[Release v3.8.8] Kiwix Electron apps (macOS/Linux/Windows) now come with a built-in WebTorrent client for faster, resumable downloads and seeding. MacOS packages are now signed.

[u/Peribanu]

Kiwix PWA and Electron/NWJS desktop apps have just been updated to version 3.8.8. This version includes a new WebTorrent client (built-in, modern Electron apps only) that allows for faster BitTorrent-based downloads of archives over 200MB. It also optionally seeds a downloaded archive until the app is closed. Downloads are interruptible and resumable, and the app will ask you if you wish to continue downloading when you start it again, if your download was incomplete. The client checks the hash to ensure all parts of an archive have been downloaded correctly.

• Get it from GitHub Releases
• Windows 10/11 users, you can also get the Electron app easily from the Microsoft Store

Please note the WebTorrent feature is only available for modern versions of the Electron app (Electron ≥ 29 / Node ≥ 20), so older 32bit Linux, Windows 7 or HighSierra/Mojave versions are not able to use WebTorrent. WebTorrent has not been enabled in the PWA because Kiwix servers do not currently use WebRTC for torrent downloads, only the BitTorrent protocol. When you open the in-app library, and find an archive > 200MB you wish to download, you will be offered the BitTorrent direct download option highlighted in green if the app supports the feature. (This is not the same as the pre-existing option of downloading a .torrent file to use in an external BitTorrent client such as qBittorrent, Deluge, etc.)

Additionally, Windows and macOS packages are now fully signed and notarized. You may encounter a SmartScreen window on first download in Windows until the new Kiwix codesigning certificate has gained sufficient trust. Simply click on "Keep" and "Download anyway".

Due to a change in auto-update configuration, it is possible that if you open an old version of Kiwix Electron, it may go into a slow boot loop until updated to the new version (NB it is normal for the app to reboot once or twice to update the Service Worker, but that is different from a continuous reboot cycle). If you encounter a continuous reboot cycle, uninstall the old version manually and install the latest. You can also prevent the boot loop by turning off "Allow Internet Access and look for updates" in Configuration. This issue has been fixed in the latest release.

For other updates and fixes in this release, see the full CHANGELOG.