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Danielle Foré informs 9to5Linux today about the release and general availability of elementary OS 7.1 as the first major update to the Ubuntu-based distribution since elementary OS 7.0 “Horus”, which arrived in January 2023.
elementary OS 7.1 is here to introduce new privacy features in the form of new options in System Settings that let you restrict which apps start automatically or run in the background without your permission, a new built-in feature that makes sure apps can’t access your data, and the ability to prevent apps from accessing your location.
Another new privacy feature was introduced in the Housekeeping app by making sure screenshot files are automatically deleted too in addition to trash files, downloaded files, and temporary operating system files.
elementary OS 7.1 is also here to improve the AppCenter with better support for alternative app stores by informing you when apps want to access your location, send notifications, or automatically start and run in the background without your permission, access system folders or your home folder, read and write system settings, or gain advanced permissions.
Also improved is the Onboarding app, which now handles the information about how the Guest account works, better integration of Flatpak apps from Flathub, along with a new “Flatpak Repair” feature that promises to address most of the issues that users reported when installing certain Flatpak updates.
elementary OS 7.1 also introduces new accessibility features like five new display filters to assist users with color perception deficiency, an audio prompt to inform users that they can use the keyboard shortcut for turning on the screen reader, as well as a grayscale filter to help users avoid distractions and reduce screen addiction, in addition to making the display much warmer in Night Light and dimming the desktop wallpaper.
Among other noteworthy changes, elementary OS 7.1 improves support for navigating the Installer and multi-step dialogs using gestures, new keyboard shortcuts, various login and lock screen improvements to respect your customizations, and a GTK4 port of the Feedback app.
The installer has been updated as well to allow you to install proprietary drivers needed for certain hardware devices to function properly. Under the hood, elementary OS 7.1 is based on Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS and it’s powered by the Linux 6.2 HWE (Hardware Enablement) kernel.
Several preinstalled apps like Mail, Web, Files, Code, Music, and Videos received new versions that bring various improvements and some new features you may find interesting. Some general design improvements are present as well in elementary OS 7.1 to make your elementary OS experience more enjoyable.
More details are available in the release announcement. elementary OS 7.1 is available for download right now from the official website.
Last updated 7 months ago
