Firefox 94.0.2: First Microsoft Store specific update, released for all platforms
Mozilla Firefox 94.0.2 will be released today. The new version of Firefox solves a single problem in the Microsoft Store version of Firefox. While that’s the case, it is released on all platforms, including Linux, Mac, and Windows.
The Microsoft Store version of Firefox is automatically updated through the store itself. Non-store versions of Firefox will also receive the update automatically. There is no rush to install it unless Firefox was installed through the Microsoft Store.
Mozilla launched Firefox in the new Microsoft store, which now welcomes regular desktop applications. The Store is available natively on Windows 11; Microsoft also started rolling out the new Store for Windows 10.
Go back to Firefox 94.0.2. The release notes list a single issue that was fixed in the new Firefox update.
Crashes experienced by users of assistive technology such as NVDA when installing Firefox through the Microsoft Store have been improved.
The linked bug report on [email protected] provides additional details about the problem. It opened a month ago:
E10s a11y depends on a COM component (AccessibleHandler.dll) that must be registered in the registry. Without this component a11y will work, but it will be unusually slow, possibly unreliable, and OOP iframes will not work with the JAWS screen reader.
The problem is caused by a missing component, which makes the responsiveness very poor at first when using assistive technologies such as the NVDA screen reader in the Microsoft Store version of Firefox.
The problem will be fixed later with the release of Firefox 94.0.2. Mozilla is reworking the entire system to remove dependencies, but it is not yet ready for release.
Firefox users on other platforms should not be in a rush to install the new version of Firefox 94.0.2 right away, as this is a Microsoft Store specific issue.
Closing words
The fix is important for assistive technology users if using the Microsoft Store version of the browser. It makes sense to release the update as a patch rather than waiting for the December release of Firefox 95.
advertising
