Apple up to date lots of its built-in apps in iOS 26, and Safari is among the apps that has a number of notable modifications. There is a new look, an up to date structure, and a brand new characteristic set.
This information options the entire modifications you possibly can anticipate to see in Safari when iOS 26 launches to the general public this fall.
Liquid Glass Design
Safari adopts the identical Liquid Glass design as the remainder of Apple’s apps, and you may primarily see it within the handle bar, tab view, and buttons.
The buttons and tab bar have the Liquid Glass translucent look, and extra of the background of every web site is seen beneath them. The tab bar is extra compact and it takes up much less house, and the whole lot is rounder.
While you scroll down, the tab bar collapses down and also you simply see a small bar with the web site URL, so the whole focus is on the web site content material. Scrolling again up returns the tab bar to its full measurement.
Up to date Format
There’s a new compact design choice in iOS 26, however Apple left the choice to make use of the earlier Prime and Backside tab view layouts should you desire these. Format choices can be found within the Safari part of the Settings app.
Compact tucks away the share, bookmark, and tab choices behind the three-dot button on the left of the tab bar. It is a cleaner look, however it could be irritating should you usually must entry options just like the tab menu. There’s a again arrow, which splits into ahead and again arrow choices whenever you’re navigating via content material. Settings like Translate and Reader mode are nonetheless accessible by tapping on the small icon subsequent to the URL.
The Prime and Backside views provide the identical setup that is accessible in iOS 18, however with a brand new Liquid Glass look. Each bars are slimmed down, and now not take up the total width of the show.
Tab administration has been overhauled with the identical design modifications. The “+” button to open a brand new tab remains to be situated on the left, and there is now a blue checkmark whenever you’re performed interacting with tabs. Within the heart of the tab view, there is a slider bar that reveals your present variety of open tabs within the tab group that you just’re in.
Swiping from left to proper lets you rapidly swap between your tab teams. Altering profiles may be performed with a dropdown menu on the prime of the show, and different tab administration instruments can be found by tapping on the “···” icon.
Net Apps
While you add a web site to your Dwelling Display in iOS 26, it can at all times open as an online app. Net apps have been supported on the Dwelling Display in earlier variations of iOS, however internet builders wanted to configure them to function as internet apps.
If web sites weren’t configured correctly, they might open in Safari when added to the Dwelling Display. Now a web site will open as a devoted internet app, even when it hasn’t been explicitly set as much as work that method.
There may be an Open as Net App choice that may be toggled off when including a web site to a Dwelling Display should you desire that web sites open up in Safari.
Monitoring Prevention
Superior fingerprinting safety now extends to all searching by default, relatively than solely being turned on by default for personal internet searching. Apple’s fingerprinting safety options are supposed to hold web sites from monitoring your gadget utilization throughout web sites.
HDR Photos
iOS 26 provides HDR picture assist to Safari. HDR pictures have a wider dynamic vary for brighter whites and deeper blacks, together with improved coloration gamut. P3 HDR pictures will now seem as meant in Safari on iPhones with XDR shows.
SVG Icons
Safari helps the SVG file format for icons wherever icons seem within the interface, together with the beginning web page, internet apps, Safari tabs, menus, and extra.
SVGs are superior to PNGs as a result of they are often scaled up with no lack of high quality, and in Safari, icons usually want to look at a number of completely different sizes.
WebGPU
Safari in iOS 26 contains WebGPU, a characteristic that Apple has been testing in Safari Know-how Preview. WebGPU is just like WebGL, but it surely maps extra on to Steel and the underlying iPhone {hardware}. WebGPU is not a person going through characteristic that you can use straight, however there will probably be advantages from it.
Net-based video games will be capable to obtain greater body charges and higher results with decrease CPU load, plus photograph editors, 3D modeling websites, CAD viewers, and web sites that do on-device ML ought to run quicker whereas utilizing much less battery. WebGPU requires an iPhone 15 Professional or later.
Digital Credentials API
Apple added assist for the W3C Digital Credentials API to Safari, which suggests a web site is ready to request identification paperwork like a driver’s license from Apple Pockets for personal and safe identification and age verification.
The Confirm with Pockets on the Net characteristic in iOS 26 makes use of the Digital Credentials API and takes benefit of biometric authentication. Web sites can ask clients for info like date of beginning with out receiving pointless further knowledge, and clients can approve the information sharing with Face ID or Contact ID.
The primary web sites that may assist the Confirm with Pockets on the Net characteristic embrace Chime, Turo, Uber Eats, and U.S. Financial institution.
Privateness Enhancements
The iOS 26 model of Safari prevents recognized fingerprinting scripts from accessing internet APIs that may reveal gadget traits like display dimensions, slicing down on the ways in which advertisers can observe you throughout web sites. These scripts are additionally blocked from setting long-lived storage like cookies, and from studying question parameters that could possibly be used for navigational monitoring.
Reporting Web site Compatibility Points
A brand new characteristic helps you to report a difficulty should you’re having bother with a webpage. Within the Web page menu, Apple is including a “Report a Web site Subject” choice that permits you to share info with Apple to enhance Safari.
Launch Timing
iOS 26 is on the market to builders proper now, and Apple plans to launch a public beta in July. After a number of months of testing, iOS 26 will launch alongside new iPhones in September.
Learn Extra
We now have a devoted iOS 26 roundup that goes into element on the entire new options which can be accessible within the replace.
