Here is what is new and changed in Firefox 82.0

The Firefox 82.0 Stable and Firefox ESR 78.4 release date is October 20, 2020. The new stable versions of the Firefox web browser are available via the browser's automatic updating functionality and as separate downloads.

All Firefox development channels are updated as well. Firefox Beta and Developer versions are moved to version 83 and Firefox Nightly is moved to version 84. Firefox for Android follows the stable desktop versioning.

Executive Summary

• WebRender rollout continues.
• Language Packs are updated in sync with Firefox updates starting with this release.
• Firefox 68 ESR installations will be upgraded to Firefox 78 ESR automatically as the former has reached end of support.
• Firefox 83 Stable, Firefox 83 for Android and Firefox 78.5 ESR will be released on November 17, 2020.

Firefox 82.0 download and update

The Firefox 82.0 and Firefox 78.4 ESR release date is October 20, 2020. Users should receive the new version automatically provided that automatic updating has not been disabled.

Note that this release information article is published prior to the official release, and that Firefox may not be available for a few hours on October 20, 2020 as a consequence.

Desktop users may select Menu > Help > About Firefox to check for updates manually. If a new update is detected, it is downloaded and installed on the device.

Manual downloads are also available. The following pages list direct downloads for supported Firefox channels (will be available later on September 22, 2020)

• Firefox Stable download
• Firefox Beta download
• Nightly download
• Firefox ESR download
• Firefox for Android on Google Play

New features and improvements

Media improvements

Firefox's built-in media playback capabilities have been improved in this release. Most of the work went into the browser's Picture-in-Picture mode:

• New look for the Picture-in-Picture button to make it easier to find.
• Mac users may use Option-Command-Shift-Rightbracket that works before a video starts to play.

Firefox 82.0 on Windows supports DirectComposition for hardware decoded videos; this will improve CPU and GPU usage during playback and improve battery life at the same time.

Performance improvements

Mozilla engineers have improved the performance of Firefox in several meaningful ways in the new release. According to Mozilla

• Firefox will open windows about 10% faster on Windows than before.
• Session restore is 17% faster than before.
• Websites with flexbox-based layouts load 20% faster.

Other changes

• Downloads that originate from sandboxed iframes are blocked in Firefox 82.
• Language packs are updated "in tandem" with Firefox updates to ensure that there is no delay in pushing out new language pack versions to users who have installed them.
• Credit Card auto-fill data supports screen readers in the new version.
• Print dialog errors for invalid form entries are reported to screen readers.
• Screen reader features which report paragraphs do this correctly now in Firefox.
• New articles are displayed when a webpage is saved to Pocket.

Firefox for Android

• Option to make the address bar display permanently in Firefox for Android.

Will be added when released by Mozilla.

Developer Changes

• Network Monitor can be used to inspect server-side events [see bug 1640857)
• Network Monitor's Message panel has been merged with the Response panel.
• Color Picker is keyboard accessible on Windows.
• Firefox supports the allow-downloads flag for iframe sandbox.
• Media Session API is enabled by default. It can be used to customize media notifications and manage event handlers.

Known Issues

none listed.

Security updates / fixes

Security updates are revealed after the official release of the web browser. You find the information published here after release.

Outlook

• Firefox's Site Isolation feature, codename Fission, will be enabled for Nightly installations when Firefox 83 is released next month.

Additional information / sources

• Firefox 82 release notes
• Add-on compatibility for Firefox 82
• Firefox 82 for Developers
• Firefox for Enterprise 82 - release notes
• Firefox Security Advisories
• Firefox Release Schedule

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