You can help Tails! The beta version for the Additional Software feature is ready for testing. We are very excited.

  1. What's new in the Additional Software feature Beta?
  2. How to test Tails Additional Software feature Beta?
  3. Known issues

What's new in the Additional Software feature Beta?

We've designed and implemented a user interface to select additional software packages and make additional software persistent.

Users are now able to decide, for each additional piece of software that they might install in Tails once, whether it shall be installed automatically in the future.

How to test Tails Additional Software feature Beta?

  1. Download and install the ISO image on a USB stick, start from the stick and configure a persistent volume. Reboot and use the package manager to install a package currently not in Tails (example: Mumble). Note that in order to carry out these steps you need to set up a root password in the Tails Greeter.

  2. Configure if you want this package to be installed automatically on each boot.

  3. Restart Tails and use Mumble (or another program you've just installed).

  4. Imagine that over time you have installed several additional programs (Mumble, VLC, etc.) but don’t remember the exact list. How would you check your list of additional software?

  5. How would you stop installing Mumble every time you start Tails?

We are interested in your feedback on bugs and usability of this feature.

  • Are there any notifications that are not clear?
  • Did you run into technical issues?
  • Were you able to to modify the installation details as asked in the last question?
  • Do you have ideas on packages that we should propose to Tails users for installation?

Please send feedback emails to tails-testers@boum.org.

Get Tails Additional Software Feature Beta

Tails Additional Software feature beta ISO image

There is no signature available for this test ISO image.

Known issues

We've identified a list of known issues #15567 among which

  • Additional Software gets opened multiple times #15528
  • Remove and Cancel buttons don't work after escaping password prompt #15581

We need your help and there are many ways to contribute to Tails (donating is only one of them). Come talk to us!