Apple Releases Safari 12 for macOS Sierra and macOS High Sierra

Monday September 17, 2018 12:05 PM PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released Safari 12 for macOS Sierra and High Sierra, introducing the same Safari improvements that are coming to macOS Mojave in the Safari 12 software bundled with that update.

Safari 12 is recommended for all macOS High Sierra users and can be downloaded from the Software Update function in the Mac App Store.

Safari 12 brings support for creating and storing strong, unique passwords, flagging reused passwords in Safari Preferences, preventing social media buttons and embedded content from tracking you across websites, and suppressing ad retargeting by limiting the amount of information available about your Mac.

Apple's full release notes for the update are below:
The Safari 12 update is recommended for all macOS High Sierra users and contains improvements to privacy, compatibility, and security. This update:
  • Adds the ability to view website icons in tabs
  • Automatically suggests and fills a strong, unique password when creating an account or changing a password
  • Flags reused passwords in Safari Preferences
  • Adds support for allowing or blocking pop-ups on specific websites
  • Prevents embedded content and social media buttons from tracking cross-site browsing without permission.
  • Suppresses ad retargeting by reducing advertisers' ability to identify Mac devices uniquely
  • Automatically turns off Safari extensions that negatively impact browsing performance
  • Improves security by only supporting legacy Safari Extensions that have been reviewed by Apple
  • Improves security by discontinuing support for most NPAPI plug-ins
The update also includes several fixes for security vulnerabilities, outlined in an Apple support document on the security content of Safari 12.

macOS Mojave with Safari 12 built in will be released to the public on Monday, September 24.

Tag: Safari
120 comments


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StellarVixen
4 weeks ago
Favicons are disabled by default. Go to the Preferences --> Tabs and check Show Website Icons in tabs.

uBlock Origin and Ghostery got disabled, and I got the dialogue window that they are now in the App Store, like all other extensions. However, this is not true. There is high chance you are not gonna find the extension you need on the App Store.

Going to Safari Extensions also takes you to the App Store, so you cannot enable your old extensions from there. To make your old extensions work, what you need to do is go to the Preferences --> Extensions, and enable your extensions from there.

I got the first taste of this in Safari Tech Preview, so I knew this was coming.
Rating: 15 Votes
Avatar
StellarVixen
4 weeks ago
Well, then you have to get your hands dirty. :)

Download the extension, change the file extension from .safariextz to zip. Extract files.

Click "Show Extension Builder" in Develop menu. On the lower left corner there is a plus button. Click it. Then choose the "Add Extension".

When you get asked to, open the folder where the extracted files of your extension are. Then click "Run" in the upper right corner of Extension Builder.

Done. Now your extension shall be working like a charm.
Rating: 6 Votes
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zorinlynx
4 weeks ago

Can Apple decide on how its updates come???

So we don't get macOS Mohave today but we get Safari 12? And why are these separate?
[doublepost=1537213530][/doublepost]
A version of uBlock is on the App Store, not sure about the developer, as it's based on open source code.


Apple has always released separate Safari updates. The main reason is for people running High Sierra on Macs that don't support Mojave. The browser is a frequent target for exploits and it's important to keep it up to date.

I for one love that Apple does this. It shows they care about people using previous versions of MacOS rather than just saying UPGRADE ALL THE THINGS RIGHT AWAY!!!
Rating: 5 Votes
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Elmo1938
4 weeks ago
tried to update. gotyhis message

“Safari” cannot be updated because its extensions are in use by “Spotlight”. Click OK and quit the application.

I did quit Safari but it seems to want more!

Rating: 5 Votes
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Weaselboy
4 weeks ago

Going to Safari Extensions also takes you to the App Store. To make your old extensions work, what you need to do is go to the Preferences --> Extensions, and enable your extensions from there.

That does not work for me. My old, non-compliant extensions are gone from that pane and when I redownload and try to install them, I get this. Clicking OK just closes the popup.

Am I missing something?



Rating: 3 Votes
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fmalloy
4 weeks ago

Breaks Zotero, which is an online reference management system. Zotero say that they will (cannot?) comply with the requirements Apple puts into Safari and therefore recommend that everyone that uses Zotero moves away from Safari to FireFox or Chrome.

Well done Apple.

The hubris of Apple is unbelievable. To completely eliminate plug-ins and extensions, and just expect/demand everyone to comply is disgusting. Truly the 900lb gorilla.

I wish someone would come along and completely change the WiFi standard, Bluetooth standard, and LTE protocols and just tell Apple to "deal with it".
Rating: 3 Votes
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BlazednSleepy
4 weeks ago
Safari feels...............................happier.
Rating: 3 Votes
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weup togo
4 weeks ago


uBlock Origin and Ghostery got disabled, and I got the dialogue window that they are now in the App Store, like all other extensions. However, this is not true. There is high chance you are not gonna find the extension you need on the App Store.


This also breaks JSBlocker, which is the only tool I'm aware of that prevents canvas fingerprinting. Killing these invaluable privacy protections makes this new Safari much worse for anyone who was already taking steps to protect themselves. Shame on Apple.
Rating: 3 Votes
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dan9700
4 weeks ago
interesting I thought this was gonna be for 10.14 Mojave
Rating: 2 Votes
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fmalloy
4 weeks ago

* Improves security by discontinuing support for most NPAPI plug-ins

Security is so tight now that Apple will no longer even let me view my own security IP camera because the web page viewer relies on an H.264 plug-in that is now suddenly unsupported. Gee, thanks for looking after me!

I guess Apple is being the ultimate helicopter parent - telling you what you can and can't view.

Pretty soon Safari will be locked down so tight that you won't be able to access any web site except store.apple.com.

But it's for YOUR protection.
Rating: 2 Votes
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