New Firefox Update Adds Built-In Instant Messaging

Mozilla has announced the release of an update to its Firefox browser, now version 41, for both desktop platforms and Android. The biggest addition is that an instant messaging feature is now built right in, thanks to Mozilla's own Firefox Hello. The feature is currently limited to the desktop version of the browser, including Windows, Mac, and Linux, and lets users start chatting during a Hello video call. Even better is that once Chrome and Opera are updated to support WebRTC, Firefox users can chat with others cross-browser.

Along with the chat feature, Firefox Accounts will now let users set a profile picture, which in turn becomes visible to others when using Hello. Unfortunately this is also limited to the desktop version of the browser.

But the Android app was still updated with its own improvements. New options include the ability to choose from multiple search engines, including Google and Bing, from the search panel, as well as a swipe gesture to close tabs. The mobile browser is also better at preventing duplicate bookmarks, and it can now play MP3s.

The updated version of Firefox, which also include a variety of bug fixes, should now be available to all, or coming soon if not. Desktop users can download from Firefox.com if it's not installed automatically, while Android users will their app update from the Google Play store.

SOURCE Mozilla