Orion browser update on macOS brings improvements to containers, translation, and various bug fixes

The latest version of the Orion browser (including the subsequent hotfix update that dropped shortly after) brings various user-facing features and several bug fixes that make the experience smoother overall.

While the list of changes for the hotfix is modest, the v1.1.2 (150) update has a really lengthy list of extensive changes and bug fixes. The screenshot below shows some of the changes, and you can view the entire official Release Notes here.

After opening the Orion browser, I was immediately greeted with a pop-up for the latest update. After installing it, the latest version is v1.1.2 (151), which is the hotfix release. I’ve combed through the list of changes, and the following paragraphs include a breakdown of the important ones.

Main changes from the August 18 update:

1. A bug where the browser failed to open after updating has been fixed.
2. PDF pinch-to-zoom via the Mac’s trackpad properly works now.
   
3. Radio buttons are no longer invisible on macOS Mojave.
4. LinkedIn was broken before on the same OS (Mojave).
5. WebKit-based site crashes and issues addressed.

Main changes from the larger August 17 update:

1. The major ones are about container functionality. New YouTube tabs open in the current container.
2. Link preview respects containers now.
3. You can now bulk-select and edit containers.
4. Tab groups also restore their containers after a restart.
5. You can create new containers again on macOS 13 and earlier.
6. Deleting a container closes its tabs and offers to reopen the tabs… but without opening them in a container.
7. Extension pop-ups used to flicker while loading. That’s now fixed.
8. Translation is much better now. Progress, error reporting, retries, language switching, and more. It also includes faster on-device translations and supports longer text now.
9. Horizontal tabs feel snappier to use.
10. Typing won’t slow down if you increase the number of opened tabs.
11. Google Sheets no longer messes up the layout/cell selection when you toggle the sidebar.
12. Location bar color issues were fixed.
13. Command + Enter restores the original URL again.

Note: This was just a summary of the ones I found important, but there are various other changes.

You can grab this update from the About Orion section, and it’ll automatically check for updates. All in all, it’s a good mix of new features, improved functionality, and bug fixes.

In other Orion news, the browser is coming to Windows later this year. The company shared progress on that a few weeks ago. We covered that here.

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