There a lot of exciting new features coming to Safari with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Safari is the browser of choice for many iOS users, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s pre-installed and offers excellent performance. Since Safari is used by millions of iPhone and iPad users worldwide, any improvements to the browser are always welcome. Below is a look at all the new features that Apple is bringing to Safari with iOS 15.
If you use your iPhone or iPad to browse heavily using Safari, you will love the new changes coming to the browser later this year. In this article, we’ll check out all the cool new upgrades coming to Safari in iOS 15.
New Safari Features in iOS 15
1. Brand New Design
Safari gets a new look that makes it easier to reach controls with one hand and puts content in the center. The new tab bar is small and light, floats at the bottom of the display, and allows users to switch between tabs easily. Many websites will allow you to reload the page by dragging it down from the top.
2. Tab Groups
Tab Groups will allow users to save tabs and easily access them from any iPhone, iPad, or Mac device. Swipe left and right on the Tab Bar to easily switch between open Safari windows. If you only have one Safari page open and swipe from right to left on the Tab Bar, you’ll open a new Start Page.
3, Customize Background Image
iOS 15 will allow users to add background images to the start page, making for a more personalized browsing experience.
4. Extensions Support
Support for extensions is another useful addition to Safari for iPadOS 15. This means you will be able to use the same extensions in Safari on your iPad or iPhone that you use on your Mac. Developers will most likely begin to build early support for this over the summer.
5. Pull to Refresh Gesture
Apple is adding a new pull-to-refresh gesture to Safari in iOS 15. As the name suggests, the feature will make it easy to refresh a page by simply pulling it down. The gesture works well with redesigned Safari interface in iOS 15 and helps with one-handed usage.
6. Secure Browsing
According to Apple, in iOS 15, Safari will automatically upgrade sites to support HTTPS from insecure HTTP. That’s a huge plus on the security side for many users, but there’s more.
7. iCloud Relay
This new iOS 15 feature will be available as a part of iCloud+ for all iCloud users who pay for storage. Apple will relay all your browsing requests through its own servers, where they are stripped of your IP address, location, etc. so that your ISP cannot profile you based on your browsing habits.
8. Split View and Shelf for Safari in iPadOS 15
iPadOS 15 will also come with a new multitasking menu that will help you stay on top of multiple tasks simultaneously. From the menu, you can choose to Split View or Slide Over between apps. In Split View, you can work on two apps side by side. So, you can browse the web using Safari while keeping an eye on your emails, for example. Slide Over moves an open app to the side of the screen and redirects you to the home screen to choose a new app for Split View.
Also, iOS 15 will bring a new Shelf feature to Safari and iOS generally. Shelf saves all open windows of an app in Split View to a tab at the bottom of the screen. If you’re used to having many Safari tabs open, this feature will come in very handy. In iPadOS 14, swapping open Split View apps requires an awkward swipe up to clear the screen and show the other apps; this new layout allows you to keep the apps open while browsing.
9. Quick Notes in Safari in iPadOS 15
iOS 15 will usher in a new way to take quick notes on the go, with a feature named after its purpose, Quick Note. You can open a new note from any app by swiping up from the screen’s bottom-left corner. In Safari, new Quick Notes automatically suggest adding the URL of the current page to the note. Tap the link to add it to your Quick Note. Whenever you revisit a website on which you made a Quick Note, you’ll get a nudge from the side of the screen to remind you of what you jotted down the last time you visited the site.
Quick Note may be the coolest multitasking addition to iPadOS 15, but if you have a different favorite, let’s hash it out in the comments section.
Staying connected to information is difficult, if not impossible, without the internet. With Safari upgrades and more iOS 15 features to look out for, Apple promises a seamless experience when you’re discovering content online.
