Category: News

Firefox 125.0.3

Firefox 125.0.3 fixes five non-security bugs

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla plans to release Firefox 125.0.3 later today. The point update fixes five non-security issues in the browser.

Here are the bugs:

  • Firefox tried to load https://0.0.0.1 in a blank tab when trying to launch another instance of the browser.
  • Fixed incorrect font selection for Japanese locale users in some situations.
  • Fixed a unicode character text dragging issue on Linux systems.
  • Fixed an issue that caused inconsistent focus handling of <select> elements.
  • Fixed a correctness error when using arguments.length.

Firefox users affected by one of the issues may want to update the browser as soon as possible. Everyone else should not feel in a hurry to update to the new version.

The next major Firefox release, Firefox 126, will hit the servers on May 14, 2024.

Firefox 125 release history

Firefox 125.0.3 is the second point update for Firefox 125 already. Technically it is the third, but Mozilla decided to release Firefox 125.0.1 instead of Firefox 125 to address a “high-severity quality issue” in Firefox 125 shortly before release.

Firefox 125.0.1 introduced a number of improvements. Highlights were:

  • Support for AV1 codec for Encrypted Media Extensions, which enables higher-quality video streams using the technology.
  • Text highlighting in the Firefox PDF viewer.
  • Proactive blocking of “more” untrustworthy downloads.
  • Address saving and auto-filling for users in the United States and Canada.

Firefox 125.0.2 pulled the proactive blocking feature again from the browser as it was causing “unexpected problems”. Mozilla plans to reintroduce it in the Firefox web browser in a future version.

How to check for updates

Most Firefox installations are configured to update to new versions automatically. Users who want to install updates early may select Menu > Help > About Firefox on desktop devices to do so. Note that this works only after the official release by Mozilla.

Have you tried Firefox lately? Feel free to leave a comment below.

YouTube ad

Google has been testing Pause Ads on YouTube

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Do you pause videos on YouTube sometimes? Soon, the popular video hosting site may show you ads whenever you pause videos.

During Alphabet’s earning call for the first quarter of 2024, Senior Vice President at Google Philipp Schindler, revealed information about a test that Google conducted on YouTubed in the quarter.

Google tested a “new non-interruptive ad format” on connected TVs that “appears when users pause their organic content”.

So, whenever YouTube users hit pause, YouTube would show an advertisement on the screen.

Schindler said that these pause ads are “driving strong brand lift results and are commanding attention”.

Pausing videos on YouTube

Pause is an essential YouTube feature. It allows users to stop playback while keeping the video active on the screen.

Pausing differs slightly on different devices. In browsers, pause freezes the screen. On mobile and YouTube’s official app, pausing darkens the screen and displays control buttons.

The experiment showed an ad on the screen instead. Schindler did not describe pause ads in detail. A report from last year suggests that Google has been testing this type of ad format since 2023. Back then, Google showed popup banners around the video that users could hide with a click on the dismiss button.

It is unclear if the first quarter experiment used the same format.

Google’s record revenue and fight against adblockers

Google reported strong earnings for the first quarter of 2024. YouTube revenue increased by 20% in the quarter to $8.09 billion. At least part of the jump can be attributed to Google’s fight against content blockers on YouTube.

Google started to show warning prompts to users with adblockers. Not all saw these, but a sizeable number reported these prompts. While these differed, some blocked access to YouTube until users would either turn off the adblocker or subscribe to YouTube Premium.

Expect increased ads on YouTube in 2024 and beyond. As long as YouTube is the go-to destination for video, Google is going to push ads on the platform and intensifying its fight against adblockers.

Ads drive most of Google’s revenue. Make them annoying enough, and you drive subscriptions as well.

Would you use YouTube if you either had to sit through ads or pay for access?

DeepL Write Pro: AI writing assistant launches

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

DeepL Write Pro is a subscription-based AI writing assistant by DeepL, maker of the popular translation service.

The target audience is organizations and professionals. DeepL Write has been available as a free service for some time. You can feed it text to get improvement suggestions.

DeepL Write Pro takes the concept a step further. While it continues to give suggestions, these are now provided in real-time. Subscribers may also set different writing styles and tones to create results for specific audiences.

DeepL Write Pro launches with business, casual, academic, and simple writing styles, and friendly, diplomatic, confident, and enthusiastic tones.

DeepL says that Write Pro is available on the official website, desktop and mobile apps, browser extensions, and as integrations in services such as Gmail, Microsoft Outlook and Word, and many more.

Limitations: The main limitation at the time of writing is that DeepL Write Pro supports only the languages English and German. The creators promise to improve language support in the future.

DeepL promises maximum data security. Text are never stored without user consent and never used for AI training, according to the company. Organizations and businesses benefit from additional security features, including SSO-enabled logins and administrative controls.

As far as pricing is concerned, a single user DeepL Write Pro subscription is available for $10.99 per month, if paid annually. Switch that to monthly and the price jumps to $16.50 per user and month.

Closing Words

A lot of AI assisted writing helpers are coming on the market. Not all of these will be around in the coming years. DeepL Pro Write benefits from DeepL’s image as a company and its other services. The free version of DeepL Write is great for quick suggestions and it may help drive pro version signups.

These services can be useful, but this is up to the individual user or organization to decide. One question that will come up is whether they are useful enough to pay for them. Some AI writing services are free to use.

I like them, especially when writing in a foreign language. While it is still necessary to verify the output, they may help reduce spelling and grammar mistakes that you make, and also improve the tone or style of the text.

What about you? Have you tried AI writing assistants yet?

Vivaldi 6.7 launches with a massive number of improvements

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Vivaldi Technologies has released Vivaldi 6.7 for the desktop today. The new version of the web browser improves it in several ways.

Vivaldi is a highly customizable web browser that gives users a lot of options. The new version enables a memory saver feature, improved feed detections on sites like Reddit, password exporting, and more.

Note: the new Privacy Guard feature is still in testing.

How to install or update Vivaldi

Vivaldi 6.7 browser update

New users may download the latest version of the Vivaldi web browser from the official website.

Existing users may select Menu > Help > Check for updates to download and install the new version. A restart of the browser is required to complete the installation.

Memory Saver

Vivaldi 6.7 includes the Memory Saver feature. Its aim is to reduce memory usage of the browser by putting unused tabs into hibernation. The tabs remain open in Vivaldi, but the websites are unloaded.

This frees up memory, which is then available for other tasks on the system. A click on an inactive tab reloads it immediately.

Note that Memory Saver is disabled by default. Here is how you enable the feature in Vivaldi:

  1. Select Vivaldi Menu > Settings to open the preferences.
  2. Switch to the Tabs section of the Settings window.
  3. Change Memory Saver to one of the following states:
    • Automatic — this gives the browser full control over the feature.
    • After 1,2,3,6 hours idle — This puts a tab into hibernation if it was idle for the selected period.

Note that you may turn off the feature at any point by changing its state to disabled.

Tip: right-click on any tab in Vivaldi to get options to hibernate background tabs. This includes websites open in tab groups.

Better feed detection

Vivaldi includes a feed reader to read RSS feeds. The latest version of the browser improves the discoverability of feeds.

Just visit any page that supports feeds to subscribe to them. A feed icon is displayed by Vivaldi automatically. Click on it to subscribe to any of the listed feeds.

The feed discovery feature works on sites like Reddit, YouTube, or GitHub now.

If you always wanted to follow a channel or user on Reddit, or a publisher on YouTube, it is now easier in Vivaldi using the feed reader.

Other features of Vivaldi 6.7

Here is a quick rundown of other features new or improved in the browser:

  • New option to export passwords and feeds.
  • Improved creation of a workspace. Use Ctrl-click to select tabs and then right-click on them to create a new workspace (by selecting the move > Workspace option).
  • New window split view option on Mac.

You can check out the full Vivaldi 6.7 changelog on the official website.

Do you use Vivaldi? Feel free to share your thoughts on the browser in the comments below.

Copilot key

AI File Explorer may have these requirements

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

AI File Explorer is one of the tools that Microsoft is rumored to integrated into the next version of Windows. These tools are designed for AI PCs specifically.

Everything is a bit murky right now, as Microsoft is keeping is not revealing much about:

  • what defines an AI PC.
  • the features that make AI PCs.
  • the requirements of AI PCs.

While that is keeping the suspense, it is also confusing. Should you wait buying a new PC or laptop to make sure that it matches Microsoft’s definition and gets all AI features?

A few tidbits leaked on the Internet. AI PCs do need a neural processing unit and need to have a dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard. AI PCs may also need at least 16GB of RAM.

None of this has been confirmed officially by Microsoft at this point. Maybe Build 2024 will shed some light into the darkness.

AI File Explorer requirements

Windows detective Albacore found information about AI PCs recently. In build 26100, which may be Windows 11 24H2 RTM, Albacore found the following information:

  • ARM64 CPU
  • 16GB of RAM.
  • 225GB System Drive.
  • Snapdragon X Elite NPU

The 16GB requirement leaked earlier. It seems unlikely that AI File Explorer will only be available on ARM64 Windows devices.

My guess: The requirements are for ARM PCs that run Windows. Intel and AMD PCs will also get the functionality, provided that they meet certain processor requirements. The 16GB requirement is likely universal across all AI PCs though.

It is almost certain that some AI PC features require a NPU, a neural processing unit. Still, Microsoft has not revealed much about these features. It is not even clear what AI File Explorer will bring to the table.

One possible feature that it could add would be natural language processing. You could ask it to show photos from the last vacation, videos that show a beach scene, a specific document, or a list of recently created executables.

This could be interesting to some users.

Closing Words

Microsoft will lift the curtain on AI PCs, their features and requirements, in the coming months. If you are interested in the functionality, you may want to postpone any purchases planned regarding Windows devices.

What about you? Would you use AI PC functionality? What would you like to see?

Microsoft Copilot app

Microsoft says installation of Copilot app was a bug

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft confirmed that Edge updates may install the Copilot app on Windows devices. The company calls the app “Microsoft chat provider for Copilot in Windows”.

Microsoft added a new known issue on the Windows 11 version 23H2 dashboard. It confirms an issue that was first observed in March 2023.

Some Windows users noticed that Microsoft was installing a Copilot app on their devices. This app appeared after Microsoft Edge updates, including the update to Microsoft Edge 123 at the end of March 2024.

While sporting the Copilot name, it did not power the Copilot feature of the Windows operating system.

How to check if the app is installed: Select Start > Settings > Apps >Installed Apps, and search for Copilot.

Microsoft confirms the bug

Today, Microsoft confirmed that the installation of the application is a bug. The company writes:

Updates to Edge browser version 123.0.2420.65, released on March 28, 2024 and later, might incorrectly install a new package (MSIX) called ‘Microsoft chat provider for Copilot in Windows’ on Windows devices. Resulting from this, the Microsoft Copilot app might appear in the Installed apps in Settings menu.

Microsoft says that the app “does not execute any code or process” and that it “does not acquire, analyze, or transmit device or environment data in any capacity”.

What it does: Microsoft explains that the app is “intended to prepare some Windows devices for future Windows Copilot enablement” and that it is not intended for all devices.

Microsoft plans to remove the Microsoft Copilot app from Windows devices it is not intended for.

The company does not define “devices that it is intended for”, which makes it difficult to figure out if it was installed by error on a particular device. The only hint Microsoft provides is that it is not intended for most Windows Server devices.

How Microsoft plans to rectify the issue: Microsoft plans to release an update for Microsoft Edge to resolve the issue.

This is not the first Edge bug in recent time. Back in January, Microsoft Edge started to import tabs from Chrome automatically on user devices.

Have you used Copilot?

Firefox 125.0.1

Firefox 125 skipped – Firefox 125.0.1 released

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla’s original plan was to release Firefox 125.0. Stable today. This did not happen and Mozilla revealed that it had to postpone the release.

Now it appears that Firefox 125.0.1 has been released, on the same day. The new version of Firefox is already in distribution. Most Firefox desktop installations get updated automatically eventually.

Users who do not want to wait for that to happen may follow the top below to run a manual check for updates.

Tip: you can check your Firefox version by selecting Menu > Help > About Firefox on desktop. On mobile, you select Menu > Settings > About Firefox.

Security information: Firefox 125.0.1 addresses several security issues in the browser. The aggregate security rating is “high” and there appear to be no attacks in the wild. You can check out the security updates here.

Firefox 125.0.1: major changes

Firefox 125.0.1 is a security and feature release. As far as features are concerned, here are the major changes:

  • Better media streaming — support for AV1 codec for Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) added. Means that video providers may use this codec to deliver streams to Firefox.
  • Firefox PDF Viewer — supports text highlighting now. The feature is rolled out gradually.
  • Firefox View — displays pinned tabs in the “open tabs” section.
  • Addresses — save and autofill addresses, but only in the U.S. and Canada.
  • Downloads — Firefox blocks more downloads that it considers potentially untrustworthy.
  • Address Bar — clipboard URLs are now shown as suggestions at the top (but only if the site is not open already).
  • Web Proxy Auto Discovery — option to enable the feature when using system proxy settings.

Closing Words

While it is still unclear why the release of Firefox 125.0. had to be cancelled, the same day release of Firefox 125.0.1 is commendable. Mozilla seems to have fixed whatever caused the retraction of Firefox 125.

Firefox 125.0.1 makes the same changes and most users probably do not even notice the release change.

What is your take on this new release? Any feature you like?

Opera

Opera: 63% increase in new monthly users in Europe

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Opera Software announced that on April 10, 2025 that it saw an increase in monthly new users by 63% on iOS one month after the Digital Market Acts came into force in Europe.

Apple, much like Google on Android, is required to display a browser choice screen to users. The aim here is to level the playing field and limit Apple’s and Google’s ability to prioritize their own browsers over others.

Apple iOS users may still select Safari as the default browser. The browser choice screen allows them to pick another browser.

Opera Software claims furthermore that it is also seeing growth in regards to being selected as the default browser on iOS. This metric increased by 39% from March 3rd to April 4th, 2024.

The countries with the largest jump in monthly new users are:

  • France with 146%.
  • Germany with 57%.
  • Spain with 50%.
  • Poland with 45%.
  • Italy with 20%.

Opera Software does not reveal usage numbers. In 2023, Opera Software said that it had about 350 million users across all supported platforms. Back in 2020, Opera announced that it had reached 300 million users, 232 million on mobile alone.

If the numbers are correct, Opera is seeing significant growth on iOS in Europe.

Other browser makers are also seeing upticks in usage. Brave Software, for example, saw a huge jump in daily installs after the browser choice screen rolled out on iOS.

Mozilla too reported that it saw a jump in users in select European countries. The organization said that its German users increased by 50% and the users in France by 30% in the time.

Closing Words

Even if you do not use any of the browsers, it is good to see efforts to level the playing field. Apple having to allow other browsing engines on iOS is another milestone. While Apple seems to fight this in different ways, it is probably only a matter of time before pure Chromium and Firefox browsers are launching on iOS.

Which browser do you prefer on mobile?

Vivaldi Privacy Guard graphic

Vivaldi testing new Privacy Guard feature in browser

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Privacy Guard is a new feature of the Vivaldi web browser. It is free at the moment and only available in development builds of the browser.

Broken down to its core, it is protecting user privacy through a technology called Multi-Hop Relay. To better understand it, it is necessary to understand how regular connections work in the browser.

When the browser loads a domain, a direct connection to each resource of a webpage is loaded. This means that the server the site is hosted on as well as any third-party resource loaded communicates directly with the IP address of the user’s device.

Multi-Hop Relay changes this by putting servers in-between. In other words, instead of directly connecting to resources, the browser connects through other servers first. This is done to separate the identity of the user’s device from the requested resource.

Vivaldi’s Privacy Guard technology uses two servers for this. The first is operated by INVISV, the startup that developed the Multi-Hop technology. The second is operated by Fastly.

Vivaldi says that INVISV has been founded by Paul Schmitt, University of Hawaii, and Barath Raghavan, University of Southern California. The startup has advisers, including Bruce Schneier and Jon Callas.

The feature in Vivaldi

Privacy Guard in Vivaldi

You need a development version of Vivaldi to use the feature at this time. Another limitation is that Privacy Guard requires a Vivaldi account. Creating an account is free.

A click on the Privacy Guard toggle enables the feature. A public IP address is assigned to the browser. Vivaldi displays the location of the server as well, so that you know about the country you are connected to.

Privacy Guard Connected

The fastest server is selected by default, which means that you will connect to a server closest to your location usually. You can switch this to random instead, which may further improve privacy.

Websites may be added to the list of exceptions. Direct connections are used for any of these sites.

Initial tests were promising. All tested websites and services, including YouTube, Twitch, online game websites, blogs, and others worked as before. Some sites may display captchas, but this is also the case when other anonymization services are used.

Privacy Guard vs. Tor Browser vs. Multi-Hop VPNs

How does the privacy feature compare to similar technologies?

  • Privacy Guard — uses two hops. Hops are operated by different companies.
  • Tor Browser — uses three hops. Hops are (usually) operated by different companies and organizations.
  • Multi-Hop VPN — uses another hop. Operated by the VPN provider.

Closing Words

The technology is free to try at the moment and Vivaldi says that it uses the current implementation for testing and to find out if this is something that Vivaldi users are interested in. A release in Vivaldi Stable would require a subscription. Details have not been revealed at this point.

Some Vivaldi users will certainly find the option appealing. The main appeal it has over VPNs is that its servers are not operated by the same company. It is also easier to use, but it lacks advanced features that VPN services do offer.

Would you use Privacy Guard? How much would you pay for it?

VPN

VPN by Google One is shutting down

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google is informing customers currently that it is shutting down VPN by Google One “later this year”.

I reviewed VPN by Google One in March 2023 and concluded that it was “the most basic VPN that you can get”. Subscribers would get access to the VPN if they paid Google at least $1.99 per month.

While that sounded like a good deal on paper, the VPN itself was severely limiting and only available to customers in 22 countries. The real downside was that it lacked core functionality. You basically got the option to connect to the VPN, use its kill switch and configure bypass options for apps.

One of the main downsides was that you could not use it to connect to select servers, only to servers that Google picked. This meant that you could not use it to quickly connect to a server in another country to get an IP associated with that country.

Other features found in clients of popular VPN servers, such as NordVPN or SurfShark, were missing as well. No protocol selection, no advanced servers or security features, or to set a custom DNS server.

It still helped protected the connection, especially when connected to public wireless access points, but that was it.

Google informs subscribers and Pixel owners

All Pixel owners and Google One members are informed about the change. The news that VPN by Google One is shutting down at the end of the year may be overlooked easily.

Google writes:

Phasing out two benefits: With a focus on providing the most in-demand features and benefits, we’re discontinuing free shipping for select print orders from Google Photos (in Canada, the UK, US, and EU) starting on May 15 and VPN by Google One later this year. As a Pixel user, you’ll continue to enjoy being able to access VPN from Google through Pixel settings if you have Pixel 7 or newer models.

In other words, the VPN service is removed from Google One. Pixel owners may still connect to Google’s VPN.

The official Google One website does not list VPN by Google One anymore already.

Closing Words

Another one bites the dust. I know quite a few users who do not commit to Google products anymore, because there is a good chance that the company will tear them apart in the future.

While there are better VPN services out there, it is still disheartening to add it as another discontinued product to Google’s Graveyard of products.