Safari

‘BackForwardEnhancer’ Makes Mobile Safari a Better Browser

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Browsing on a mobile device has gotten a lot better over the years, but it still has a long way to go before it can begin to truly rival the desktop browsing experience available on today's modern browsers.

The iPhone's default browser, Mobile Safari, is good, but it does leave a lot to be desired in a few areas.

Navigation is one of the main areas where there's room for improvement. Besides your standard back and forwards buttons, there's just not much there.

BackForwardEnhancer -- a tweak for Mobile Safari -- aims to change this without changing the core browsing experience. Check inside for a video demonstration of how this free jailbreak tweak works...

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Google Swiffy Will Convert Flash Files to iPhone-Friendly HTML 5

Guest Author ∙ Updated November 26, 2016

Google unveiled a new tool for developers today called Swiffy — a simple converter that takes .SWF Flash files and transforms them into iPhone-friendly HTML5 code. It's the latest experimental application to hit Google Labs, and while it works best with simple Flash animations, its results are rather impressive.

Anyone can use Swiffy by simply visiting swiffy.googlelabs.com. There you can upload an SWF file and quickly convert it into HTML5...

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‘WebLeaps’ Adds Custom Search Shortcuts to Spotlight and Safari

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated August 4, 2011

WebLeaps seems to be one of those tweaks that fell through the cracks. I'd honestly never heard of this tweak before Sebastien mentioned it to me, but I'm glad that he did.

That's because WebLeaps allows you to easily navigate some of the web's best sites by means of custom search shortcuts.

You can even create your own custom search shortcuts with a bit of plist editing know-how.

Check inside as I go one-on-one with WebLeaps. I even create my own custom iDB search shortcut...

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HTML5 Tests Show Mobile Safari Much Faster in iOS 5

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 18, 2018

Mobile Safari has received some major updates in iOS 5. We've seen new features added like private browsing and Reading List. On top of that, the mobile browser now allows web apps to utilize the Nitro engine, which greatly improves the web app experience.

Multiple sites are reporting that Apple has also improved Mobile Safari's overall performance in the new firmware. We confirm the speculation by running an HTML5 speed test with an iPad on iOS 5. Just how fast is Apple's mobile browser?

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New York Post’s Website Blocking Mobile Safari, iPad App the Winner

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 2, 2018

If you're a New York Post reader and like to read your news via NYPost.com on an iPad, then you could find the process a little more complicated than it used to be. The newspaper has blocked access to its website from Apple's Mobile Safari browser.

In a clear attempt to push users away from the NYPost website and towards the iPad app. The New York Post's homepage now suggests users tootle off to the App Store if they want to get their news fix on Apple's super-successful tablet...

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Web App Performance in iOS 5 Greatly Improved

Alex Heath ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Web app performance in iOS 4 has been disappointing. It's been speculated that Apple has been intentionally handicapping web app performance in iOS 4. When websites are launched from the iPhone's homescreen, loading times become much longer than when a site is opened straight from the Mobile Safari app.

In iOS 5, it's been discovered that fullscreen web apps from the homescreen can access the Nitro Javascript engine that sped up Mobile Safari in iOS 4.3. These "dynamic-codesigning" privileges allow for a much faster web app experience in iOS 5.

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New in iOS 5: ‘Find on Page’ Search from iPad Keyboard

IDB Staff ∙ June 18, 2011

The "Find on Page" feature in Safari isn't new, as it was introduced with iOS 4.2. Up until iOS 5, to use this feature, you had to tap the “Google” search bar at the top right and start typing. As Google gave you suggestions, you also had the “on this page” option appearing at the bottom.

iOS 5 is making this feature much smoother on the iPad, as it brings it directly to the keyboard...

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New in iOS 5: Save and Read Webpages Later with Reader

Alex Heath ∙ June 9, 2011

In iOS 5, Apple has taken services like Instapaper and Read It Later head-on with a new feature called "Reader." Like the similar feature that has existed in Safari on the Mac, Reader for iOS 5 will strip a webpage in Mobile Safari of unneeded images and ads for a more enjoyable reading experience.

Articles can also be saved for reading later on any iDevice that's set up with your iCloud account. Bookmarking is a thing of the past.

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Mobile Safari Gets Private Browsing Mode in iOS 5

Guest Author ∙ June 7, 2011

Since Apple dropped the first beta release of iOS 5 yesterday, those of us with access to the firmware have been keen to play around with it and discover those "200 new features" that weren't quite big enough to get a mention at the WWDC keynote yesterday.

In addition to customizable keyboard shortcuts, one feature you may not have noticed is the 'Private Browsing' mode within mobile Safari...

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Opera Mini for iOS Gets Major Update, Faster Browsing Included

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

It'll be interesting to see if Apple gives Safari a facelift in the upcoming iOS 5 update. It's already rumored that several areas like voice control will receive an overhaul, but will the tiny browser see any improvements?

If you're not currently happy with Apple's default browser, there are several alternatives in the App Store. iCab and Atomic are awesome choices, but what about Opera Mini? Even if you didn't like the browser before, you might want to check out the latest update...

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Safari “Reading List” in Mac OS X Lion Will Wirelessly Sync Bookmarks with iOS Devices

Alex Heath ∙ May 18, 2011

Apple's next version of their desktop operating system, Mac OS X Lion, is nearing the final stages of developer beta testing. It is suspected that Apple will release the new OS to Mac users this summer.

More and more features are being uncovered in the developer builds of OS X Lion, and a recent finding points to a cloud-synced bookmark feature in Apple's browser, Safari. The new "Reading List" feature in OS X Lion will allow users to wirelessly sync their bookmarked webpages with iOS devices.

This would allow you to easily take your bookmarked pages with you on the go...

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