Apple Releases New Big Sur and Catalina Safari 15.1 Betas for Developers With Restored Tab Design
Following in the footsteps of the macOS Monterey release candidate seeded earlier this week, Apple has released a fourth beta version of Safari 15.1 for macOS Big Sur and Catalina to developers that restores the previous tab design that was in place prior to Safari 15.

Safari 15.1 now features a standard Big Sur tab design, which is enabled by default and is labeled "Separate" in Safari preferences. For those who preferred the Safari 15 design rolled out last month, there is also a "Compact" option that merges the URL bar with the tab bar.
As with Safari in the macOS Monterey release candidate, the new Safari 15.1 beta also scales back on the option to have the Safari window chrome blend in with websites, moving the option to the Accessibility section of the Advanced page in Safari preferences and limiting it to only the Compact Tab Bar design.
With the public release of Safari 15.1 in macOS Monterey, Big Sur, and Catalina, Apple is scaling back on many of the design changes made in Safari 15, which was released for those macOS versions last month alongside iOS and iPadOS 15. Many users were unhappy with those design changes, so Apple will now be offering them as an option rather than the default or only layout.
Registered developers can download the new Safari 15.1 beta by logging in to Apple's developer downloads portal and then navigating to the More Downloads section. The latest version of macOS Big Sur or macOS Catalina is required to install the beta.
Related Stories
Apple has admitted defeat on the Safari design changes that have been present for the entire macOS Monterey beta, and the release candidate that was provided to developers today reverts to the old style that was available prior to Safari 15. Safari design in the macOS Monterey release candidate macOS Monterey now features a standard Big Sur tab design that does have the tabs with spaces in...
Apple today released macOS Monterey 12.2, the second major update to the macOS Monterey update that launched in October. macOS Monterey 12.2 comes over a month after the release of the 12.1 update, which brought SharePlay support.
The macOS Monterey 12.2 update can be downloaded on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences. Apple has also...
Apple today released Safari 15 for macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina devices, with Apple introducing support for features that are going to be coming in the macOS Monterey update set to be released later this year.
Safari 15 introduces a new look for Safari with rounded, more defined tabs and support for transparency, a compact tab bar option that can be toggled on or off, and Tab Groups....
Apple is continuing to refine the unpopular Safari design that it introduced in macOS Monterey, and the latest beta tweaks the position of the Favorites bar.
The design initially had Favorites located below the tab bar, a departure from the location in prior versions of macOS, including macOS Big Sur. With the tenth beta, Apple has relocated Favorites and put it back above the Tab bar where...
Apple today released macOS Big Sur 11.6.1, a minor update to the macOS Big Sur operating system that first came out in November 2020. macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 comes roughly six weeks after the launch of macOS Big Sur 11.6.
The new macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 update can be downloaded to all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences....
Apple today released macOS Big Sur 11.6.4, a security fix update that is designed for Mac users who continue to use the Big Sur operating system instead of macOS Monterey.
The macOS Big Sur 11.6.4 update can be downloaded on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences.
Today's update comes about two weeks after the launch of macOS Big Sur...
Apple today seeded a macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after the launch of macOS Big Sur 11.6.
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.
According to Apple's...
Apple on late Thursday seeded the first beta of Safari 15.1 for macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina to developers for testing. Safari 15.1 beta is also included in the eighth beta of macOS Monterey seeded earlier this week.
The release notes for the Safari 15.1 beta are largely recycled from the initial release of Safari 15, but in our own testing, the beta appears to fix an issue where...
Popular Stories
With the fifth beta of iOS 16, Apple has updated the battery icon on iPhones with Face ID to display the specific battery percentage rather than just a visual representation of battery level. The new battery indicator is available on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models, with the exception of the 5.4-inch iPhone 12/13 mini. It is also available on the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, XS and XS Max, and...
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models are rumored to be available in a refreshed range of color options, including an all-new purple color. Most expectations about the iPhone 14 lineup's color options come from an unverified post on Chinese social media site Weibo earlier this year.
Overall, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro's selection of color options could look fairly similar to those of the ...
Apple this week brought back one of the most highly requested features from iOS users since the launch of the iPhone X in 2017: the ability to see your battery percentage directly in the status bar.
Ever since the launch of the iPhone X with the notch, Apple has not allowed users to show their battery percentage directly in the status bar, forcing them to swipe down into Control Center to...
Apple today seeded the fifth beta of iOS 16 to developers for testing purposes, introducing some small but notable changes to the iOS operating system.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up everything new in the fifth beta below.
Battery Percentage in Status Bar
The battery icon in the status bar now displays the exact battery percent, a feature that ...
The camera bump on the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro Max is expected to be the largest rear lens housing Apple has ever installed on its flagship smartphones, and a new photo offers a rare glimpse at just how prominent it is compared to Apple's predecessor device.
iPhone 14 Pro Max dummy (left) vs iPhone 13 Pro Max All iPhone 14 models are expected to see upgrades to the Ultra Wide camera on the...
Apple has "started to record" its virtual September event, where it's expected to announce the upcoming iPhone 14 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 8, and a new "rugged" Apple Watch model, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says the event, which is expected to take place in the early part of September, is already under production, implying...
While the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 are expected to be announced in September as usual, there are several more Apple products rumored to launch later this year, including new iPad and Mac models and more.
Beyond the iPhone and Apple Watch, we've put together a list of five Apple products that are most likely to be unveiled by the end of 2022.
Second-Generation AirPods Pro
Apple...
Top Rated Comments
I do UX myself (part-time job let's say) and I don't know what they were thinking.
I was this close to switch to another browser. ??
I do UI/UX full-time and I don’t know what they were thinking.
Now I can upgrade with no remaining concerns. Sweet!
* Apple didn’t “license various things for Safari.” It was based on an open source browser called Konqueror.
* Contributing to Chromium changes nothing about WebKit. Contribute to WebKit instead.
* Changes to WebKit affect only the engine, not the Safari UI.
Have been liking the color thing, but would rather have tabs that look functionally correct instead.
Thank you for listening to and acting on the feedback Apple.