// release notes · beta channel

What's new

Every Backstage Copilot build, newest first. We ship on a weekly cadence during the private beta.

0.5.5-beta

LatestMay 17, 2026

Behind-the-scenes release — the app now stays in sync with server-side configuration. No change to how it looks or behaves day-to-day.

Remote configuration. At launch the app quietly checks in with the Backstage server to pick up configuration, so features can be rolled out or pulled back without shipping a new build.
Anonymous launch heartbeat. A metadata-only ping (app version + OS — never transcript, audio, screen, or keys) so we can see version adoption and spot issues across the beta.

More reliable account setup — invited beta users are signed in immediately after registering (no stuck “confirm your email” step).

Both of the above are strictly fail-open: offline, signed-out, or a server hiccup all fall back to local defaults — the app never waits on the network at startup and never blocks launch.
Privacy is unchanged and enforced server-side: the heartbeat payload is metadata only, scrubbed and size-capped before it is ever stored.

May 16, 2026

The first-run setup wizard has been completely redesigned, and the whole app now speaks six languages.

Redesigned onboarding wizard. An eight-step guided setup with a clean side rail, step indicator, and per-page illustrations — replacing the old single-screen form.
Six languages. The entire wizard is translated into English, Hebrew, French, Italian, German, and Dutch. A language picker appears on first launch and your choice is remembered.
Right-to-left support. Hebrew renders correctly throughout — mirrored layout, right-aligned text, and proper handling of mixed Hebrew/Latin sentences.
Visual camera-position picker. Click a camera dot around a stylized monitor to tell Backstage where your webcam sits.
Live audio check. Mic and loopback level meters confirm your capture devices work before you finish setup.
Richer completion screen with a "what to do next" checklist and a keyboard-shortcut reference.

Provider picker shows up-to-date Gemini / OpenAI / Anthropic icons.
The wizard always opens at a readable size — no more clipped headers on smaller or high-DPI screens.
Profile fields, dropdowns, and the brand mark render cleanly across every color palette.

Numerous Hebrew/RTL layout issues: invisible labels, mis-aligned steps, a duplicated title band, and scrambled mixed-language sentences.
Audio-device dropdowns and radio buttons were invisible on the light theme — now styled consistently.
Clearer diagnostic logging for audio-capture failures.

Beta build. Local-first privacy is unchanged — your audio, screen, and transcripts never leave your machine.
Existing settings and API keys are preserved on upgrade.

May 11, 2026

Restored the correct Backstage logo (two curtains + teal center) on the installer wizard banner.

Account sign-in / sign-up wired into the onboarding flow for the invite-only private beta.

May 10, 2026

First public beta installer. Real-time interview co-pilot: speech-to-text, RAG knowledge base, streaming LLM answers, gaze coaching, and composure signals.