Firewalla app version 1.63 is now available to all Early Access users. To join early access app release, see this: Early Access Guide

Some of the new features require box version 1.979 or above, which is available on:

• Firewalla Gold Pro, Gold SE, Purple, Purple SE, Blue Plus Production Release
• Firewalla Gold, Gold Plus Beta Release
  • To join our box Beta program, please follow the instructions in the Beta Onboarding doc.

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1. New Features
   1. Search on the Main Screen
   2. Rule Status Indicator
   3. Real-Time User Activity 
   4. Apply Features to Devices in Group/User
   5. New Social Hour
   6. VPN Group for Failover (Upcoming)
2. Enhancements
3. Bug Fixes

New Features

1. Global Search on the Main Screen

With Firewalla's increasing capabilities, you can manage more settings and data in the Firewalla app. In this release, we've added a search bar to the main screen of the box, making it easier to find features, devices, groups, networks, users, or rules across the app. 

2. Rule Status Indicator

In app version 1.63, an indicator bar will appear on the left side of the rules list. If a rule is within its scheduled time, the bar will be blue, and if not, it will be gray. For time-limited rules, it will also display how much time is left or if the limit for the day has already been reached. When tapping on a rule, a banner at the top of the rule's detail page will indicate whether the rule is about to become active or inactive in the near future.

3. Real-Time User Activity 

Firewalla monitors users' online activities and shows you their time usage over a 7-days period. Now, you can monitor in real-time if a user is using a specific app, without having to dig into the timeline. From the User list, if someone is watching YouTube or playing Fortnite, a blinking green dot will appear next to the app icon. Tapping on the user’s detail page will tell you when the activity started, and you can tap on it to learn more.

Additionally, if a user is pinned to the main screen, the icon will also appear on the user's shortcut widget.

Note, more apps are now supported in user activity detection recently, including Amazon Prime Video, Twitch, Hulu, and Discord. We are continuously adding more video, gaming, and social apps, if there is any app you'd like us to support soon, please let us know!

4. Apply Features to Devices in Group/User

Groups and Users help you manage multiple devices with the same set of rules and features for easier management. Now, with app version 1.63, you can apply features to individual devices even if they belong to a group or user.

For example, if a media group has ad blocking and other restrictions, and you want to prioritize one device with Smart Queue for lower latency or connect it to a VPN for a trending show, you can now apply Smart Queue or connect VPN to that device without removing it from the group.

Note: This update is not yet available for access control rules like Block, Allow, or Time Limit, as conflicts could cause confusion.

5.  New Social Hour (Requires Box Version 1.979)

Social Hour has always been a popular choice for families looking to spend quality time together by removing digital distractions from social networks. With improved device identification, we've expanded the feature to block not only 'social sites' but also the internet connection on all Personal, Media, and Entertainment devices for one hour. No more interruptions from TVs, games, or any other online content vying for your attention.

6.  VPN Group for Failover (Upcoming, Requires Box Version 1.980)

When connecting devices to a VPN, service providers may offer multiple servers for failover in case one becomes unavailable. Firewalla now supports creating VPN groups, allowing you to create VPN group to include mulitple VPN profiles for improved availability.

Please note that port forwarding and Unbound over VPN are not currently supported with VPN groups; You may need to continue using individual VPN profiles for these features.

Enhancements

1. Block/Mute Apps from Alarms (Requires Box Version 1.979)

To complement the enhancement to identify video/gaming apps in alarms from the last app update, this release, we've supported blocking traffic or muting alarms matching Apps from alarms. 

2. New Parental Control Categories (Requires Early Access Boxes)

Two new categories are supported with this app release: 

• Violence 
• Drugs & Alcohol

You can now use them to create blocking rules on certain users or devices, or turn the blocking on from the Family Protect - Native Mode settings. This will remain in beta mode until it is stable. 

3. Target List: Newly Registered Domains (Requires your firewalla box in early access mode)

By popular demand from our community, we’ve added support for a new target list: Newly Registered Domains. To block all NRD sites, go to Rules -> Add Rule, and select Target List -> Newly Registered Domains. This list is updated frequently to help protect you from potential malicious sites that lack an established reputation. This will remain in beta mode until it is stable. 

(Blocking NRD domains is still experimental, as they may create issues if a false positive happens) 

Bug Fixes

• Fixed the bug where the MAC address could not be changed for the wireless WAN interface.
• Fixed the bug where bridge mode didn't support quality tests on bridges separately (iOS only).
• Fixed the warning message when shutting down Gold boxes via the app.