The GNOME Project has released the alpha version of GNOME 48, offering a glimpse into the upcoming desktop environment’s features and improvements. This public testing phase showcases significant updates, including OSD notifications for headphone connections, new support for screen time and health breaks, and a Wellbeing panel in the Settings app.
Among the noteworthy enhancements, GNOME 48 Alpha introduces battery charge limiting, systemd-sysext support for toolbox tooling, and various protocols like commit-timing-v1 and fifo-v1. The desktop environment also features improved color management, latency detection for cursor movements, and enhancements to the Quick Settings menu’s accessibility and appearance.
GNOME Software has seen performance upgrades in loading updates and an experimental systemd-sysupdate plugin. The software also allows for better handling of Snap apps and warns users about microphone permissions in applications using PipeWire.
The GNOME Maps application has transitioned to the MOTIS v2 API, which enhances support for transit features. It has also received several UI updates, including refreshed icons and a redesigned interface for managing places of interest.
Accessibility improvements are prominent, particularly with the Orca screen reader, which now features better event processing and enhanced options for presenting text attributes.
Additional updates include the Loupe image viewer’s ability to show XMP metadata for JPEG images and basic image editing functionalities. The GNOME Calendar, Epiphany web browser, and GNOME Control Center have all received various interface and functional enhancements, including support for battery charging limits and an experimental Wellbeing panel.
Overall, the GNOME 48 Alpha release reflects an ongoing dedication to enhancing user experience and functionality within the GNOME desktop environment, with a final release date slated for March 19th, 2025. For a complete changelog, refer to the release announcement page.