Pidgin 3.0 Alpha 3 2.97.0 has been released

We are delighted to announce the release of the third alpha version of Pidgin 3.0, officially designated as 2.97.0. This release will continue to follow this pattern until the final 3.0.0 version is deemed ready for end-users. The updated version can be found on SourceForge and at the new CDN location fastly.imfreedom.org. It will soon also be available on Flathub Beta.

Users who prefer not to use the Flathub Beta method can still follow the build instructions provided in the README.md file for creating a Flatpak locally or installing it into a Meson devenv. It is crucial to note that this release is not intended for end-users, as it lacks many user-facing features and is riddled with bugs. Packagers are advised not to distribute this version to their users at this time, as handling potential support requests would be overwhelming.

Several key enhancements have been made in this cycle. First, Hylke Bons has provided a new set of presence/status icons for the contact list. Additionally, disconnected accounts will now automatically attempt to reconnect at a one-minute interval, which is expected to be improved in the future. Notably, the PurpleHistory class has been created to represent messages in a conversation, allowing protocols to access and add messages through the Purple.Conversation:history property.

Plugins have been moved to a separate dialog, and the Zulip protocol plugin has had its "in-development" tag removed, making it available by default when creating a new account. Alpha 4 is set for release on 2026-10-29 and will bear the version number 2.98.0. The development team plans to transition from quarterly to monthly releases as they approach the final 3.0.0 version, with release dates now scheduled for the last Thursday of each month.