Thunderbird 102.2.0 released – many bugfixes but issues

[German]The developers of Thunderbird have released an update of the email client to version 102.2.0 as of August 23, 2022 (thanks to Tom for pointing this out). However, there is feedback from readers that the new version (especially when upgrading from the 91 version) is causing problems.

Thunderbird 102.2.0

According to the Thunderbird release notes, this version includes the following as new features:

Added configuration setting to disable OpenPGP "encryption is possible" reminder: mail.openpgp.remind_encryption_possible

The new version adds the following changes:

• Thunderbird on macOS now asks for the primary password on startup if it is set
• Thunderbird no longer offers to import incomplete OpenPGP keys
• Selecting or deselecting a dictionary in the spelling composition toolbar no longer closes the menu immediately; changes to the dictionary via the editor context menu still close the context menu
• Contact address lines are now displayed in the expected order
• Custom 1-4 fields restored in Address Book UI; existing data from pre-102 profiles is preserved

There are also fixes to the following bugs:

• Thunderbird startup performance improvements
• ALT+<numeric keypad> keystroke events were intercepted by the Spaces toolbar, preventing special characters from being entered on Windows
• Attachment status search did not work in the Message Search dialog box
• When repairing IMAP folders in offline mode, the local copy of the folder was removed
• Progress bar was not displayed when downloading POP3 messages
• POP Fetch headers only" mode did not work with some server configurations
• POP accounts with GSSAPI or NTLM authentication could not log in to the server
• A TLS certificate override dialog for self-signed certificates was not displayed for IMAP accounts
• Saving attachments from newsgroups did not work
• Setting the contact type to "None" was not possible if a type was previously set
• When editing a contact without name fields, the email address was entered into the name fields
• The buttons of the address book toolbar were not accessible from the keyboard
• The automatic detection of CalDAV and CardDAV via DNS records used a server domain, which caused errors
• Various visual and thematic improvements

Furthermore, the developers mention various security fixes that eliminate vulnerabilities in previous versions that were rated as high. In the release notes, however, the developers list two known issues:

• The "Get Map" function is missing in the address book for physical addresses.
• No separate "Department" field in the address book

German blog reader Gero pointed out the update in this comment. This update is available for the 102 branch as well as an upgrade for the 91 version). I myself am still on the 91 Thunderbird version as I had problems with the 102. Gerold then pointed out problems in follow up comments (no inbox folder content).

Reverting to an old Thunderbird version is rejected when the profile is updated (see also). I fell into this trap some time ago. With an updated profile a downgrade is only possible with tricks by starting Thunderbird with the –allow-downgrade option.

The system requirements for the different operating system versions (see here for more details):

• Windows: Windows 7 or higher
• Mac: Mac OS X 10.12 or higher
• Linux: GTK+ 3.14 or higher

The download of the free Thunderbird is available here.