Safari is getting some useful updates
Vertical tabs will arrive for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, but it’s only in the dev betas for now
Other features like Adaptive Dark Mode and Siri AI browser tools are coming, too, along with our first glimpse of the new Audio Intelligence capabilities
On the global web browser stage, Safari lags behind Chrome, but when it comes to Apple’s 2. 5 billion customers, it reigns supreme. Yet, even those devoted users might’ve noticed that their favorite browser was lacking at least one long-sought feature. Now, with the introduction of Dev Betas for iOS 27. 3, iPadOS 27. 3, and macOS 27. 3, they’re getting their wish. In beta today, the platform upgrade actually brings a series of relatively small but important updates to Safari across the iPhone Duo, iPad, and Mac, but chief among them is vertical tabs. As is often the case, Apple didn’t invent this idea. I started using vertical tabs in, of all things, Microsoft Edge years ago, and even Chrome recently added them. Now, with the Safari update, you can open the Safari View Menu or hop into Settings and select vertical tabs. Future Future By default, the tabs, which will live on the left side of your browser window in iPadOS and macOS (and iOS for the iPhone Duo), appear as icons — a space-saving measure. You can hover over any of them for a quick look at the hidden browser window. There are other vertical tab features like the ability to pin tabs at the top of your list by dragging and dropping them, and tab groups. The tabs will work on the iPad and, yes, the new iPhone Duo in portrait and landscape mode. (Image credit: Future) The platform updates also bring a new kind of Dark Mode. Instead of only showing the mode on web pages that support it, Safari will offer to tune unsupported pages to Dark Mode too, but in a way, Apple promises, that won’t ruin the sites. The Adaptive Dark Mode will automatically darken light backgrounds, invert logos and graphics, recolor vector artwork, lift raised surfaces, and even detect shadows and adjust them. It will not touch already darkened sites. For developers, there are new tags they can use that will prevent Adaptive Dark Mode from adjusting them…