Safari Browser to Get UI Overhaul and New Features Including Tab Groups

For its new mobile and desktop OSes, Apple is redesigning the Safari browser user interface to be more compact and allow for better organization of multiple open tabs, specifically with a new feature called Tab Groups.

safari ios15
Tab Groups aim to offer a new way to easily save and manage related tabs, such as those used when planning trips or shopping, or groups can be used to store the tabs you visit daily.

In addition, a new tab design on macOS puts your active tabs front and center, allowing you to see more of the page as you scroll. At the same time, the new tab bar takes on the color of the webpage and combines tabs, the tool bar, and the search field into a single compact appearance.

On iPad, the new tabs design and tab groups work just like on Mac, with instant syncing across devices. On iPhone, the new tab bar appears at the bottom under your thumb with a tap, and it's possible to swipe between them, or swipe up into a grid view.

Meanwhile new extensions for ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ also add to the native functionality of Apple's web browser, with shared code with existing Safari Web Extensions to make it easier for developers to create new ones.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2024

Top Rated Comments

d5aqoëp Avatar
38 months ago
UI copied from Firefox 89.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Frobozz Avatar
38 months ago
My first reaction to blending the tab and address bar UI into the web page is that Apple has introduced a new set of usability problems. This will look great on idealized websites and either bad and/or will be abused intentionally by others. There is a good reason to set expectations that application UI is separated from content UI. They have different functions.

I could be wrong. I haven’t used it yet. I’ve just seen this pattern repeat at Apple over the years where they flatten or remove UI which introduces usability problems, only to re-introduce it later.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostface147 Avatar
38 months ago
Still won’t allow ublock origin.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
38 months ago
Very excited for extensions coming to iOS but that tab bar looks like it came from ie9 with the address bar and tabs on the same line.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ferc Kast Avatar
38 months ago

UI copied from Firefox 89.
Because clearly Apple couldn't have working on this for a while instead just scrambling to put this together during this last week after Mozilla redid their browser. :rolleyes:
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
munpip214 Avatar
38 months ago

Power users are going to love this, but I can see this confusing so many people
Exactly! My family is going to get lost. Hate having to re-teach them how to use their devices every year. They are still getting used to having the address bar also do search. Half of the time they go to google.com then do a search
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store [Updated]

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, GameCube, Wii,...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
apple vision pro orange

Apple Vision Pro Customer Interest Dying Down at Some Retail Stores

Monday April 22, 2024 2:12 am PDT by
Apple Vision Pro, Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On...
top stories 20apr2024

Top Stories: Nintendo Emulators on App Store, Two New iOS 17 Features, and More

Saturday April 20, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
It was a big week for retro gaming fans, as iPhone users are starting to reap the rewards of Apple's recent change to allow retro game emulators on the App Store. This week also saw a new iOS 17.5 beta that will support web-based app distribution in the EU, the debut of the first hotels to allow for direct AirPlay streaming to room TVs, a fresh rumor about the impending iPad Air update, and...