RASPBERRY Pi OS has received a desktop-focused update, with the Raspberry Pi Foundation releasing the latest image. Although the core Linux kernel version remains the same (6.18.50 LTS), the release concentrates on a broad sweep of bug fixes and fine-tuning to stabilise the desktop experience and localised features. The changes are framed as a substantial cleaning operation aimed at ridding long-standing nuisance bugs and improving overall usability, particularly for newcomers to the platform.
Key user-facing improvements include enhanced usability within the Control Centre, where widgets now display descriptive tooltips to clarify their functions, and an updated Raspberry Pi logo in the system menu. In the shutdown dialogue, the physical “Lock Screen” button has been removed in favour of textual prompts detailing keyboard shortcuts.
The default interface has been adjusted so the Dock shows a battery widget and the Squeekboard on-screen keyboard more prominently, and users’ custom layouts should no longer revert to defaults when switching between the taskbar and Dock. The Ejecter extension now mounts encrypted USB drives automatically, reducing manual steps.
Additional fixes address recurrent desktop issues: PCManFM auto-mount conflicts with Ejecter, right‑click terminal invocation within the file manager, icon menu search crashes, ghosting of LibreOffice icons, drag‑and‑drop in List View, and sporadic Control Centre or notification‑phase crashes.
The update also notes updated firmware while keeping the kernel unchanged and points users to the Raspberry Pi Imager to obtain the new image for SD cards.