Safari

Opera Ice: a new WebKit-based mobile web browser

Cody Lee ∙ January 19, 2013

In a move to stay relevant in the mobile space, Opera will be unveiling an all-new web browser for Android and iOS next month. The client will be based on WebKit, and will focus on hiding the technology as much as possible, while embracing rich applications.

Of course, Opera already has a browser on iOS. But this new one, dubbed 'Opera Ice,' will be much different. Like a lot of apps these days, Ice's UI is button-less, and all major functions are controlled by gestures. We've got a video of it in action after the fold...

JavaScript bug found in iOS 6’s Smart App Banners

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

This is kind of weird. A new bug has been discovered in iOS 6 that has to do with the Smart App Banners feature. It seems that the banners, which websites can implement to give users a direct link to apps, will turn on the JavaScript setting in Safari without warning.

On the surface, this may not seem like a very big deal. After all, most folks don't mess with the JavaScript settings on their iOS devices because a lot of web sites require it. But the fact that these Smart Banners are turning it on, unbeknownst to users, is a bit troubling...

Steve Jobs wanted to name Safari ‘Freedom’, ‘Alexander’ or ‘iBrowse’

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 20, 2012

Here’s a nice little nugget. Though it's now taken for granted, the Safari browser was almost named "Freedom". Yes, "Freedom", of all the monikers. Steve Jobs apparently considered a bunch of silly names for Apple’s browser that included “Freedom”, “Alexander” and “iBrowse” before settling with “Safari”.

He also spent some time trying “Freedom” because he liked the sound of it and how it signified Apple’s freedom from Microsoft and Internet Explorer. One programmer who worked on the Safari project shares an anecdote describing how he persuaded Jobs to drop the “Freedom” name as it sounded like a “feminine hygiene product”...

Judge approves Google’s $22.5M Safari tracking fine

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

It looks like Google may have to start writing out that $22.5 million check soon, to cover the fine it agreed to pay in order to settle the FTC claim that it illegally bypassed user privacy settings in Safari.

US District Judge Susan Illston approved the fine in a San Francisco federal court late Friday, which will go down as the largest penalty ever levied against a company by the Federal Trade Commission...

How to hide the status bar in Safari, no jailbreak required

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Rag3Hack is at it again. Hot on the heels of his non-jailbreak solution for hiding stock iOS apps, comes a new trick that allows you to hide the status bar in Safari. This is useful because it allows you to gain more screen real estate since there's no full screen mode in portrait mode.

Take a look at our video demonstration inside for more details on Rag3Hack's latest...

Apple will also live stream today’s iPad mini event via its home page

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple earlier today updated the Apple TV interface with a new Apple Events section which contains a link to a live stream of today's iPad mini press conference. The move prompting somewhat unusual speculation that the company will only provide a live stream as a courtesy to Apple TV owners. We provided some workaround solution at the bottom of this post and now Apple has made it official: you will be able to enjoy the live stream on either your Apple TV or by opening a page on Apple's web site using the Safari browser on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac or Windows PC...

Microsoft to Safari users: Google screwed you, use Bing instead

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 29, 2017

Exploiting a record $25 million settlement Google negotiated with The United States Government over the iOS Safari privacy breach that erupted back in February 2012, software giant Microsoft put together a little web page meant to convince Apple users to use Bing as their default search engine.

The Windows maker is reminding us of Google's failed promise of not tracking Safari users without their permission, suggesting Google's credibility has been tarnished beyond repair. Want to do something about it?

Use Bing instead, the company proposes...

Apple Maps to integrate Russian Yandex’s data in iOS 6, report says

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 17, 2012

Google's relationship with Apple may be on borrowed time. Apple Maps, set to appear soon in iOS 6, will reportedly use a local company's data Yandex to provide location-search details in Russia. A developer version of iOS 6 will send users to Yandex.Maps for further information regarding locations.

A search of Vladimir Lenin's Mausoleum, for instance, gets "more details on Yandex.Maps application or offers to download Yandex.Maps from App Store if the user doesn't have it installed," a Russian developer now using iOS 6 tells Bloomberg.

Privata makes it easier to enable private browsing in Safari

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

Enabling private browsing in Mobile Safari is a chore, because you have to exit the app, go to Settings, and enable it from there. There's actually no way to enable private browsing from inside the app itself, which is kind of lame.

Wouldn't it be better if you could enable private browsing quickly from the share menu in Safari? That's the exact premise behind Privata — a new jailbreak tweak that's available for free on Cydia's ModMyi repo.

Twitter enables web uploads on mobile site from iOS 6 and Android ICS devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 10, 2012

One of the cool enhancements in iOS 6 Safari is its broader support for standard HTML elements, including a regular HTML input element used on literally all sites requiring media uploading capability.

This support for media uploads lets Safari understand the standard Upload button that invokes a file picker on your desktop and replace it with standard iOS media picker.

Up until now, you could only test this on certain web sites, like the desktop Facebook interface in mobile Safari. Today, Twitter enabled on its mobile site photo uploads from a browser on iOS 6 and Android Ice Cream Sandwich devices, here's how it works...

Official: Google to pay $22.5M fine in Safari privacy breach scandal

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 9, 2012

As hinted last month, Google has reached a deal with The United States Government and has agreed to pay a $22.5 million fine for overriding iOS Safari users’ privacy settings in order to better track their web browsing activity.

The unusually high fine is meant to set an example for other companies who may be thinking about violating users' privacy in sneaky ways...

How to enable the Nitro Javascript engine for Google Chrome

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

"Chrome will never be as good as Safari," many lamented upon Chrome's iOS debut, "It doesn't have access to Apple's private Nitro Javascript Engine." If your device isn't jailbroken, that still rings true, but if it is, then not so much anymore.

That's because Nitrous — a new jailbreak tweak available on Cydia — unlocks the Nitro Javascript engine for alternative browsers like Google Chrome. Does it make a difference? Yes. Check inside and see for yourself.