Mozilla Firefox 63 Released With Enhanced Tracking Protection, Search Shortcuts, More

Mozilla has released Firefox 63, the latest version of the Web browser across Linux, macOS, and Windows platforms. The Android version was released earlier this week, and now, Firefox 14.0 for iOS has also been released with changes including support for Siri Shortcuts. The key highlight of the latest release is an anti-tracking measure called Enhanced Tracking Protection. The company in recent times has been taking several data security and privacy-focused steps, such as automatic protection against ad tracking and selling ProtonVPN subscriptions. The latest Firefox version comes just over a month after the release of Firefox 62, and is the sixth major update of Mozilla's flagship browser in the year so far. The new browser version includes new features, bugfixes, security fixes, and more.

With Firefox's Enhanced Tracking Protection feature users will have the option to block cookies and storage access from third-party trackers. Mozilla says this is the most effective way to block the most common form of cross-site tracking. To find the new feature, go to Firefox Options/ Preferences. On the left-hand menu, click on Privacy & Security. Further, under Content Blocking click the checkbox next to Third-Party Cookies and select Trackers (recommended). You can also disable the protection on a per-site basis by clicking on the Shield Icon in the address bar, and then clicking Disable Blocking For This Site.

The latest Firefox release also includes 'Search Shortcuts'. The browser will have a New Tab page with Amazon and Google sites pinned on top. Currently, this will only be available in the US. Also, with Siri Shortcuts for Firefox for iOS, users can now open a new tab in Firefox using a voice command. The company has promised several other shortcuts will be added in the coming months.

Firefox 63 for desktop brings several performance and visual improvements for Windows users. Firefox theme now matches the Windows 10 OS Dark and Light modes as well. Meanwhile, performance improvements for macOS users include 'improved reactivity', 'faster tab switching', and more. It has also resolved an issue that prevented the address bar from autofilling bookmarked URLs in certain cases. For developers, the visual style of Developer Tools menus has been revamped. Firefox 63 for Android brings added support for Picture-In-Picture video, notification channels, and other security and performance improvements.

Notably, the full changelog from Mozilla has been posted on its release notes. You can update to the latest Firefox version 63 for desktop from there, or download the latest version of Firefox for Android from Google Play. For the latest version of Firefox for iOS, visit the App Store.