Release notes - Proton Mail Bridge - stable

New

• Updated Go version to 1.21.6 and couple of golang libraries.
• Updated keychain access library.
• Improved log format and content.

Fixed

• Prevented various startup and sync issues.
• Resolved apple configuration profile issue.

Fixed

• Resolved an issue that prevented Windows and Linux users to auto update to newer versions of Bridge, and in some cases reverted to a previous version of Bridge. NOTE: All Bridge versions that are between v3.2.0 and v3.8.1 (inclusive) need to be updated to the latest Bridge version manually. If you have any questions, please get in touch with Proton customer support or follow the knowledge base instructions: https://proton.me/support/protonmail-bridge-manual-update .

New

• Added suggestions to relevant KB articles in the in-app bug report form and notifications.

Fixed

• Improved duplicate detection in sent folder.
• Improved Bridge interaction with keychain.
• Various errors during sending.

New

• Adjusted size of window on low resolution display.
• Improved interaction with system keychain.

Fixed

• Resolved multiple send and draft issues.
• Prevented de-synchronization during migration step.
• Improved login and synchronization user experience.
• Resolved multiple send and draft issues.
• Improved behaviour on unstable network connection.

New

• Setup wizard introduced to improve the onboarding and connecting the email client.
• Improve the user experience for adding local certificates on macOS

Fixed

• Update correctly the status of synchronization in application window for several edge-cases.
• Prevent message duplicates in Sent folder.

Fixed

• Avoided situation which lead to not receive new mails.

New

• Update crypto libraries (gopenpgp v2.7.3)

Fixed

• Wrong mailbox hierarchy when recovering from undefined sync state.

New

• Reduced synchronization resource consumption. This change leads to longer synchronization time.
• Added email send, delete, and status change functionalities during synchronization to not depend on synchronization time. These interactions are shared with Proton servers immediately. The changes on Proton servers during synchronization are processed in Bridge only after the synchronization is finished.
• Synchronization progress bar is updated more frequently.
• The synchronization progress bar represents the whole synchronization process, not only the progress ahead from the time when the synchronization is started/resumed. Restarting the Bridge during synchronization will not reset the synchronization progress bar to zero.
• Introduced a new error reporting workflow to improve customer support response time and quality.
• Improved Bridge reliability by reducing its dependency on file operation failures.
• Relaxed Bridge email header parsing rules to allow more emails to import.

Fixed

• Correctly reset Bridge on Windows.
• Prevent deleting message when moving it from trash in Apple Mail.
• Fix async issues in Bridge services.
• Fixed a bug that caused re-synchronization when Proton servers were not available during synchronization.
• Fixed some cases when sent messages are duplicated in the sent folder.
• Emails with missing keys (e.g., forgotten password) are now listed in the email client (still encrypted).
• A new Bridge session identifier is properly created when the Bridge user interface crashes.
• When a message is added to the trash, Bridge removes all labels to have the same behavior as other Proton email clients.
• Fixed the stuck signing in after trying to add an already-added account again.

Fixed

• Fixed the occasional “No values changed” error when sending emails with Apple Mail

New

• Added a debug option to the Bridge command line interface to cross check local mailbox state against Proton server state
• Switched to a new database layout to significantly speed up communication with email clients, and to prevent errors when Bridge processes many data quickly
• Made small UI changes to be consistent with other Proton products, and to have an easier to understand status view of the Bridge state
• Added numerous changes to make troubleshooting more efficient, including the introduction of a new log file organization
• Simplified setup experience by removing the Account details dialog when Bridge is auto-configured with Apple Mail

Fixed

• Fixed the debug option on the Bridge command line interface to not mark emails as read on the server
• Made Bridge to handle better when Proton servers are overloaded
• Added numerous fixes to prevent application crashes, to keep Bridge consistent with the Proton servers, and to improve email parsing correctness
• Added small fixes that help running automated Bridge tests

New

• Improved Bridge debugging capabilities by adding more information to the application logs
• Started measuring the Bridge setup experience

Fixed

• Cannot permanently delete new messages
• Temporarily removed clickable notifications on Linux to not raise the Bridge window when receiving non-Bridge notifications

New

• Reduced the number of occasions when email clients ask for Bridge credentials
• Added new Bridge notifications to help users to configure and troubleshoot their email clients
• To avoid the need to reconfigure email clients, Bridge remembers the old account password when an account is re-added (removed and added again)
• Further improved logging to support troubleshooting
• 2 factor authentication (2FA) is submitted automatically after entering a code
• Removed the requirement of having an administrator account on macOS to install Bridge

Fixed

• Fixed numerous crashes
• Fixed the case when an email could not be sent if a PDF was attached to the email
• Added varioius bugfixes and security improvemenets
• Reduced the Bridge cache size by cleaning up temporary emails that were saved during failed initial synchronizations
• Further reduced the chance of desyncronization between the email client and Bridge

New

• Enhanced Proton infrastructure protection
• Enhanced the integration with the operating system by replacing status windows with native tray icon context menu
• Switched to two columns layout on the account details page to make the informaion easier to access
• Improved logs to support troubleshooting
• Added optional usage sharing to support user experience improvements. Additional information about data sharing can be found on our support page.
• Implemented smart picking of default IMAP and SMTP ports
• Added various security and performance improvements

Fixed

• Replaced invalid email addresses with empty field for new drafts so it can be syncronized across Proton clients
• Improved crash handling
• Fixed label / unlabel performance when applied on large amount of emails
• Fixed “reply to” related issues
• Updated build instructions
• Announced IMAP ID capability to email clients

Fixed

• Added a missing error handler that can make the initial synchronization to stuck

New

• Significantly reduced memory consumption both during synchronization and communication with email clients
• Added synchronization indicator to the graphical user interface (GUI)
• Added “Close window” and “Quit Bridge” buttons to the main window
• Added command line switches to control GUI rendering
• Switched to software rendering on Windows to support old graphics cards
• Added support for Proton’s Scheduled send feature
• Avoided making email clients to ask for Bridge credentials when they started faster than Bridge at startup
• Added a notification when a user is signed out from Bridge in the background
• Improved desynchronization avoidence by setting UIDValidity from the current time
• Started updating emails in the email clients frequently when Bridge is started after not being online for longer period of time
• Improved error detection and handling
• Optimized Recovered Messages folder size by not adding a message to the folder if that message has been added to it before (deduplication)

Fixed

• Fixed transparent window with old graphics cards or virtual machines on Windows
• Reduced notifications that does not require user actions
• Improved exception / crash handling
• Improved handling complex MIME types
• Reduced the source of errors that can lead to gRPC related error messages
• Fixed sub-folder rename issues
• Fixed various bugs related to secure vault handling, network communication errors, Proton server communication, operating system integration.

New

• Extended the migration from the previous major Bridge version with certificates
• Improved error detection

Fixed

• Fixed the misplaced .desktop file on Linux
• Fixed DBUS secret service integration (e.g., KWallet, KeePass)
• Made Bridge more resilient against Proton server outages

New

• Added better explanation when an email cannot be sent because of non-existing email addresses
• Added a dialog to Bridge where users can repair the application when it encounters an internal error
• Improved error detection

Fixed

• Reduced the cases when Bridge could not restart automatically
• Fixed the bug that could cause email states (e.g., read, unread, answered) to come out of sync with the web application. NOTE: This fix is only applied to new emails. In order to fix older emails in Bridge, the account in Bridge needs to be removed and added back.
• Fixed incorrect subject parsing caused by double quotes

New

• Improved inter-process communication error detection
• Improved exceptions related error detection

Fixed

• Fixed numerous sources of errors leading to logout (internal errors)
• Fixed inter-process communication related startup issues (e.g., gRPC, service configuration file exchange)

New

• Improved event processing related error handling

Fixed

• Fixed manual update errors on Windows by ensuring that all new files are deployed by the Bridge installer

New

• Rewrote a significant part of Bridge to improve overall Bridge stability and performance
• Open sourced and integrated a new IMAP library, Gluon (https://github.com/ProtonMail/gluon)
• Open sourced and integrated a new Proton API library, Go Proton API (GPA) (https://github.com/ProtonMail/go-proton-api)
• Significantly improved error detection and unexpected error handling
• Improved email sending performance
• Improved synchronization performance
• Added new command line argument for software rendering
• Extended the coverage of the Bridge data that is encrypted on the users’ computers
• Added an option to the graphical user interface to export TLS certificates
• Reimplemented the user interface (upgraded to the Qt 6 user interface library)
• Added native Apple Silicon macOS support
• Added an option to change IMAP connection mode
• Added subfolder support
• Added a new icon for the .dmg installer
• Increased automated test coverage

Fixed

• Desynchronization while creating a draft email
• Fixed sub-folder creation issues
• User name and password validation messages are shown only when the Sign in button is pressed
• Improved handling SMTP send deduplication
• Improved robustness of Bridge restart
• Fixed the user notification for occupied Bridge ports
• Fixed vulnerabilities of golang.org/x/crypto
• Added the missing Library on Fedora/Gnome for 2.3 to 2.4 update
• Added digital-signature for DLLs (to avoid the Windows Security alert, and to show if Bridge is coming from a trusted publisher)
• Fixed many Qt 6 related Linux and Windows update process issues
• Changed the default location of the database and storage files to avoid conflicts with cache cleaner applications

New

• Feature to hide All Mail from IMAP client
• Enable automatic configuration on macOS Ventura
• Improved the scope of local logs

Fixed

• Visibility of Dependencies in Bridge GUI
• Potential crashes on parallel LIST command

New

• Updated GUI colours to reflect new Proton’s colours theme
• Renamed ProtonMail Bridge to Proton Mail Bridge - installers, keychain etc.
• New Bridge systray icons for all OSes
• New Bridge application icons for all OSes
• Visual update of macOS and Windows installers
• Add label/folder filtering to pmapi
• Use one buffered event for internet status changes - to eliminate false-positive connection errors
• Added a modal to prompt the user to reconfigure the account once a new PM address is added
• Added a link to dependencies’ licences to the help section footer

Fixed

• Updated crypto-libraries to gopenpgp v2.4.7 and go-srp v0.0.5
• Convert charset only for text/* MIME types - to ensure no attachment corruption when sending with some email clients
• Reduce unnecessary shell executions
• Syncing issues for when a new PM address is added
• Changed the wording of ‘delete this account’ dialog
• Improved manual update process (GUI changes)
• Improvements to manual update process

New

• Added keybase/go-keychain/secretservice as a new keychain helper
• GUI changes to ‘report a problem’
• Added another proxy provider
• Improved UX for working with keychain on macOS

Fixed

• Manual update mechanism
• Windows clipboard issues (copying account details)
• Random logouts on macOS
• Error for corrupted keychain
• Bug reporting (emails send from custom domain)

New

• Improved Sentry reporting

Fixed

• Ensure messageID is properly removed from DB when it is no longer present on the API

New

New Bridge GUI

• Added a Status View in addition to the Main Bridge Window
• Added storage information per signed in account
• Refactor of sign in flows
• Refactor of Helps and Settings section
• Refactor of bug reports
• Refactor of Bridge update flows for beta and stable channels
• Introduced Reset Bridge feature - to clear all the local preferences and settings
• Introduce local cache configuration
• Dark Mode for Bridge, including autodetect mechanism for system colour scheme
• GUI element for changing keychain (Linux)

New local cache

• Refactor of local store (caching of size, headers and bodystructure)
• Allow to store full encrypted message bodies on a disk

Other

• Update to goopenpgp 2.4.1
• Optimising sentry reporting

Fixed

• Improved retry mechanism for connecting to Proton servers
• OpenGL issue during startup for specific GPUs
• Blurry system icons with multiple monitor setup
• Bridge crashes related to unlocking local cache
• Bug with sending to ‘non-encrypted’ recipients
• Cosmetic GUI changes

New

• Bridge to only be checking and trying to unclock active keys, both user and address

Fixed

• Updated bbold to v1.3.6 - including Unix fixes
• Ensure ‘delete’ on ‘All Mail’ is not allowed
• Fixed behaviour for ‘append’ of external messages to Archive
• Fixed behaviour for ‘append’ of internal messages to All Mail
• Ensure ‘move’ to All Mail returns an error
• Fixed behaviour for moving/removing message to/from Spam

Fixed

• Updated crypto-libraries to gopenpgp v2.2.2 and go-srp v0.0.1
• Ensuring proper handling of updates when the user downloads the newest version manually
• Better handling of an error for importing too large messages via Bridge
• Ensuring message packages are fully built when the list of recipients includes internal addresses (for the users using active domain with Microsoft exchange)
• Fixed Uninstalling on Windows to properly clear updates
• Improvements to reusing connections - performance

Fixed

• Fixed an issues with incorrect handling of 401 server error leading to random Bridge logouts
• Changed encoding of message/rfc822 - to better handle sending of the .msg files
• Fixed crash within RFC822 builder for invalid or empty headers
• Fixed crash within RFC822 builder for header with key length > 76 chars

New

• Updated golang Secure Remote Password Protocol
• Updated crypto-libraries to gopenpgp/v2 v2.1.10
• Implemented new message parser (for imports from external accounts)

Fixed

• Fixed IMAP/SMTP restart in Bridge to mitigate connection issues
• Fixed unknown charset error for ‘combined’ messages
• Implemented a long-term fix for ‘invalid or missing message signature’ error
• Bridge not to strip PGP signatures of incoming clear text messages
• Import of messages with malformed MIME header
• Improved parsing of message headers
• Fetching bodies of non-multipart messages
• Sync and performance improvements

Fixed

• A bug with sending encrypted emails to external contacts

Fixed

• Hotfix for error during bug reporting

Fixed

• Hotfix for crash when listing empty folder

New

• Refactor of message builder to achieve greater RFC compliance
• Implemented connection manager to improve performance during weak connection, better handling of connection loss and other connectivity issues
• Increased the number of message fetchers to allow more parallel requests - performance improvement
• Log changes for easier debugging (update-related)
• Prompt profile installation during Apple Mail auto-configuration on MacOS Big Sur

Fixed

• Bugs with building of message bodies/headers
• Incorrect naming format of some of the attachments
• Removed html-wrappig of non-decriptable messages - to facilitate decryption outside Bridge and/or allow to store such messages as they are
• Tray icon issues with multiple displays on MacOS

New

• Revise storage locations for the config files, preferences and cache
• Log improvements for easier debugging (sync issues)
• Added relevant metadata to Windows builds

Fixed

• Fixed the way Bridge interacts with Windows Firewall and Defender
• Fixed potential security vulnerability related to rpath
• Improved parsing of embedded messages
• GUI bug fixes

New

• Allow to choose which keychain is used by Bridge on Linux
• Added automatic update CLI commands
• Improved performance during slow connection
• Added IMAP requests to the logs for easier debugging

Fixed

• Fixed update notifications
• Fixed GUI freeze while switching to early update channel
• Fixed Bridge autostart
• Improved signing of update packages
• NoGUI build
• Background of GUI welcome message
• Incorrect total mailbox size displayed in Apple Mail

New

• Added desktop files and icon in Bridge repo
• Better detection of MacOS version to improve automatic AppleMail configuration
• Clearing cache after switching early access off

Fixed

• Better poor connection handling - added retries for starting IMAP server after the connection was down
• Excluding updates from ‘clearing cache’
• Not allowing copying from Inbox to Sent and vice versa
• Improvements to moving messages (unlabelling folders)
• Fixed the separation of release notes for ‘early’ and ‘stable’ channels

New

Introducing silent updates

• Introducing ‘early’ and ‘stable’ updates channels
• Allowing users to enable early access from within the GUI
• Adding and option to disable silent updates in settings

Changing the distribution of release notes

Performance and stability

• Implement support of UID EXPUNGE - to avoid avoid unnecessary resync
• Improve memory usage - gopenpgp dependency updated to v2.1.3
• Reducing network traffic by caching message size and body structure

Adding a scroll bar to the settings tab

Fixed

• Fetch errors - introducing a stop to the imap server once there is no internet connection
• Setting up flags to avoid messages misplacement
• Inline messages incorrectly changed to attachments
• Reporting bug from accounts with empty account name
• Panic when stopping import progress during loading mailboxes info
• Panic when modifying addresses during changing address mode
• Panic when trying to parse a multipart/alternative section that has no child sections
• Prevent potential loss of messages when moving to local folder and back

New

• Improvements to message parsing
• Better error handling
• Ensured better message flow by refactoring both address and date parsing
• Improved secure connectivity checks
• Better deb packaging
• More robust error handling
• Improved package creation logic
• Refactor of sending functions to simplify code maintenance
• Added tests for package creation
• Support read confirmations
• Adding GPLv3 licence button to the GUI
• Improved testing

Fixed

• AppleMail crashes (related to timestamps)
• Sending messages from aliases in combined inbox mode
• Fedora font issues
• Ensured that conversations are properly threaded
• Fixed Linux font issues (Fedora)
• Better handling of Mime encrypted messages
• Bridge crashes related to labels handling
• GUI popup related to TLS connection error
• An issue where a random session key is included in the data payload
• Error handling (including improved detection)
• Encoding errors
• Installation issues on linux