diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 06643ae..782f3fb 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,6 +1,49 @@
+Calls 44.0
+---------------
+Released: 17 March 2023
+
+New features:
+=============
+* Sort favourite contacts at the top
+* Support for emergency calls in "dummy" provider
+
+Maybe noteworthy:
+=================
+* Fixed a couple of memory leaks
+* Higher code coverage
+* Disable call waiting
+
+Code contributions:
+===================
+ - Dark Dragon
+ - Evangelos Ribeiro Tzaras
+ - Guido Günther
+ - Дилян Палаузов
+
+Translation updates:
+====================
+ - Hindi (Hemish)
+ - Lithuanian (Aurimas Černius)
+ - Slovenian (Martin)
+ - Czech (Daniel Rusek)
+ - German (Jürgen Benvenuti)
+ - Greek, Modern (Efstathios Iosifidis)
+ - Galician (Fran Dieguez)
+ - Serbian (Марко Костић)
+ - Persian (Danial Behzadi)
+ - Occitan (Quentin PAGÈS)
+ - Spanish (Daniel)
+ - Vietnamese (Ngọc Quân Trần)
+ - Korean (Changwoo Ryu)
+ - French (Alan Paris)
+ - Danish (Alan Mortensen)
+ - Bulgarian (Alexander Shopov)
+
+The detailed changes can be found in debian/changelog
+
 Calls 44.alpha.1
 ----------------
-Released: 12 January 2022
+Released: 12 January 2023
 
 New features:
 =============
@@ -465,7 +508,7 @@ Released: 14. August 2021
   - Placing and receiving VoIP calls is now possible from the dial pad
 
 Known Issues/Limitations:
- - If you have multiple active network interfaces funkyness may ensue and 
+ - If you have multiple active network interfaces funkyness may ensue and
    you SIP messages are being sucked into a black hole of sorts
  - If things go wrong with a VoIP call for example because your network is down
    more funkyness may ensue
diff --git a/data/org.gnome.Calls.metainfo.xml b/data/org.gnome.Calls.metainfo.xml
index c4d2a14..12ea912 100644
--- a/data/org.gnome.Calls.metainfo.xml
+++ b/data/org.gnome.Calls.metainfo.xml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
     <project_license>GPL-3.0-or-later</project_license>
     <name>Calls</name>
     <summary>Make phone and SIP calls</summary>
-    
+
     <description>
       <p>Calls is a simple, elegant phone dialer and call handler for GNOME.
       It can be used with a cellular modem for plain old telephone
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
     <url type="homepage">https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/calls</url>
     <url type="bugtracker">https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/calls/issues</url>
     <url type="translate">https://l10n.gnome.org/module/calls/</url>
-    
+
     <project_group>GNOME</project_group>
     <launchable type="desktop-id">org.gnome.Calls.desktop</launchable>
     <translation type="gettext">calls</translation>
@@ -62,6 +62,22 @@
     <content_rating type="oars-1.1"/>
 
     <releases>
+      <release version="44.0" date="2023-03-17">
+        <description>
+          <p>
+            The Calls 44.0 release does not bring any new major features,
+            but instead fixes a number of papercuts and comes with the
+            usual round of translation updates
+          </p>
+          <ul>
+            <li>Call waiting is disabled for cellular modems as it is not implemented yet and can lead to audio breaking for ongoing calls</li>
+            <li>Fixed choosing weakest cipher instead of strongest in SRTP</li>
+            <li>Favourite contacts are now sorted at the top of the contact list</li>
+            <li>Emergency calls in the "dummy" provider</li>
+            <li>Updated translations</li>
+          </ul>
+        </description>
+      </release>
       <release version="43.0" date="2022-09-19">
         <description>
           <p>
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index aa5bfcf..45ca7b0 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-gnome-calls (44~beta.0) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
+gnome-calls (44.0) byzantium; urgency=medium
 
   [ Hemish ]
   * Add Hindi translation
@@ -14,11 +14,131 @@ gnome-calls (44~beta.0) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
   * tests: Add DBus server binary
   * tests: Add skeleton DBus API client test suite
   * test-dbus: Test basic call interaction
+  * contacts-provider: Codestyle
+  * contacts-provider: Use STR_IS_NULL_OR_EMPTY macro
+  * contacts-row: Use g_autoptr
+  * notifier: Add explicit include
+  * manager: Add explicit include
+  * dbus-manager: Add explicit include
+  * new-call-box: Add explicit include
+  * provider: Remove unused include
+  * origin: Remove unused include
+  * build: Rename util.{c,h} to calls-util.{c,h}
+  * gcovr: Exclude src/gtklistmodels
+  * README: Fix typo
+  * HACKING: Update and clarify
+  * sip-provider: Sort includes
+  * sip-provider: Use STR_IS_NULL_OR_EMPTY macro
+  * best-match: Add API to query if individual is a favourite
+  * contacts-box: Show favourites at the top (Closes: #493)
+  * record-store: Don't crash on unexpected call state changes (Closes: #547)
+  * flatpak: Adjust to libphonenumber tarball magically changing
+  * flatpak: Adjust to sofia-sip tarball magically changing
+  * Revert "flatpak: Adjust to libphonenumber tarball magically changing"
+  * Revert "flatpak: Adjust to sofia-sip tarball magically changing"
+  * mm-call: Codestyle
+  * mm-call: Guard public API
+  * mm-origin: Codestyle
+  * mm-origin: Chain up to to parent's constructed() early
+  * mm-origin: Explicitly cast ussd state
+  * mm-origin: Prefer STR_IS_NULL_OR_EMPTY macro to explicit checks
+  * mm-origin: Prefer g_autoptr instead of explicit reference counting
+  * mm-origin: Avoid unnecessary allocation
+  * mm-origin: Don't leak MMModemVoice
+  * mm-origin: Don't leak MMModem
+  * mm-origin: Don't leak ID
+  * mm-origin: Remove unnecessary cast
+  * mm-origin: Ensure objects stay alive during async operations
+  * mm-origin: Disable call waiting
+  * new-call-box: Uncrustify
+  * record-store: Fix coding style
+  * application: Coding style
+  * application: Only destroy previously created widgets
+  * application: Shut down cleanly when application quits
+  * application: Guard against setting application name twice
+  * record-store: Ensure store stays alive during async tasks
+  * new-call-box: Respect object lifecycle for signals
+  * main-window: Respect object lifecycle for signals
+  * call-window: Respect object lifecycle for signals
+  * application: Respect object lifecycle for signals
+  * account-overview: Respect object lifecycle for signals
+  * d/control: Add svg pixbufloader
+  * debian: Ran wrap-and-sort -ast
+  * ci: Update debian image
+  * record-store: Allow overriding database location
+  * tests: Prevent tests from accessing user home
+  * record-store: Emit signal once DB is migrated
+  * application: Delay shutting down until database is done
+  * tests: Add application shutdown tests
+  * sip-provider: Use STR_IS_NULL_OR_EMPTY macro
+  * sip-provider: Remove duplicated check
+  * tests: Don't override XDG_CONFIG_HOME
 
   [ Dark Dragon ]
   * flatpak: Update evolution-data-server to 3.47.1
 
- -- Evangelos Ribeiro Tzaras <devrtz-debian@fortysixandtwo.eu>  Sun, 22 Jan 2023 07:34:33 +0100
+  [ Aurimas Černius ]
+  * Added Lithuanian translation
+
+  [ Martin ]
+  * Update Slovenian translation
+
+  [ Daniel Rusek ]
+  * Update Czech translation
+
+  [ Jürgen Benvenuti ]
+  * Update German translation
+
+  [ Efstathios Iosifidis ]
+  * Update Greek translation
+
+  [ Fran Dieguez ]
+  * Update Galician translation
+
+  [ Guido Günther ]
+  * tests/dbus: Switch to g_test_init
+  * dbus: Add initial interface for emergency calls
+  * Add emergency-call manager to interface with DBus
+  * dbus-manager: Use emergency-call manager
+  * origin: Add interface to get emergency numbers
+  * dummy: Support getting emergency call numbers
+  * emergency-calls-manager: Query origins for numbers
+  * sip: Implement empty emegency call property
+  * mm: Implement empty emegency call property
+  * tests/dbus: Check for error early
+  * tests: Add emergency call DBus test
+
+  [ Дилян Палаузов ]
+  * SIP:calls_sdp_crypto_context_generate_answer() accept the first supporetd a=crypto: line
+
+  [ Марко Костић ]
+  * Update Serbian translation
+
+  [ Danial Behzadi ]
+  * Update Persian translation
+
+  [ Quentin PAGÈS ]
+  * Update Occitan translation
+
+  [ Daniel ]
+  * Updated Spanish translation
+
+  [ Ngọc Quân Trần ]
+  * Add Vietnamese translation
+
+  [ Changwoo Ryu ]
+  * Add Korean translation
+
+  [ Alan Paris ]
+  * Update French translation
+
+  [ Alan Mortensen ]
+  * Update Danish translation
+
+  [ Alexander Shopov ]
+  * Add Bulgarian translation
+
+ -- Evangelos Ribeiro Tzaras <devrtz-debian@fortysixandtwo.eu>  Fri, 17 Mar 2023 09:49:46 +0100
 
 gnome-calls (44~alpha.1) byzantium; urgency=medium
 
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 1046cb4..42fae2f 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 project(
   'calls',
   'c', 'vala',
-  version: '44.beta.0',
+  version: '44.0',
   license: 'GPLv3+',
   meson_version: '>= 0.56.0',
   default_options: [