Zen browser update adds regular tab sync option coupled with performance and battery life gains

A few days ago, we reported that the Zen team might be indefinitely delaying the rollout of sync support for regular tabs. They noted that they were worried the feature might annoy some users.

Well, it looks like the team has found a simple solution to the potential problem: give users the option to sync regular tabs or leave them alone.

In the latest Zen browser update, the developers have added a checkbox to the sync settings that lets you choose whether you want to sync regular tabs. The “Include unpinned tabs” option is not enabled by default. So you’ll have to manually toggle it by first enabling “Sync your sidebar across devices” and then checking the “Include unpinned tabs” box.

If you have been waiting for the option to sync all tabs on your devices with Zen, it’s finally here. All you need to do is hit the update button and relaunch your browser.

That said, it’s not the only exciting development with the latest build. The release notes also mention that the update focuses on improving the browser’s performance and battery life.

While we’ve not been able to measure any tangible improvements in battery life at the time of this writing, it’s something that you might want to look out for if you’ve been dealing with performance hiccups and battery drain on your devices.

This comes after an update earlier last month that also added refinements to the browser’s performance. So it’s good to see the team double down on this front, especially when you consider that Firefox-based browsers are generally slower than their Chromium-based counterparts.

That said, the setup screen is also getting friendlier for privacy buffs by asking if you want ad blocking turned on, which installs uBlock Origin right out of the box.

The update also wraps in general bug fixes under the hood, making the whole browser feel that bit snappier during daily use. A screenshot of the release notes is below for reference:

It is genuinely nice to see the developers listen and move this fast, especially when tab continuity was one of the biggest missing pieces for anyone juggling multiple devices. The update is rolling out as version v1.22.1b. So go ahead and install it right away to get the new features and improvements.

We stand out from the tech-media crowd because we break news stories; we mainly bring you stuff that you won’t find anywhere in the mainstream tech media. Our stories have been picked up by some of the world’s most popular websites and media outlets—more info is available here.