Apple up to date lots of its built-in apps in iOS 26, and Safari is likely one of the apps that has a number of notable adjustments. There is a new look, an up to date format, and a brand new characteristic set.
This information options the entire adjustments 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 tackle 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 every part is rounder.
Once you scroll down, the tab bar collapses down and also you simply see a small bar with the web site URL, so the complete 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 for those who favor 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 might be irritating for those who typically have to entry options just like the tab menu. There’s a again arrow, which splits into ahead and again arrow choices while you’re navigating by content material. Settings like Translate and Reader mode are nonetheless obtainable by tapping on the small icon subsequent to the URL.
The Prime and Backside views provide the identical setup that is obtainable in iOS 18, however with a brand new Liquid Glass look. Each bars are slimmed down, and not take up the complete width of the show.
Tab administration has been overhauled with the identical design adjustments. The “+” button to open a brand new tab remains to be situated on the left, and there is now a blue checkmark while you’re accomplished interacting with tabs. Within the middle 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 shortly swap between your tab teams. Altering profiles may be accomplished 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
Once you add an internet site to your House Display screen in iOS 26, it is going to all the time open as an internet app. Net apps have been supported on the House Display screen in earlier variations of iOS, however net builders wanted to configure them to function as net apps.
If web sites weren’t configured correctly, they might open in Safari when added to the House Display screen. Now an internet site will open as a devoted net app, even when it hasn’t been explicitly set as much as work that approach.
There may be an Open as Net App choice that may be toggled off when including an internet site to a House Display screen for those who favor that web sites open up in Safari.
Monitoring Prevention
Superior fingerprinting safety now extends to all looking by default, fairly than solely being turned on by default for personal net looking. 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 help 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, net 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 typically want to look at a number of completely different sizes.
WebGPU
Safari in iOS 26 consists of WebGPU, a characteristic that Apple has been testing in Safari Know-how Preview. WebGPU is much like WebGL, however it maps extra on to Steel and the underlying iPhone {hardware}. WebGPU is not a consumer going through characteristic that you’ll use immediately, however there might be advantages from it.
Net-based video games will have the ability to obtain larger 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 sooner whereas utilizing much less battery. WebGPU requires an iPhone 15 Professional or later.
Digital Credentials API
Apple added help for the W3C Digital Credentials API to Safari, which suggests an internet 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 data like date of start with out receiving pointless additional information, and clients can approve the information sharing with Face ID or Contact ID.
The primary web sites that may help 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 net APIs that may reveal gadget traits like display screen dimensions, chopping 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 for those who’re having hassle with a webpage. Within the Web page menu, Apple is including a “Report a Web site Concern” choice that allows you to share data with Apple to enhance Safari.
Launch Timing
iOS 26 is obtainable to builders proper now, and Apple plans to launch a public beta in July. After just a few months of testing, iOS 26 will launch alongside new iPhones in September.
Learn Extra
We have now a devoted iOS 26 roundup that goes into element on the entire new options which can be obtainable within the replace.
