Last Updated on October 17, 2021 by Mathew Diekhake

The Firefox Developer channel has been updated to version 89.0b13. This version has begun simplifying the browser toolbar by removing infrequently used features. Removing outdated features is always going to help improve the browser performance because with each feature you inevitably lose some performance.

Firefox 89.0b13 also comes with new tab designs. The new tabs can contain information such as icons and audio controls. Additionally, Firefox 89.0b13 removes some older alerts and messages.

Firefox 89.0b13

See the full list of changes below:

What’s New in Firefox 89.0b13

New:

Say hello to a fresh new Firefox, designed to get you where you want to go even faster. We’ve redesigned and modernized the core experience to be cleaner, more inviting, and easier to use.

Beginning in 89, you’ll notice a number of changes, including:

  • Simplified browser chrome and toolbar: Redundant or less frequently used features have been removed to focus on the most important navigation items.
  • Streamlined menus: Content has been re-organized and prioritized according to usage. We’ve reduced visual noise by removing unnecessary iconography and provided clearer labels.
  • Updated prompts: Infobars and modals have a cleaner design and clearer language.
  • Inspired new tab design: Floating tabs neatly contain information and surface cues when you need them, like visual indicators for audio controls. The rounded design of the active tab supports focus and signals the ability to easily move the tab as needed.
  • Fewer interruptions: We’ve removed unnecessary alerts and messages.
  • Cohesive, calmer visuals: Lighter iconography, a refined color palette, and more consistent styling throughout.

This release also includes enhancements to our privacy offerings:

  • We’ve enhanced the privacy of the Firefox Browser’s Private Browsing mode with Total Cookie Protection, which confines cookies to the site where they were created, preventing companies from using cookies to track your browsing from site to site. This feature was previously available only in Firefox’s ETP Strict mode.
  • We are rolling out Version 2 of our existing SmartBlock feature, which enables a seamless web page experience that would otherwise stop working when we block trackers.

For macOS users, we’re introducing the elastic overscroll effect known from many other applications. A gentle bouncing animation will indicate that you reached the end of the page.

In addition, we added support for smart zoom. Double-tap with two fingers on your trackpad, or with a single finger on your Magic Mouse, to zoom the content below your cursor into focus.

Fixed:

  • Colors in Firefox on macOS will no longer be saturated on wide gamut displays, untagged images are properly treated as sRGB, and colors in images tagged as sRGB will now match CSS colors.

Changed:

  • Introducing a non-native implementation of web form controls, which delivers a new modern design and some improvements to page load performance. Watch for layout bugs in web pages that make assumptions about the dimensions or styling of form controls.
  • Also on macOS, we are switching to native context menus instead of our custom implementation. Enjoy a consistent look and feel and a better integration with the operating system.

The Firefox browser will automatically update itself in the background when it’s closed. If the browser is open and you want to update it, you can navigate to the Settings > Help > About Firefox, and then the browser will automatically check for any new updates.

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