Apple Polishes Up Confusing New Safari Browser Design In iOS 15 Beta 3
Image via Apple
Following some controversy around the newest iOS 15 updates, especially regarding Safari, Apple has just released its third beta with new tweaks and improvements based on feedback thus far. This includes features to do with the App Store, the new Focus setting, minor adjustments to the Apple Music widget, shortcuts, and, of course, Safari.
The most major update comes to Safari, which was previously redesigned in three areas: a new start page, new tab groups, and the bottom tab bar.
Users, however, were especially irked by the streamlined address bar that had fewer buttons, making go-to actions—like saving articles into their ‘Reading List’—harder to access as they were hidden under ‘More Options’.
The start screen now displays a ‘Shared with You’ section, compiling links that have been shared via iMessage, alongside a privacy report and users’ individual reading lists. Tabs are sorted and display differently too, taking on a tiled appearance and introducing tab groups instead of the usual ‘flip-through’ mechanism.
But the most noticeable change is perhaps the bottom tab bar, which combines the website’s name with a ‘More’ menu and a cluster of tabs currently open. It also floats to the bottom of the screen, allowing the website to load more fully. The ‘Reload’ button now pops up when you long-press the new address bar.
Alongside this, Apple has also fixed a myriad of issues that arose with previous versions of the beta, which are detailed in its release notes.
However, iPad users running the third beta iPadOS 15, which was released for developers, still report no noticeable change to Safari on their devices.
Both iOS15 and iPadOS 15 are scheduled to be widely rolled out this fall, which isn’t too far away. However, if you want to try out the new Safari for yourself before then, the beta version is available to download through Apple’s beta program.
As expected, Apple is continuing to tweak the design of Safari in iOS 15.
— Federico Viticci (@viticci) July 14, 2021
In beta 3, the address bar is now docked above the keyboard. There is a new search UI and support for quick website searches too. Getting better! pic.twitter.com/Tm562Djr0i
Reload has been added as an option when long-pressing the floating tab bar. The bar is also more compact and displays info for Safari Reader and extensions. pic.twitter.com/Lsk2pl0byq
— Federico Viticci (@viticci) July 14, 2021
[via MacRumors, image via Apple]
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