Bug Fixes
- Tracking protection assets: Fixed an issue where tracking protection wasn't blocking things properly because the required assets weren't being bundled with the browser.
Web Compatibility
- IDN unicode display: Internationalised domain names are now handled and displayed by the browser as unicode, instead of always being shown as punycode. This provides better legibility for users who visit websites with non-latin characters.
- CSS dithering: Dithering is now enabled for CSS rendering, which should eliminate visible colour banding on gradients.
- LinkedIn and others: Attempted compatibility improvements with sites such as LinkedIn that were not rendering correctly.
Ad Blocker
The built-in ad blocker is now enabled by default! After several rounds of preview testing across 6.6.11 and 6.6.12, the blocker is ready for general use - giving you high performance ad blocking out of the box while supporting Waterfox at the same time.
Tip
If you are already using another ad blocker, don't worry - it will continue to work instead of the built-in one. But please consider giving the built-in blocker a try, as it's a great way to support Waterfox.
You can follow the feedback issue at Native Ad Blocker - Feedback · Issue #4182.
Search
Startpage removed as a search provider
We've been asked to remove Startpage as our default search provider, and from the browser options completely. This is out of our control, but we wanted to be transparent about the change rather than having it appear without explanation.
New temporary default: 1.org
The default search engine is for the time being, 1.org, a charitable search engine. Profits are shared with a charity of your choice once you sign up, or otherwise go to the spotlight charity of the month. We think it's a great fit while we work out a longer term arrangement.
Note
If you'd like to support Waterfox and don't want to use the built-in ad blocker, please consider disabling your ad blocker on our default search provider. The default may change as we work out longer term partnerships.
If you'd rather avoid ads in search entirely, please consider switching to a different provider (such as Waterfox Private Search below) rather than blocking ads on our default - blocked traffic is worth less to search providers, which reduces the revenue share that helps fund Waterfox.
Waterfox Private Search
Waterfox Private Search is now only $5/month for unmetered searches (within reason). It's a completely ad free experience, with customisation options and an independent European web index powering it - a great option if you'd like to avoid big tech entirely.
Long term search partner
We are currently in conversations with one of the larger search providers to bring back the search experience users have come to expect. As a small project these discussions move slowly, but we wanted you to know it's actively being worked on.