- The new feature, Connection Assist offers to apply the bridge configuration automatically.
- The team is also expanding the team’s capacity in order to dedicate more resources to Android.
- HTTPS-Only Mode is enabled by default for desktops.
The Tor team announced the release of Tor Browser 11.5, which aims to transform the user experience, especially in heavily censored regions. For the latest release, the team collaborated with the Anti-Censorship team at the Tor Project and introduced Connection Assist. It is a new feature that when required will offer to automatically apply the bridge configuration.
Circumventing censorship
The new feature is capable of looking up and downloading country-specific options. It manages to do so without needing to connect to the Tor Network first. It utilizes a moat, the same domain-fronting tool that Tor Browser uses to request a bridge. Connection Assist has reached the milestone of its first stable release, 1.0.
The team also redesigned Tor Network settings, featuring:
- A brand new name: Tor Network settings is now called Connection settings. This change is intended to clarify exactly what settings you can find within this tab.
- Connection statuses: Your last known connection status can now be found at the top of the tab, including the option to test your Internet connection without Tor, using moat, to help you untangle the source of your connection woes.
- Streamlined bridge options: Gone is the long list of fields and options. Each method to add a new bridge has been tidied away into individual dialog menus, which will help support further improvements to come.
- Connection Assist: When Tor Browser’s connection to the Tor Network isn’t reachable due to suspected censorship, an additional option to select a bridge automatically becomes available.
- Brand-new bridge cards: Bridges used to be almost invisible, even when configured. Now, your saved bridges appear in a handy stack of bridge cards, including new options for sharing bridges too.
With the latest release, HTTPS-Only Mode is enabled by default for desktops. HTTPS-Everywhere, one of two extensions that previously came bundled in Tor Browser, will no longer be bundled with Tor Browser.
The team also stated that they are prioritizing Android releases since the beginning of 2022. The team is also expanding the team’s capacity in order to dedicate more resources to Android. The team is currently focusing on:
- Start releasing regular updates for Android again
- Fix the crashes that many Android users have experienced
- Begin catching up with Fenix (Firefox for Android) releases