exactly packed with changes but it does include a new search function in the settings area to make it faster to find specific options or preferences.
Also news is Firefox Screenshots, a feature that lets you quickly take screenshots of things you see in the browser and share it with others online.
Borrowing a behaviour from Apple’s Safari and Google Chrome, Firefox 56 no longer auto-plays media loaded in a background tab (e.g., YouTube).
This is the final release to support legacy add-ons — in Firefox 57 you will only be able to use the newer, safer and more resource efficient web extensions.
Firefox 56 is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. You can download it from the Firefox website.
If you’re running Ubuntu you don’t need to do anything other than wait for it this update to arrive through the Software Updater at some point in the next few days.
All Eyes are on Firefox Quantum
Chances are all you’ve thought about while reading this post is Firefox Quantum (aka Firefox 57) due in November.
Mozilla describe it as one of the biggest Firefox releases ever — for good reason.
A brand new style engine sits under the hood of the browser, providing 2x faster performance of earlier versions and 30% less memory usage than Google Chrome.
There’s also a redesigned New Tab page, a new Library feature that aggregates your browsing history, recent downloads and bookmarks, and, for fans of iconography, a brand new logo.
Firefox 57 is due for release in November. If you want to take it for a spin before then just download the latest beta or developer edition release.