Flatpak 1.16.1 has just been released as the latest stable version of this well-known Linux application sandboxing and distribution framework, marking the first maintenance update in the Flatpak 1.16 series.
This new version introduces several enhancements, most notably the ability for child accounts to update existing apps by default when parental controls are active. This ensures that children can automatically receive security and bugfix updates without additional steps. For those who wish to override this default setting, it can be customized through polkit policy rules for the org.freedesktop.Flatpak.override-parental-controls-update action.
Additional improvements in Flatpak 1.16.1 include speeding up the flatpak prune --dry-run command by eliminating unnecessary space calculations and avoiding operations that require holding a lock. The command for resetting permissions has also been optimized, only writing changes for entries that have actually modified. Other significant enhancements are the addition of /dev/udmabuf to --device=dri, improved error messaging for invalid parameters in the flatpak-spawn --sandbox-a11y-own-name, and easier matching of systemd scopes to Flatpak app instances by using instance IDs rather than top-level process IDs.
Additionally, Flatpak now supports searching for TLS certificates in /etc/containers/certs.d while working with OCI registries, alongside improved documentation. The update also addresses various bugs, such as a memory leak during extra-data installation and crashes associated with the flatpak-portal.
Flatpak 1.16.1 is available for download on the Flatpak project GitHub page. However, it is recommended to update through your GNU/Linux distribution’s software repositories, especially since Flatpak serves as a component supported by many distros. The Flatpak development team urges users to upgrade to this version promptly for the best experience.