# A faster front door, and smoother updates

The first thing you see of Alfred Scholar - the sign-in page - is now one of the fastest parts of it. The painted study scene that welcomes you arrives almost instantly, and the page settles into place with one calm, choreographed entrance instead of popping in all at once.

## What changed

- The sign-in, registration, and password pages load dramatically faster: the artwork now travels at a fraction of its old size, and phones skip downloading anything they cannot show.
- The page greets you in sequence - the scene, the headline with its hand-drawn underline, then the form - like a desk being laid out for you.
- Moving between sign in, create account, and forgot password now flows in place: the painting holds still while just the form changes, in browsers that support it.
- Choosing a password feels more rewarding: a thin ink line fills as your password meets each requirement, and every satisfied rule pops in with a small check.
- When we publish an update while you are working, Alfred Scholar now notices reliably and offers a single, gentle reload that always lands you on the newest version.
- If you ever open the app mid-update, the "something new is ready" screen now looks like Alfred Scholar - warm paper, a calm note, one button - instead of a plain error page.

## What stays the same

Sign-in itself is unchanged: same accounts, same passkeys, same two-factor codes. If your device asks for reduced motion, every page appears instantly with no animation at all.