As with so much else shown at WWDC, the impressions of the new version of Safari were, to put it mildly, conflicting. Guided by some of its own considerations, Apple turned the good old Safari into something incomprehensible and strange. In the interface of which there is not even a “Reload page” button . The new minimalist design is cute, so what? The habits that have been built up over the 18 years of Safari that have made life easier for us will have to be shed. Or stay in the past. But having calmed down and getting to know the new Safari better, you understand: there is still something in it. Yes, a lot of it is questionable, something just provokes a protest, but you have to try. Accept and get used to, all the same, in a couple of years, all noteworthy browsers will become the same.
Apple is really bold with the new Safari
Content
- 1What’s new in Safari 15
- 1Unified control panel
- 2Quick Notes, Tab Groups, and More
- 2How do I get my old Safari back?
What’s new in Safari 15
Unified control panel
In Safari 15, tabs, the address field of the open page, and control tools are squeezed into a thin strip at the top of the window. One line thick. The rest of the window is occupied by a web page. Content. Since this thin strip will have to be mentioned more than once, I will refer to it as the “control panel”. It is unified, but you already know, and I will not remind you of this once again. Its official name may be different, but we are discussing it here and now.
Somehow overdid it with minimalism
Minimalism requires sacrifices, and it has not been without them. All the usual functions are still available: “Reload Page”, and “Share”, and everything else. Only now, to get to them, you have to open the menu. Right-clicking in the control panel, as in the previous version of Safari, opens the toolbar editor. The toolbar (set of control tools) is included in the control panel and can be edited. Here are the options on offer:
All in all there is everything you need
And where are “Reload Page”, “Share” and everything else hiding? On the right side of the address field. Here:
You can’t guess right away
Everything seems to be acceptable, but very unusual.
Quick Notes, Tab Groups, and More
In Safari 15, in addition to the change in appearance that shocked many in our Telegram chat , new functions were also added. To sweeten the bitterness of parting with the familiar interface or so that the user does not dream of going back. On the control panel, in its left part, to the right of the traffic light of the window control buttons, there is another element with a double bottom:
Another hidden menu, this time with tab groups
This element opens and closes the sidebar and also manages tab groups. A tab group consists of several tabs (surprised?), But takes the place of a single tab in the control panel. Which turns into another menu. This is most likely a very valuable innovation. He is praised, but I have not had the opportunity to try it in business. Therefore, I propose to believe.
Quick notes are just as interesting. To create them, use the menu on the right side of the address field:
Do you need notes right in the browser?
We took a quick peek at Safari 15 for macOS. Safari 15, with more or less the same interface and control changes, will replace Safari 14 in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. The Safari changes for these operating systems are just as interesting and worthy of your attention, but we’ll talk about them another time. Safari 15 on all devices with the same Apple ID syncs better with each other than before. With iCloud enabled . The user has the right to cancel or weaken the synchronization, this is also a separate topic. And despite the increasing unpredictability of our time, the release of Safari 15 is imminent. This autumn.
Safari 15 for iOS
And what about those who are categorically against change?
How do I get my old Safari back?
A Taiwanese developer in the first beta of macOS 12 for developers has discovered a way to bring Safari 15 back to the classic interface. Everything you need to do for this is described here (on GitHub, in English). True, it is not known whether this door to the past will remain in the release macOS 12. According to the developer, the loophole will be eliminated in one of the beta versions and it is not a fact that it will work in the beta version for everyone. Perhaps Safari 15 just needs to be accepted and adapted to it.
