With the release of every new iteration of iOS, Apple makes sure to add a bunch of features to Safari. Pretty much on the expected line, the stock browser has gotten better, smarter, and more equipped to shield your security and privacy with the introduction of iOS 17. Not to mention, the browser has also amped up the customization game for a more personalized experience. If were wondering what are the best new Safari features in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, you have arrived at the right post.
Quick Look at Best New Safari Features in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17
From letting you shield your tabs with Face ID, pause the irritating GIFs, faster and more appropriate search recommendations, Apple Safari seems to be fully decked up to enhance your web browsing.
1. Create Safari Profiles
What better way to kickstart this article than talk about Safari profiles? With custom Safari profiles, you never have to worry about your personal browsing history being messed up with your professional one or vice versa.
Aside from keeping everything including your history, bookmarks, and favorites in place, profiles ensure you have complete control over your data, which plays a vital role in offering a more personalized browsing experience. At any time, you may want to wipe out the entire traces at once, you can delete an entire profile in one stroke.
- To get going, open the Settings app on your device -> Safari -> New Profile -> give your profile a suitable name and customize it to your liking.
To find out more, watch this video:
2. Automatically Pause GIFs in Safari
While there is no doubt that GIFs are fun-loving, at times, they seem to be nothing but a nuisance. Especially when you are into something serious.
For folks who prefer to have a distraction-free browsing experience, the ability to stop GIFs from playing automatically is a welcome addition. Though this might seem to be a tiny feature, it can not only help ward off distractions but also speed up your browsing experience by enabling web pages to load a little faster. Moreover, it can also save precious juice on your device and even cut down the unnecessary data usage.
Notably, auto-pausing GIFs on the web and apps have been added as an Accessibility feature, which could be a super handy asset for people who have vision issues or prefer to avoid animated images.
- Head over to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad -> Accessibility -> Motion -> turn off the toggle next to Animated Images.
3. More Accurate Search Recommendations
In terms of search recommendations, Safari has been a bit below par. However, come iOS 17 and you would see a marked improvement on this front! In the latest iteration of iOS, Safari will show more relevant, easier-to-understand suggestions and speedier responses to your queries. Although Chrome is considered to be way ahead of the curve in this aspect, it would be great to take both these titans for a direct face-off on the search recommendations front.
4. In Private Mode, Remove Trackers From Webpage URLs
While Safari in earlier iterations of iOS could block trackers in the private browsing mode, certain websites could circumvent this by embedding a tracker in the URL to the page you are viewing. Interestingly, Apple has discovered a way to prevent websites from exploiting this loophole. For a change, the private browsing mode in Safari can now immediately delete any URL tracking elements.
Many advertisers include tracking tags at the end of a website’s URL in order to track and identify the traffic source to their site, mostly in order to target users with customized adverts or to ascertain which source is bringing in the most visitors.
In spite of the fact that it might appear harmless, this compromises your privacy and makes it possible for someone to observe your online behavior without your awareness. Therefore, so long as you are using Safari and surfing in private mode, you shouldn’t bother about the insidious trackers.
5. Lock Private Tabs with Face ID/Touch ID
This would definitely be your favorite new feature added to Safari on iOS 17 if you enjoy privacy and are a sneaky lurker. Starting with iOS 17, you can automatically lock Safari’s private browsing mode with Face ID or Touch ID depending on the biometric authentication supported by your device.
Aside from allowing you to browse the web with enhanced privacy, it will prevent unauthorized access. So, you can rest assured that no one will be able to bump into your private tabs without your permission.
- To get the most out of this privacy feature, navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone -> Safari and then turn on the switch next to Require Face ID/Touch ID to Unlock Private Browsing.
6. Enable Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection
When enabled, the advanced tracking and fingerprinting protection stop websites from tracking or identifying your iPhone/iPad using advanced technologies. Although it does come at the cost of a more personalized browsing experience, it’s worth having at the disposal for an extra layer of safeguard to your personal information.
- Head over to the Settings app on your device > Safari -> Advanced -> Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection -> Select Private Browsing or All Browsing.
7. While Uploading Photos and Videos, Remove the Metadata
Your captured image or video contains plenty of your personal information including the device name, location, camera settings, and more. When you upload your images to a website, your personal information also gets uploaded to the website. For folks who are privacy-conscious, this is a big deal.
From now on, while uploading an image to a website from your Photos app, you can decide what information you wish to share and choose to hide details like location and caption. Additionally, you also get the option to select the desired image format.
8. AutoFill Mail-Received Verification Codes
Thanks to the seamless AutoFill feature, Apple Messages makes authentication through verification codes a pretty seamless affair. Whether due to security concerns or convenience or flexibility, certain websites send verification codes to the registered email. In this case, you have to take the old-fashioned, tedious way of verification. No longer!
In the latest iteration of iOS, Safari will now be able to automatically fill out any verification codes received in the Mail app, thereby removing the need for you to jump between applications and manually copy and paste the code.
Since the OS can now automatically wipe out the expired verification codes in Messages and Mail, you don’t have to worry about the clutter either.
9. Clear Safari Browsing History of Specific Duration
Other browsers like Chrome and Firefox have had the functionality to remove the browsing history of a particular duration like the last hour or today but Safari lacked this feature. No more! Based on your needs, you can now clean up the Safari browsing history of the last hour, today, today, and yesterday or all time.
- Go to the Settings app on your iPhone/iPad -> Safari -> Clear History and Website Data -> choose the specific duration -> Clear History and confirm the action.
10. Clear Safari Browsing History of Specific Profiles
If you have created multiple profiles to manage your personal and professional lives, you would be glad to know that Safari lets you clean up the browsing history of a particular profile. This is exactly what you need to get into the weeds and manage the history at your own will.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone/iPad -> Safari -> Clear History and Website Data -> Choose the desired duration -> Select the preferred profile which history you want to get rid of -> Clear History.
11. Close All Open Tabs While Clearing Safari History
Unlike before, you can close all Safari tabs while cleaning up the browsing history. Save this neat feature for times when you don’t want to leave behind any traces. From what I can tell this is going to be a boon for folks who often forget to close tabs and have to regret the action later.
- Dive into the Settings app on your iPhone/iPad -> Safari -> Clear History and Website Data -> select the preferred duration -> Profile which history you want to eliminate -> turn on the toggle next to Close All Tabs -> Clear History.
12. Clear All Recently Closed Safari Tabs
Safari shows the recently closed tabs right on the start page to let you quickly access the pages you have just closed. Although this is a very helpful feature designed to let you go back and view the tabs that you have used recently, it can also expose your privacy.
- Fortunately, there is now a quick way to clear all the recently closed Safari tabs. Once you have closed all the tabs in Safari, make sure to tap on Clear All to clean them up.
13. Listen to Safari Web Page
Did you ever wish to read an interesting article before hitting the sack but let it go as your eyes couldn’t let you do so? If you are nodding in the “Yes”, Safari’s built-in web page reader is for you.
Henceforth, if your eyes ever spot a fascinating article or anything that pleases you no end, hit on the Aa button at the bottom and choose Listen to Page in the menu.
14. Set a Separate Private Search Engine for Safari’s Private Browsing Mode
As someone who always prefers to have an extra layer of safeguard, I have found the ability to set a separate private search engine for the Safari private browsing mode a praiseworthy addition to iOS. Yeah, the flexibility to choose a separate search engine for general browsing and private browsing is awesome for privacy-conscious nerds!
- On your iPhone or iPad, go to the Settings app -> Safari -> Privacy Search Engine and then choose the desired search engine like Yahoo, Google, Bing, Ecosia, and DuckDuckGo.
- If you ever decide to go back, head into the same setting and choose the Use Default Search Engine.
Tips to Use Safari on iPhone and iPad Like a Pro..!
There you have it, folks! Now that you have unlocked all the new Safari features, give them a try and share your thoughts. Rest assured, if I find any more latest add-ons, I will make sure to include them in this roundup. So, stay tuned in for more…
