Despite all its quirks, Safari still makes up the lion’s share of web browsers on Apple products. But compared to what its competitors offer on Android, Safari is also the slowest in terms of innovation.
With iOS 18, Apple is turning the AI dial to the maximum, and the effects of this approach are also reflected in the latest versions of iOS and iPadOS. A lot of attention has also been paid to making the web browser more convenient.
However, a few features stand out and dramatically improve one of Safari’s fundamental functions: delivering information on a screen in a less frustrating way.
Finally a worthy reader
When Apple announced Reader Mode for Safari on all platforms, I dismissed it as just another minor update. But the implementation really caught my eye, especially the tasteful background colors and how clean everything looks right from the start.
As soon as you land on a compatible website, a “Reader mode available” message will flash in the URL bar. In case you missed it, the icon at the left end of the pill-shaped bar will also change shape to that of a vertically held notebook.
Tapping it will open a small window with two prominent buttons: “View Reader” and “Listen to Page.” Both are pretty self-explanatory. Once you enable Reader Mode for a webpage, it doesn’t just pick a random background color. Instead, the music will play to your phone’s default light/dark mode settings. So if you have Light Mode enabled, Reader Mode will choose the theme with a black background.
In case you’re wondering, there are four colors to choose from: white, black, gray, and beige. The dark version looks the best, but for reading, the beige color scheme with its vintage newspaper look is unbeatable. It’s funny that Reader Mode doesn’t work on Apple’s website. Ironic, right? All kidding aside, you can adjust the size and font without getting lost in a maze of hidden settings.
Apple has created a neat list of fonts that scrolls in the same pop-up window as the basic reading controls and next to the page magnification settings. Another subtle benefit is that you can set Reading Mode to trigger automatically for any website you like.
For example, if you’re currently reading this Digital Trends article, tap the ellipsis icon with three dots in the Reader Mode window, and then turn on the “Use Reader automatically” switch as you expand the window.
Of course, it’s AI season, and so a bit of Apple intelligence is finding its way into Safari’s reading mode. This only makes sense if it serves a purpose and isn’t just a gimmick, unlike what we’ve seen recently with Google’s Pixel Studio app.
You may also notice a pink icon right under the heading of a web page with the word “Summary” written in bold. Well, it does exactly what it says on the tin. Tap on it and you’ll see a colorful wave run across the text for a few seconds. Voilà, you’ve got a summary displayed right at the top.
What’s not so great about this summary, however, is that it’s not always accurate. Occasionally, it simply misses the most important elements of the story, but otherwise it does a pretty good job of condensing a long story into a concise version. This isn’t surprising, since the Summarizer feature in the Mail app makes similar mistakes. As the saying goes, it’s just another day for the AI.
On the Android side, the situation is a bit more complicated. Chrome on mobile doesn’t have a native Reader mode. You have to download a special app from Google from the Play Store, go back to Chrome, and then tap the floating shortcut to enable Reader mode on any web page of your choosing. Apple has a better implementation here, and it shows.
Snap and it will happen
In 2019, Google added the Infinity Gauntlet to its search results. Clicking on this apocalyptic hand wiped half of the search results – vanishing, crumbling into atoms – with the same animation as the Avengers disappearing into nothingness when the Mad Titan snapped his fingers.
Apple added something similar to Safari with iOS 18. But instead of restoring the balance of the universe in a murderous way, this feature deletes visual distractions from a web page. Think annoying ads, scrolling widgets, pop-up videos, and other unnecessary elements.
It can delete everything. The headline, images, embeds, pop-ups, unnecessary social icons… whatever you want. Well, just remove all the text and stare into the nothingness of a bright OLED screen. All you have to do is tap the reading mode icon in the URL bar and select “Hide distracting elements”.
Next, scroll through the web page, look for distracting elements, and select them. They will then disappear like sand in a desert storm. It’s beautiful to look at, even if it’s a hassle compared to the convenience of a pristine view in reading mode.
However, I think it’s more of a safety measure for websites that don’t allow Reader Mode to be enabled, such as Apple’s own website describing the new feature in iOS 18. Seriously, I don’t know how happy advertisers are about this feature, but it certainly has an impact on the click-driven rule for examining (read: rewarding) the effectiveness of ads.
A few other niceties
There are a few other new features that haven’t received much attention, but are there nonetheless. Highlighting is a nice addition to make important information on a web page stand out more prominently. Apple has also made the native browsing tools context-aware. You’ll only see the Reading Mode controls and the Speech Recognition feature on web pages where they make sense. You won’t see them on your bank’s website, for example.
Say you land on a website with content in a foreign language. Instead of searching for the Translate button in the menu, in iOS 18 it appears in the quick popup when you tap once on the left edge of the URL bar. Apple has also removed tools that were previously hidden behind a few layers and now displays them prominently as a scrolling list in Safari’s main toolbar. This includes basic tab controls, page actions, and link behavior.
In addition, you can adjust their position as you wish, depending on how often you use them. Finally, the Apple browser now supports extensions and content blockers in web apps. Many other technical changes have also been made in the background, which you can read about on Apple’s website.
Overall, Safari in iOS 18 (and iPadOS 18) isn’t revolutionary, as much as it’s trying to be. But the new features are well implemented, and I prefer that to an ambitious but buggy mess.
But more than anything, it’s a set of practically helpful features. It’s not a set of flashy AI tricks that require lots of expensive processing power. It’s all in an app that you regularly call upon for meaningful tasks. And I love it.
