A new version of the open source audio editor Audacity has been released. Audacity 3.0.3 introduces support for automatic update checks and error reporting among other new features.

Project ownership of Audacity changed in May 2021 when MuseGroup announced the acquisition of the open source editor. Details were not provided.

Shortly thereafter, MuseGroup revealed plans to introduce Telemetry in Audacity, an offline audio editor. The company dropped its Telemetry plans in the same month after user criticism reached new highs.

MuseGroup published an updated privacy notice in July 2021, and it too blew up in the company's face. An updated privacy policy was released in the same month and the company apologized for releasing the first privacy notice.

Audacity 3.0.3 is the first version of the open source audio editor that supports the new error reporting and update checking functionality.

The developers dropped plans to introduce Telemetry collecting and reporting in Audacity, but decided to integrate error reporting and update checking, which both submit some data.

Audacity 3.0.3 displays a popup on first run that informs users that update checking is integrated and enabled by default. Update checking can be disabled in the application's preferences.

Disable update checking in Audacity

1. Select Edit > Preferences.
2. Go to Application.
3. Remove the checkmark from "check for updates".

Audacity won't check for updates anymore once the change has been made. You may undo the change at any time by checking the box again.

Error reporting

Error reporting is another optional component that is introduced in Audacity 3.0.3. It is the second component that may communicate with Audacity servers.

When Audacity throws an error, an error report is displayed to the user. The report lists information about the problem, and it is up to the user to submit the report or block it from being submitted.

Error reporting provides Audacity's developers with data on issues, including the frequency of issues. The reports may be used to prioritize and address issues.

Other changes in Audacity 3.0.3

Here is a quick overview of the remaining changes:

• Audacity installs as a 64-bit application on Windows devices. Some processes and effects may run faster as a consequence. Downside is that 32-bit plugins don't work anymore, and that some users may need to install the 64-bit FFmpeg library.
• New colorways for Spectograms. You may revert the change under Preferences > Tracks > Spectograms > Schemes by selecting Color (classic).
• New View menu command to display the track name.
• New official binary for Linux in the form of an AppImage.
• Several bug fixes.

You may check the full release notes here.