Brave Software released version 1.56 to the stable channel today. The latest version adds Off The Record functionality, custom keyboard shortcuts, and support for certificate transparency.
The release of the stable release channel jumped from version 1.53 in 1.56. Brave users can select Menu > About Brave to display the current version and have the browser manually check for updates.
One of the main new features of Brave 1.56 is the new mode Off the record. The new browse feature allows browser users to access specific websites with sensitive information without leaving any files on the device.
Brave notes that this feature has advantages over other options, such as using the private browsing feature. One argument for Off The Record is that it's automatic, but it also means it will only work on supported sites.
The feature is automatically applied to sites that use a flag and to a pre-built list of sites. Users see a prompt when the feature is supported on a site, to either use the Off The Record feature, or to access the site normally.
Another new feature of Brave 1.56 is support for custom keyboard shortcuts. Users can load brave://settings/system/shortcuts to display the list of shortcuts.
There, they find options to remove existing keyboard shortcuts and add their own shortcuts. The available actions are numerous and range from common functions such as Back, Forward and Reload to closing tabs, selecting the last tab or exiting the browser.
Another new feature of the latest version of the Brave browser is support for certificate transparency. The feature is already supported by other browsers, including Google Chrome and Apple Safari.
Certificate transparency is an internet security standard that can reveal certificates that "were issued without being requested by the rightful owner, such as malicious certificates from a compromised certificate authority."
You can see the full Brave 1.56 changelog here.
