VidBee Changelog

Improvements

• On Windows, completed transcripts now open with working video playback instead of showing a blank page. (by @Autsunset)

What's New

• Choose up to five subtitle languages in Settings, or have VidBee follow the interface language.
• Pause and resume active downloads without starting over. (by @Gani-SMA)

Improvements

• When subtitles are unavailable, VidBee continues with the video instead of failing the whole download.
• Cancelled downloads stay cancelled after a restart and disappear only after the cancellation is safely saved.
• Download links are recognized more reliably, with clearer guidance when a site needs browser cookies.
• Download from more sites without installing an extra helper.
• On Windows, video playback and the app window recover more reliably after graphics or page failures.
• The tray icon opens the app more reliably.

In 1.x, VidBee saved the file and stopped there. 2.0 keeps going: transcribe on this computer, label who is speaking, search a quote, then ask AI for a summary.

What's New

• New workflow: download → transcribe locally → search keywords → ask AI for a summary, all in one app.

Local transcription

• Choose Whisper, SenseVoice, Parakeet, or Qwen3-ASR. VidBee can recommend a model for your computer and language.
• Speech recognition runs on this computer and can work offline after the model is downloaded. Audio is never uploaded to a transcription service.
• Import a local audio or video file, or drag it onto Transcripts, and transcribe it in the app.

Speaker labels

• Automatically detect who is speaking and show speaking-time bars under the player.
• Set a fixed speaker count and re-label the conversation without changing the recognized words.
• Click a speaker to jump to their next line.

Search and timestamps

• Search spoken text or a speaker name. Matches are highlighted in the transcript.
• Every line has a timestamp. Click a line (or a word) to play from that exact moment.
• Copy a passage, or export plain text, Markdown, or subtitles.

Ask AI

• Built-in prompts for bullet summaries, translations, FAQs, mind maps, grammar cleanup, and more. You can also write your own.
• Connect OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, xAI, Ollama, LM Studio, or another provider you choose. API keys stay on this computer.

Privacy

• Privacy first: speech and files stay on this computer.
• When you run Ask AI, only the transcript text goes to the provider you selected. Use Ollama or LM Studio to keep that step on this computer too.

Also in this release

• The mini player stays available while you move between screens.
• The download engine can update itself in the background so more sites keep working.

Improvements

• Portable mode no longer resets a custom download folder you chose outside the portable directory.
• Transcription now works on Intel Macs as well as Apple Silicon.
• Downloads and self-hosted setups are more reliable.

Requirement Updates

• Updated the bundled yt-dlp runtime from v2026.06.09 to v2026.07.04 so site compatibility stays current.

Requirement Updates

• Updated the bundled yt-dlp runtime from v2026.03.17 to v2026.06.09 so site compatibility stays current.

Improvements

• One-click download is enabled by default so you can start downloads faster on first use.
• Download list titles are easier to read with clearer left alignment.

Improvements

• Custom FFmpeg locations are easier to set: use either the executable path or the folder that contains it.
• Subscription checks show clearer messages when a feed is unavailable or something goes wrong.
• Download status and hints are easier to follow when you need to fix a setting or retry.
• Very long download filenames are shortened automatically on macOS and Linux, matching Windows behavior.
• Where supported, you can use a keyboard shortcut to add a link to downloads more quickly.

Bug Fixes

• Hardened database migrations so older installs upgrade more reliably.
• Optional tools such as FFmpeg no longer block app startup when they are missing or fail to initialize.
• Subscription checks now avoid noisy error reports for common network or feed-format issues.

Improvements

• Refined GlitchTip feedback and error reporting details.

Bug Fixes

• Improved filename sanitization to handle special Unicode characters and control codes.
• Windows downloads now automatically trim overly long filenames.
• Changing the concurrent download limit now takes effect immediately without restarting.

Features

• Added GlitchTip error reporting and user feedback support
• Added update notification when running an outdated version
• Integrated Rybbit analytics
• Improved download UI details

Requirement Updates

• Updated the bundled yt-dlp runtime from v2026.03.13 to v2026.03.17 so site compatibility stays current.

Bug Fixes

• Improved macOS release build reliability by using the default Electron download source during packaging.

Requirement Updates

• Improved the release pipeline so preview builds can be published separately from production update notifications.

Bug Fixes

• Restored npm rebuilds during Electron packaging so native dependencies are prepared more reliably in release builds.
• Bundled shared workspace packages more consistently in desktop builds.

Bug Fixes

• Restored npm rebuilds during Electron packaging so native dependencies are prepared more reliably in release builds.

Requirement Updates

• Added a preview release channel so test builds can be published without triggering production site updates.

Bug Fixes

• Bundled shared workspace packages more consistently in desktop builds.

Bug Fixes

• Improved desktop packaging reliability so shared downloader components are bundled more consistently.

Requirement Updates

• Added web and API editions with shared downloader capabilities and aligned settings behavior.
• Added support for uploading Cookie and config files from Settings.
• Migrated download history storage to SQLite for better reliability and cross-platform consistency.
• Added a shared add-url popover flow in download dialogs and refined dark-theme thumb visibility.

Bug Fixes

• Improved bundled binary setup resilience and diagnostics in desktop startup scripts.
• Fixed profile input cursor jumping in Settings.
• Fixed Linux download-directory validation when selecting existing non-empty folders.
• Polished localization consistency, including Chinese translation corrections.

Requirement Updates

• Added new one-click actions so you can paste and start downloading faster.
• Added French, Russian, and Turkish app localization support.
• Completed tray localization for Turkish.
• Reorganized Cookie settings into three clearer groups.
• Added RSSHub portal links to the RSS documentation.

Bug Fixes

• Improved download compatibility for YouTube and format fallback scenarios.
• Download output now follows the selected container format more consistently.
• Settings and docs were improved, including clearer bug report and RSS guidance.
• Added fallback handling when requested download formats are unavailable.
• Synced missing Turkish locale keys.
• Reduced release pipeline friction with check and workflow fixes.

Requirement Updates

• The one-click download flow is now more direct with fewer steps.
• A dedicated Cookie tab was added in Settings for easier account-related actions.

Bug Fixes

• FAQ entry points are clearer and error messages are easier to understand.
• RSS guidance is clearer, especially for new users.

Bug Fixes

• Playlist loading is more stable and no longer causes layout compression issues.
• Cookie usage guidance now includes clearer examples.

Requirement Updates

• Download-related actions are easier to access.
• Added an option to include or remove watermarks when sharing.

Bug Fixes

• Download interactions are more consistent overall.

Requirement Updates

• Items with the same title in playlists are easier to distinguish.
• It is easier to find logs and related files when troubleshooting.
• Added docs site improvements, including i18n support, sitemap generation, and protocol documentation.

Bug Fixes

• Download notifications are less intrusive.
• Subscription links and guidance are more reliable.
• Resolved TypeScript build issues in the documentation project.

Requirement Updates

• Added faster ways to select all and clear download history.
• Playlist and Settings pages are easier to use.
• Minimize-to-tray behavior is now the default.
• Feedback reporting now warns when GitHub issue links are too long.

Bug Fixes

• Minimize and reopen behavior feels smoother.
• Duplicate items in subscriptions are reduced.
• Resume behavior after interrupted downloads is more reliable.
• Playlist list height is constrained more reliably.
• Feedback issue links are cleaner and more stable.
• Added clearer Windows-only Cookie guidance.
• Strengthened ffmpeg/ffprobe bundle checks.

Bug Fixes

• Download folder behavior in Settings is more predictable.
• Feedback reports now have clearer supporting information.

Requirement Updates

• Default settings are better for everyday use.
• Extension error pages and branding were refined.
• Download error panels now include richer troubleshooting links.
• Subscription tabs support horizontal scrolling.

Bug Fixes

• Download flows and page layouts are clearer.
• Subscription browsing feels smoother.
• Error messages now provide clearer next-step suggestions.
• Added safeguards for Bilibili subtitle embedding failures.
• Missing locale translation entries were filled.
• Embedded thumbnail behavior is safer by default.

Bug Fixes

• Installation and update experience on macOS is more stable.
• Bundled tools are now signed during macOS builds.
• DMG notarization was tightened in CI for better release reliability.

Requirement Updates

• Download progress details are easier to read.

Bug Fixes

• Localized update notifications are clearer.

Requirement Updates

• Added more media output preference options.

Bug Fixes

• First-time setup and daily usage flow are smoother.

Requirement Updates

• Local video information workflows are easier to use.

Bug Fixes

• Cookie profile management is more stable and predictable.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed known issues in Advanced Settings.
• Improved remote cover loading stability.
• Subscription cover selection is more reliable.

Requirement Updates

• Startup window behavior feels more natural.

Bug Fixes

• Settings behavior is more consistent overall.

Requirement Updates

• Update status is easier to spot on the About page.

Bug Fixes

• Format selection is more reliable across scenarios.

Requirement Updates

• Issue reporting flow is simpler.
• Added issue templates and streamlined bug report forms.

Bug Fixes

• Restored download availability for more sites.
• CI download steps were hardened for better reliability.

Requirement Updates

• Update notifications are less disruptive.
• Added JavaScript runtime support for yt-dlp integration.
• Advanced options panels now use smoother animations.

Bug Fixes

• About page text and links are clearer.
• Download panel interactions feel smoother.
• Electron language resources were limited to English for consistency.

Requirement Updates

• Added bulk actions for download history cleanup.
• Opening download task links now behaves more predictably.
• Added support for custom download folders.

Bug Fixes

• RSS setup dialog is easier to understand and fill.

Bug Fixes

• Added more compatibility options for wider usage scenarios.
• Path input is more forgiving in daily usage.

Requirement Updates

• Added auto-launch support.
• Language support was further expanded.

Requirement Updates

• Added RSS subscription downloads.
• Added site icons in supported source lists.
• Introduced remote image loading with caching for media previews.
• Sidebar interactions were refined with draggable title-bar behavior.

Bug Fixes

• First major stable release of VidBee.
• Navigation and overall interface flow became clearer.
• History and media preview experience were improved.
• Migrated history storage to SQLite (Drizzle) for more reliable data handling.

Bug Fixes

• One-click download copy and feedback prompts are easier to understand.
• Visual style is more consistent.

Bug Fixes

• Update prompts and download option display are clearer.

Bug Fixes

• Download processing stability improved in more scenarios.

Bug Fixes

• Multi-device distribution experience was improved.

Requirement Updates

• Linux experience is more user-friendly.
• Added version update notifications for faster upgrades.

Requirement Updates

• Added playlist download support.
• Added controls to reduce desktop disruption.

Bug Fixes

• Continued UX polishing during the preview stage.

Bug Fixes

• Continued UX polishing during the preview stage.

Bug Fixes

• Continued UX polishing during the preview stage.

Requirement Updates

• Public preview period started.

Requirement Updates

• Added auto-updater support and improved release guidance in documentation.
• Improved project documentation, including screenshots and contribution guidelines.

Bug Fixes

• Simplified download path handling and removed unused output path logic.

Bug Fixes

• Removed an unnecessary directory creation step in the release workflow.

Bug Fixes

• Improved the release workflow to download yt-dlp binaries for cross-platform packaging.

Bug Fixes

• Updated the release workflow to target Windows builds only.

Bug Fixes

• Simplified release build steps and artifact handling in CI.
• Adjusted CI triggers so pull-request automation runs only for main.

Bug Fixes

• Set an explicit shell for the build step in the release workflow.

Requirement Updates

• Early release iteration with no additional user-visible changes recorded.

Requirement Updates

• Initial public release baseline.