Vivaldi browser introduces Break Mode: the new way to pause the Internet

Vivaldi 3.3 on desktop and notebooks arrives with a Break Mode, a new default Theme for Private Window, clickable parts of URLs in the Address Bar, base domain highlighting, and improved Tracker and Ad Blocker.

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Our new version – Vivaldi 3.3 – on desktop and notebooks is here.

We are excited to introduce the new Break Mode that will help you unplug from continuous work – improving work-life balance and focusing on activities outside the browser.

We also have a brand-new default Theme for Private Window. You can even set a custom Theme for Private Window that will help visually distinguish between regular and private windows.

You can now crop and click parts of the URL in the Address Bar and also easily identify legitimate or malicious Web Pages with the help of base domain highlighting in the URL field – an important security feature.

The integrated Tracker and Ad Blocker now supports rules that allow you to browse even more safely.

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Vivaldi’s Break Mode: Pause the Internet

For the millions of people working from home, the internet is always on. That may sound like nirvana for a browser company like Vivaldi – but in fact, it’s alarming. People are more productive and happier when they take proper breaks and have a variety of experiences.

Our built-in tools like Tab Tiling, Notes, visual History, full-page screen Capture, and more help you stay ahead. But in order to boost health and productivity, you also need to be present outside the browser and more importantly, simply switch off.

“Unplugging” from work is the top issue faced by many and the COVID-19 pandemic has only pressed the fast-forward button on remote work.

Without a daily change of location and defined office hours, many people have a tough time dividing their personal and professional time. 

Enter Break Mode from Vivaldi, a new feature to help you unplug.

You can now take a break and put the Internet on pause to focus your attention elsewhere.

We want to give you the tools to stay productive, but we also want to empower you to manage your time well and balance all the things that are important to you.

Easily triggered with the new pause button at the left corner of the Status Bar, Break Mode mutes and stops HTML5 audio and videos, hides all tabs, panels, and other content leaving the screen clean.

Alternatively, Break Mode can be activated with Quick Commands or its shortcut Ctrl + “.”

Once the browser is paused, you can interact with the physical world – communicate with colleagues or loved ones, make a phone call, jot down those creative ideas on a piece of paper, exercise, take a power nap, or grab a cup of coffee in peace.

When ready, you can resume your browsing activity exactly where you left off. Press play to unpause the browser via Break Mode  – everything will be visible again and audios/videos will restart. 

While the built-in Break Mode feature underlines the power of taking a break and limits internet addiction, it is also the quickest way to stop or resume work with several advantages:

  • Work-life balance: With Break Mode, you can encourage a healthy work-life balance, improve your workflow, and communicate with friends, family, and colleagues in the real world.  
  • Hide private content: Hide browsing activity or sensitive information on the screen at once if interrupted by a colleague or a family member, or when you simply need to step away from the screen for a while. 
  • Shift focus: With Break Mode on, you can use another application and save resources from the browser especially if you have a number of tabs open or audio/video playing.

Go Blurple! New Private Window Themes

Our ultra-customizable Themes now have more options. 

You can already pick what you like from the eight predefined Themes in Vivaldi, create your own custom Themes, and even schedule them to change at a preferred time. 

And taking cues from those who find it difficult to distinguish between a regular and Private Window with endless coloring options, we have a new “Private” Theme for Private Window by default – enhancing aesthetics and usability.

In addition to the brand-new blurple (a steady mix of blue and purple colors) as a default, you can also set unique custom Themes for Private Window(s) – something no other browser offers. Or else, you can go for matching Themes for both window types if that fits your workflow better. 

Pick Themes for Private Window in Settings > Themes > Private Window Theme.

Base domain highlighting for improved security 

The privacy and security of users come first at Vivaldi – no user tracking, no user profiling, no data-collection.

In this version, we step it up and help you identify Web Pages that are malicious or legitimate by highlighting the base domain (eTLD+1) in the URL field.

You will be drawn towards the core part of the URL while the rest of the URL will be visible and lowlighted. This way you can recognize which company controls the domain and prevent scams and phishing attacks.

For example, earlier Vivaldi displayed a URL as www.google.fakesite.com but now the domain will be highlighted and displayed as www.google.fakesite.com

In addition, Vivaldi will also caution you with a warning icon if the Address Bar is very narrow or has been resized making the base domain difficult to read. 

Easier cropping of the URL in the Address Bar

The Address Bar is now further improved and has received a bunch of fixes in this update.

One standout feature is the addition of highlighted, clickable parts to the URLs – a unique functionality – these can be easily cropped by pressing CTRL (Cmd/⌘ on macOS) and clicking. 

When holding CTRL while hovering in the URL field, you can see clearly where the URL will be cut. This allows you to rapidly move up directories and to new locations.

A fast, and convenient way to move about a website, even when the site’s own controls are poor or lacking, and one that is only found in the Vivaldi browser.

More new additions in Vivaldi 3.3 

Based on your suggestions and input, we continue to add more useful functionality to our much-loved features:

  • Full-Page Blocking Support: The built-in Tracker and Ad Blocker now supports blocking whole pages. You can provide your own sets of rules and can use the document option in block rules to block whole pages. This is a step towards greater compatibility with the uBlock Origin rule set.
  • Drag & Drop Speed Dials to folders: Similar to its browser on Android, Vivaldi’s signature Speed Dial now has the ability to drag and drop entries into folders easily on desktop – another way to organize sites better.

Take a break and download Vivaldi 3.3 

We are building on the distinct experience of browsing with Vivaldi. With every update, there are new capabilities to work, create, and communicate, and even relax with your favorite browser.

We hope you’ll give the new version a spin. 😊  We look forward to your feedback.

The Changelog below is a detailed list of the fixes that have made it into this version.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to take a break!

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Changelog from  version 3.2 to version 3.3

New

• [New][Break Mode] Add the pause/break feature (VB-70213)
• [New][Speed Dial] Add the ability to drag entries into a folder (VB-18719)
• [New][Themes] Allow the use of a seperate theme for private windows (VB-28543)
• [New][Address bar] Implement base domain highlighting (VB-69974)
• [New][Address bar] Show clickable element of URL as links: holding Ctrl highlights the part that will remain on clicking (VB-23693)
• [New][Blocker] Add support for blocking whole pages: if blocking rule has the ‘document’ option, it will block the whole page (VB-69867)
• [New][Blocker] Implement proper surrogate support in DDG rules and support for uBlock redirect rules (VB-70907)

Address Bar 

• [Address bar] Doesn’t show about: blank (VB-63876)
• [Address bar] Doesn’t show the custom port unless it’s focused (VB-69462)
• [Address bar] Drag marked URL to desktop does not create a shortcut (VB-54945)
• [Address bar] Fix POST searches when opening in a background tab (VB-70022)
• [Address bar] New Private Window, vivaldi://private-intro/ overwrites whatever I started typing in         before it (VB-69663)
• [Address bar] Quotes override disabling the address field search (VB-67915)
• [Address bar] Spaces are replaced with %20 in the address bar even before hitting enter (VB-71280)
• [Address bar] Unable to navigate to URL with space in the path (VB-63718)
• [Address bar] javascript: stays after execution (VB-18245)
• [Address bar][Settings] Provide a way to delete typed history (VB-69453)
• [Address bar][Settings] ‘Copy and Cut Encoded Address’ should be enabled by default (VB-60842)

Tracker and Ad Blocker 

• [Blocker] Allow ads from partners (+opt-out) (VB-69655)

BookMarks 

• [Bookmarks] Cannot drag bookmark from bookmark bar (VB-65291)
• [Bookmarks] “Set as Bookmark Bar Folder” can remove the bookmark bar (VB-64511)

macOS

• [macOS][Address bar] ⌘ + mouse click on the back/forward button does not open a new tab (VB-67968)
• [macOS][Media] Video shown upside down (VB-70115) (edited)
• [macOS] Browser window doesn’t resize when disconnecting external monitor (VB-70529)
• [macOS] When the window is out of focus, the texts are not fading (VB-18189)
• [macOS] Windows not resized/repositioned when disconnecting an external monitor (VB-49692)

Notes 

• [Notes Manager] Font zoom not working like expected (VB-69286)
• [Notes Manager] Implement proper undo/redo (VB-69730)
• [Notes Manager][Notes Panel] Different rules for title-sorting (VB-66050)
• [Notes Manager] Edit area can be shrunk below the window bottom (VB-69940)
• [Notes] Opening with quick commands appends a new line (VB-70664)

Panels 

• [Panels] Improve resizing and panel animations (VB-70972)
• [Panels] Tab key focus in panel switcher almost invisible (VB-50250)

Quick Commands 

• [Quick Commands][Notes] Notes aren’t opening if Notes Panel is disabled (VB-70397)
• [Quick Commands] Page Zoom # gives NaN if you don’t type a number (VB-63008)
• [Quick Commands] Saving a session has no focus in the name field (VB-56401)
• [Quick Commands] Encode Term for Search Keywords (VB-71186)

Settings 

• [Settings] Case insensitive cookie filtering and deletion (VB-63511)
• [Settings][Keyboard] Attempting to delete shortcuts can instead duplicate them (VB-70353)

Sync 

• [Sync][Settings] Option to open settings in a tab does not sync (VB-69563)
• [Sync] Failure to renew vivaldi.net credentials can occur after running for a day (VB-71146)

Tabs 

• [Tabs] Drag tab out of stack does not open this tab (VB-70357)

Themes 

• [Themes] Minor change in colors of default themes (VB-71048)
• [Themes][History] Increasing history graph color contrast in theme Blueprint (VB-69011)
• [Themes][History] Poor color selection used on graphs with Blueprint (VB-69011)

History 

• [History] Search doesn’t match URL parts (VB-69246)

Others 

• [Linux] ‘update-ffmpeg’ should run even without all OS updates (VB-68785)
• [Welcome page] Show “useful tools/features” (VB-70347)
• [Windows][Crash] Fails to start on 10 Pro N edition if media pack is not installed (VB-68691)
• [Permissions] Dialog is empty on some pages (VB-69271)
• [Permissions] “Motion or Light Sensors” permission dialog is empty (VB-68900)
• [Crash] After going Back on lichess.org / USA Today does not load (VB-68277)
• [Crash] Opening a link on a local website asking for permission (VB-70680)
• [Crash][macOS] When scrolling preferences with a touchpad (VB-70626)
• [Chromium] Upgraded to 85.0.4183.84

Get away from Big Tech and have fun doing it

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