Mastodon 4.6 is out now, bringing a major update to the decentralized social media platform. The main new feature is Collections, which lets users create and share selected lists of Mastodon profiles.
Collections come with several built-in controls, unlike similar features on centralized platforms. Users who have not turned on the “Feature me in discovery experiences” setting cannot be added to Collections. Those who opt in get a notification when they are added and can remove themselves from a Collection whenever they want.
Each Collection is limited to 25 profiles, and there is no “follow all” button. Mastodon says this limit makes Collections easier to review and helps prevent spam accounts from being mixed in with real profiles.
Apart from that, Mastodon 4.6 also features a redesigned profile view, based on user feedback, making common profile sections easier to find. Users can now switch faster between original posts, boosts, and replies, and featured hashtags stand out more.
Profile editing has been improved as well. Instead of going into settings, users can edit their profile details right from their profile page. The update also adds built-in cropping for profile pictures and headers, so you no longer need to crop images before uploading.
Another accessibility improvement is support for alt text on profile pictures and headers. The update also brings new ways to customize profiles. Users can choose whether the Media tab appears and if it shows media from replies. The Featured tab, which displays Collections and featured profiles, can also be turned on or off.
Importantly, Mastodon 4.6 adds an email subscription feature, mainly for institutional users. If a server admin enables it and the user’s role allows, anonymous visitors can subscribe to posts by email without needing a Mastodon or Fediverse account.
The update also adds a new landing page option for servers where the Trending tab is not the best starting point. This new page features the server description and recent updates of local profiles in a simpler layout.
Finally, the release also brings many accessibility fixes across the Mastodon interface. These include better keyboard navigation, focus management, color contrast, and screen reader support.
For additional details, see the announcement.
