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Everything in new in Safari 15 and how you can try it yourself right now

Start page in Safari 15 for macOS

Look and feel

Unlike years past where Apple has provided Safari with more under-the-hood changes, this year, the update is apparent with Safari taking on a fresh coat of paint. Visually, it looks cleaner and more compact than it did before.

Those changes all come to the redesigned unified search bar. Instead of splitting tabs into a top and bottom row, it is all crammed together into a single row. Tabs slide left to right, and when you select a tab, it becomes the combo URL/search box. By combining the active tab with the URL box, Apple has reduced the space requirements significantly.

To help fit everything in, Apple employed a few other space-saving measures. Some buttons have been relocated behind an ellipsis in the URL box. You can tap the ellipsis for the share button, add to bookmarks/reading list option, and the reload button.

Moving the page reload button may cause some frustration, but it is still possible to use the keyboard shortcut CMD+R. That makes the button less critical, so hiding it behind the ellipsis will free up some much-needed space for most users. If you did routinely use the refresh button, Apple's repositioning is less than ideal.

Fortunately, you can still customize the top bar. You can right-click the bar to bring up the customization option, and you can drag and drop the remaining toolbar items where you'd like them.

Another neat feature of the toolbar is its ability to change color. When you visit different sites, the Safari toolbar will take on the color of any site you land on. When visiting AppleInsider, the toolbar takes on AppleInsider's dark blue. Visiting YouTube turns the bar white and visiting Apple's iPhone 12 Pro mini-site makes it black. This creates a more cohesive visual experience where the toolbar doesn't stand out.

Apple made a few modifications to the start page this year, most relating to syncing across your various devices. When you set your background for the start page, it can sync to any device you're signed in to with your Apple ID. Set it on your Mac and it will show on your iPad . This is a new toggle located within the settings icon in the lower-right corner of the start page.

That same menu has a toggle to display or hide iCloud tabs on the start page and a "Use Start Page on All Devices" option.

Tab Groups are arguably the most significant feature coming to Safari. The more we use them, the more we enjoy them. If you have a habit of opening a bunch of tabs at once, you likely will too.

How it works is that you can group any tabs you have opened into different buckets. Create a group for your work tabs, create a group for relaxing, and create one with your financial or banking sites. Then you can jump between your groups as needed, keeping your toolbar clean and organized.

It can also help you focus if you don't have open tabs for Reddit or Twitter while you're trying to work and you don't have to see your work tabs while trying to kick back.

You can jump between Tab Groups from the new toolbar option or do so from the redesigned sidebar. The sidebar used to be two tabs — one for bookmarks one for your reading list — but now it is a series of folders for both of those two categories as well as your Tab Groups.

A new Tab Group can be created on-demand at any time from that drop down in the toolbar. It can be an empty group or can be pre-populated with your current open tabs.

Quick Note integration

Quick Notes is another fantastic new feature that is coming to macOS Monterey as well as iPadOS 15 . It is a system-wide feature that allows you effortlessly create a note with contextually aware app links to make them even more useful. But Safari has its own specific ties to Quick Note.

The ellipsis in the toolbar features a button to generate a Quick Note. You can also create a Quick Note by highlighting a text block, right-clicking, and adding to a Quick Note.

These are easy, and whenever you create a Quick Note with a link to a page, any time you revisit that page in Safari, your note will resurface in the lower-right corner.

Available in beta

The updated version of Safari will land this fall for most users, but you have a couple of options if you'd like to get an early look.

Developers can test macOS Monterey now, though this is strongly discouraged for non-developers and especially discouraged on your daily driver. Apple will be issuing a public beta in July, which is a better option for those eager to give it a try.

Alternatively, Apple releases what it calls Safari Technology Previews. This is available now for users of macOS Big Sur. You can install Safari 15.0 on your Mac and it will install as a second app, alongside the existing public version of Safari. You can download the technology preview from Apple's mini site.

You will have both Safari 14 and Safari 15 Technology Preview on your Mac. You can test out the new features as much as you want, and if it gives you issues, switch back to the public build and remove the Technical Preview without having any risk.

Otherwise, sit back and be ready for a new Safari experience and much more coming soon.

An abomination. Cramming navigation controls, extensions, tabs and the search field into one bar results in tabs becoming quickly unrecognisable, whilst the full-address can nolonger be easily visualised to confirm its authenticity. That is plainly less functional. Furthermore, the colour-changing toolbar is a fail as either Safari controls become 'merged' with those of the current website, or they seem unnecessarily re-coloured when one scrolls down the page and the actual website header has disappeared from sight. Version 14 seemed to have finally hit a sweet spot, but Safari 15 is trashing sensible UI behaviour as was done with Finder., Alas, not only are they reversing usability themselves, by example Apple are encouraging third-party developers to do likewise.

multiple, cascading menus is not "clean". " The sidebar used to be two tabs -- one for bookmarks one for your reading list -- but now it is a series of folders for both of those two categories as well as your Tab Groups."  That's a weird sense of simplification when you trade "two" for "a  series of". " Another neat feature of the toolbar is its ability to change color."  Really? This is a "feature"?? Neat???  And all those pastel colors are giving me flashbacks to the days of leisure suits, rotating disco mirror lights, and other such "neat" things.   I could go on but I don't think it would be good for my blood pressure 

And what's with all the hugely oversized text in the article?

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Apple updates macOS Safari with a new look, but you can turn off the big changes

A trip to preferences will tone down the design changes.

By Mitchell Clark

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Apple has released a redesigned version of Safari for macOS Big Sur and Catalina. The update, announced as part of the upcoming macOS Monterey , was released the same day as iOS and iPadOS 15, bringing the web browser’s new look and features across Apple’s platforms.

To update to the new Safari 15, you can go to System Preferences > Software Update, where it should automatically refresh and show up. Unlike updates to macOS, you shouldn’t have to reboot your computer after updating Safari.

The development behind this version of Safari has been interesting. The full OS update that it was originally a part of, which also brings features like Universal Control and Quick Notes, isn’t here yet, but Apple decided to ship the new Safari anyway. For those who have upgraded to iOS 15 , that’s a good thing — it means that you can immediately use tab groups across all your devices. The update also includes features like better tracking protection and automatic switching to HTTPS for sites that support it.

While the Safari update brings new features, it also brings a new design. Apple’s made several changes to it since it was announced (though not as many as it’s made to Safari for iPhone ), tweaking it to be less starkly minimal. Looks-wise, it’s still a major change from Safari 14, but there are preferences that you can tweak to walk back some of the more distracting changes. If you don’t want websites to be able to change the color of your tab bar, you can go to Safari’s preferences > Tabs, and uncheck “Show color in tab bar.” If you want your tabs to be on their own row, you can switch from Compact mode to Separate.

Unchecking “Automatically collapse tab titles into icons” turns the tab bar into a sort of carousel when you have too many of them. I certainly don’t prefer it, but it’s an option if that’s your sort of thing.

While Safari 15 takes a bit to get used to (I'm still getting over the learning curve myself), Tab Groups is a great feature to share between my iPhone and computer. Safari 15 also comes with the usual host of security updates , though none seem too severe. After you update, be sure to let us know what you think of the new design — is it a breath of fresh air or just another refresh that you’ll grudgingly get used to?

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Apple releases Safari 16 with new features for Tab Groups and passwords

Safari 16 follows iOS 16 into the wild.

Apple has officially released Safari 16 to Mac users running macOS Ventura and macOS Monterey .

The latest update, which brings some usual bug fixes and performance improvements to the browser, also adds some new features to Tab Groups and passwords.

Tab Groups get a number of updates in Safari 16, including the ability to customize your background image and favorites for each Tab Group's start page. You'll also be able to pin frequently visited sites within Tab Groups.

Outside of Tab Groups, the new features are pretty varied. Settings for websites now follow you across your devices. You can also now edit strong passwords that Safari has suggested in order for it to work with the password requirements of a specific website.

The full details of Safari 16 are in the release notes and below:

Safari 16 introduces new features, even faster performance, and improved security, such as:

• Tab Group start pages let you add different background images and favorites for each Tab Group
• Pinned tabs in Tab Groups enable you to pin frequently visited websites for each Tab Group
• Tabs in the sidebar let you see a list view of your open tabs
• Settings you've set for specific websites now sync across devices
• Strong password editing lets you adjust strong passwords to meet website-specific requirements
• Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices.

Apple released a lot more than Safari 16 today

In addition to releasing Safari 16, Apple also rolled out the public versions of iOS 16 , watchOS 9 , and tvOS 16 today. Those releases add a lot more features to the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.

Master your iPhone in minutes

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We're also now days away from the new iPhone. The iPhone 14 , iPhone 14 Pro , and iPhone 14 Pro Max will release to the world on Friday, September 16. The iPhone 14 Plus, the new big regular iPhone model, will not release until October.

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.

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Apple releases Safari 16 with Tab Group customizations and new security updates

Today, Apple released Safari 16 for macOS users. The new update brings new features as well as security updates.

Today has been a big day for Apple. Not only did it release iOS 16 , but it also delivered a new update for macOS Monterey . In addition to those updates, the firm also pushed out a new version of its browser, debuting Safari 16 to the public.

So what does the new Safari bring? Safari 16 offers improved performance over its predecessor and also better security. Perhaps the biggest update to Safari is the new customization options for Tab Group start pages. Just like it sounds, Tab Groups are browser tabs that have been organized into one group. This allows users to organize different web pages of their choosing, like having a Tab Group for work, school, or even personal websites. By having tabs grouped together, it makes it easier to access different tabs without having to keep them all open in Safari. Now, going forward, Safari 16 users will have the option of adding different backgrounds for each Tab Group start page, making it easier to distinguish and identify each one. Furthermore, users will also be able to pin frequently visited websites in a Tab Group.

Those that use Safari across devices like iPads and iPhones will now be able to sync settings from different websites to all connected devices. Additionally, in order to increase security, Apple will now allow users to edit their strong passwords that are stored in order to meet website requirements. While the update is rolling out now, Apple does have a disclaimer stating that features might not be available for all regions. Along with everything new, the firm has also updated the browser with new security fixes. Apple has patched an issue that potentially allowed websites to track users through Safari web extensions. It also fixed three WebKit vulnerabilities that you can read about in full detail from the Apple website .

If you are interested in this new update, you can head to the Apple logo on your supported Mac computer and then head to System Preferences. In the System Preferences menu, head to the Software Update section, where you should see the option to download the new Safari 16 update. If that's available, simply click Install Now, and the download will begin, and the update will be installed.

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How to manage Safari tabs in iOS 15

Apple has revamped its Safari browser for iOS 15 , released on September 20. One of the most controversial new features of the new mobile browser version is a tab/address bar now located at the bottom of the screen, which appears when you browse web pages. While the bottom bar is the default layout, the final version of iOS 15 lets you reposition it back to the top of the screen, if you choose. Regardless of where the address bar is located, you will still handle tabs the same way.

New tab bar

Creating tab groups, bottom line.

Mobile Safari has adopted the style of the Safari Start Page, derived from the current MacOS 11 (Big Sur), letting you create tab groups that are accessible across all your Apple devices to make browsing a more seamless experience. The new iOS 15 Safari has a lot more functionality than the previous version, is even more connected across devices, offers more screen space dedicated to browsing, and supports browser extensions. It also relies on a series of nested menus and will take some getting used to.

Mobile Safari’s redesigned Start Page can display your Bookmarks, Favorites, Frequently Visited sites, Siri Suggestions, iCloud Tabs, Reading List, and Privacy Report. To see that, you will first need to go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Safari and toggle the control to On (the green position). The Edit button lets you customize which items appear on your Start Page and lets you add custom wallpaper or use another background from your Photos. If you sync the Start Page in iCloud, it will appear with the same content on all your devices. To get complete cross-device functionality, you must also have MacOS 12 (Monterey) — still in beta — installed on your computer. However, you can still do plenty with the final release of iOS 15 and MacOS 11 Big Sur, from which this example is derived.

A new tab bar sits at the bottom of the Start Page where Apple has consolidated multiple controls that are expedited by a long press or an icon tap. Tapping the tab bar URL moves it toward the middle of the screen, letting you search for a site or enter a web address. When you hit Go , the page loads and the tab bar sits back down at the bottom of the screen, providing an unobstructed view of the page. If the presence of the tab bar is too distracting on your small screen, you can swipe down to minimize it, but it automatically minimizes anyway as you scroll down a page, and all you have to do to reveal it again is tap.

Once you get the hang of the tab bar, there’s plenty more you can do with it. First, you can use the tabs icon at the bottom far right to access a tab switcher interface. From there, swiping across the bar between open tabs either to the left or right cycles through your open tabs. A long press on the tab bar brings up an action menu with options like Copy, Paste and Search, Voice Search, and Move to Tab Groups .

Tapping the Share icon gives you the share menu, but directly below it are numerous commands such as Add Bookmark, Add to Favorites, Add to Reading List , and more. The Edit Actions command at the bottom of the page menu lets you rearrange which controls you want to see at the top of the screen for ease of use.

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In iOS 15, tabs are easy to find because they appear as vertically scrolling thumbnail previews. Tab groups let you save tabs and organize them according to classifications, topics, and categories to save you the trouble of swiping through many tabs to find a specific site.

After launching mobile Safari, tap on the Tabs icon. Then, tap the tabs arrow in the tab bar to access the menu to creates a new empty tab group, a new group with the tabs you currently have open, or a private tab group. If all your open tabs already are in one category, you can also choose New Tab Group from X Tabs,  name the tab group, and click OK . The tab group offers naming suggestions that are fairly sophisticated conceptual interpretations of the tabbed site content. If you have already named a tab group, you will see it listed in this menu and you can tap to switch between it and any other existing tabs. Independent open tabs are listed according to their number. The plus (+) icon in the Tab Switcher Bar opens a new tab. A tap-and-hold brings up your recently closed tabs.

A long press on a tab in the Tab Switcher offers additional commands like Close Other Tabs , Move to Tab Group , Arrange Tabs by Title , and Arrange Tabs by Website . A tab bar at the bottom of the screen lets you access tabs with your thumb. Users can also swipe between tabs, or swipe up for the grid view. Once you see all of your open tabs, choose which one you want to move to another group and long-press until you see a menu appear. On the menu, select Move to Tab Group and tap the group you created.

The new tab interface in Safari for iOS 15 has a slew of options to help you visually connect with websites for work and entertainment. It can get kind of dense, and will take some getting used to. But not only will you have more flexibility, but you can also move the address bar back up to the top if you really don’t like it at the bottom.

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Apple isn’t immune from the AI craze sweeping the rest of the industry. Following the likes of Google with Gemini Nano, Apple is set to roll out AI upgrades to the iPhone with iOS 18. Code-named “Project Graymatter,” the iOS 18 update will bring a variety of AI-powered enhancements to the iPhone and Siri in particular.

According to AppleInsider, the features are being tested in advance of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), and one of the biggest is called “Graymatter Catch Up.” The feature is tied to Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, which will now allow users to request and receive an AI overview of the most recent notifications.

Even with the more recent release of the Apple iPhone 15, the iPhone 14 still makes a great option for a new phone. It spent a long time among the best phones on the market, and now that it’s a generation old it even offers some great savings. Some of the best iPhone deals available are on the iPhone 14, in fact, and while most of the models are refurbished, refurbished iPhone deals typically come backed by a warranty and a good return window. With all of the iPhone 14 deals out there it can be a little difficult to shop, so we’ve rounded them all up below for some convenience. Reading onward you’ll find all of the best iPhone 14 deals available right now, but if you’d like to land yourself the latest and greatest you should also check out the current iPhone 15 deals, Samsung Galaxy S24 deals, and Google Pixel 8 deals. Apple iPhone 14 -- from $439, was $699

With the Apple iPhone 14 you’re getting what is still one of the most popular smartphones on the market. This is the iPhone 14 model that’s meant for everyone. It holds back a few features you can only get on the Pro model, but it still has an impressive 6.1-inch display, an impressive camera, and dozens of ways to personalize your iOS experience with widgets and fonts. The phone can reach up to 26 hours of battery life on a single charge, and it’s powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip. Face ID, emergency SOS via satellite, and super fast 5G cellular connectivity round out the top features of the Apple iPhone 14. Buy Refurbished at Amazon — from $439

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Don’t like the new Safari on iOS 15? Here’s how to go back to the old design

iOS 15 launches this week and brings with it a lot of new features including Live Text, Focus modes, a new Weather app, FaceTime enhancements as well as more features like FaceTime screen sharing coming later this year. However, one of the more drastic changes is to Safari. Apple has dramatically redesigned the layout of Safari, as well as adding new features like Tab Groups. However, if you don’t like the new UI, you can go back. Here’s how.

On the iPad, Apple has redesigned the tab bar with new button shapes and a compact layout option for how the tabs are arranged in the Safari toolbar.

On the iPhone, there is a more drastic change. The address bar now sits at the bottom of the screen above the toolbar, and there’s a new look for the tabs screen too. It’s fair to say that the default design on iOS 15 is a pretty big departure from what came before. 

Why did Apple redesign Safari? Apple said they are bringing important controls closer to your fingers with a bottom-oriented appearance. That means the address bar is now easier to access with one hand, especially if you have a larger iPhone like an iPhone 13 Pro Max. As well as being able to tap into the address bar, you can also now swipe left and right on the tab bar to quickly switch between tabs with a gesture.

However, if you really don’t like the new UI of Safari, you can make it look and work like iOS 14 again. Mostly. 

How to put the address bar back on top

To move the URL bar in iPhone Safari back to the top of the screen, it’s quite easy.

When browsing inside of Safari on iOS 15, tap the “Aa” button in the address bar. Then press the ‘Show Top Address Bar’ in the menu that appears. In Top Address Bar mode, Safari will look almost identical to how it looked on iOS 14. 

The new grid design of the Tabs view cannot be reverted however. If you want to go back to the new bottom address bar design, simply press the Aa button again and choose ‘Show Bottom Tab Bar’.

You can also change this layout setting from the Settings app. Navigate to Settings -> Safari -> Tabs -> select Single Tab.

How to disable color tinting 

One more subtle Safari design change is that iOS 15 will now tint the top toolbars of Safari to reflect the accent color of the website. For example, if you are viewing a website with a red background, the top toolbar of Safari will also inherit the red theme. This is more noticeable on iPad and Mac but it applies to iPhone too. Again, if you don’t like this effect, you can turn it off. 

Unlike reverting the Safari address bar design, the color tinting option can only be changed in Settings. Navigate to Settings -> Safari -> Tabs -> toggle Allow Website Tinting to off. 

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Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog . Message Benjamin over email or Twitter .

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Apple claims years-old parental control bug will be fixed in next update

When it was launched in 2018, Screen Time was sold as doing double duties: helping parents keep tabs on their children’s device usage, and helping adults be more mindful about how they spend their own time. File photo

Apple has promised to fix a years-old bug in its parental controls that allows children to bypass restrictions and view adult content online.

The bug, by which a child could get around controls by simply entering a certain nonsense phrase into the address bar on Safari, was first reported to the company in 2021.

It has languished unfixed and this week a Wall Street Journal report drew fresh attention to the risk. Now Apple says a solution will be coming in the next update to iOS.

The loophole in effect disables the company’s Screen Time parental control system for Safari, allowing children who should be limited to a locked-down version of the web to access to anything they can think of.

Although it appears that the bug was not widely exploited, critics say the flaw — and its persistence — is emblematic of the lack of care provided by the company towards parents.

When it was launched in 2018, Screen Time was sold as doing double duties: helping parents keep tabs on their children’s device usage, and helping adults be more mindful about how they spend their own time.

In the years since its launch, it is the first group who have come to rely most heavily on the service. They can use it to lock features and apps away behind a passcode, limit children’s usage to certain hours of the day, or simply block them from a phone altogether.

The year after Screen Time launched, Apple began to crack down on third-party services that performed the same tasks. The company argued that it was a necessary security approach, since apps that can monitor screen time inherently have the sort of access that can also be used for more nefarious purposes. 

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But Apple was criticised on competition grounds. Five years on, critics argue that that lack of competition has resulted in Apple neglecting its parental controls.

Dan Moren, an Apple blogger, said: “I’ve heard from plenty of other parents who’ve found Screen Time frustrating and full of loopholes. And this is after Apple started pruning third-party parental control apps from its iOS store.”

Apple said: “We take reports of issues regarding Screen Time very seriously and have been consistently making improvements to ensure users have the best experience. Our work is not done and we will continue to make updates in upcoming software releases.”

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macOS 15: Everything you need to know about the next big Mac update

The next version of the Mac operating system, macOS 15, is expected to make its debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference , which kicks off with a keynote on June 10. After a beta period, the official release occurs in the fall.

Rumors of what macOS 15 will entail are scarce as usual–because software development doesn’t rely on third-party production and manufacturing like hardware does, rumors about macOS don’t happen often. But when rumors do leak, they will be tracked in this article. Here’s everything we know so far.

Updated 6/7/24 : Apple may call the macOS 15 AI feature set, Apple Intelligence.”

macOS 15 release date: When will macOS 15 arrive?

Since 2013, Apple has released macOS during the fall season in the U.S. The company has established a pattern of releasing iOS first, followed a few weeks later by macOS. Here are the release dates from the past five years.

• macOS 14 Sonoma: September 26, 2023
• macOS 13 Ventura: October 24, 2022
• macOS 12 Monterey: October 25, 2021
• macOS 11 Big Sur: November 12, 2020
• macOS 10.15 Catalina: October 7, 2019

Apple will unveil macOS 15 at WWDC during a keynote on June 10, where it will show off the biggest new features. Apple will also start the developer beta period at that time, followed by a public beta a few weeks later. Apple releases beta updates semi-weekly before the official release in the fall.

macOS 15 compatibility: Which Macs will get macOS 15?

No reports have been made about the macOS 15 compatibility list. On average, Macs get 6.6 years of macOS updates , with models older than that only receiving another year or two of security updates and bug fixes. Also read: How long do Macs last .

The compatibility list is becoming a pressing concern for users of Intel Macs. After Apple introduced its M-series Macs, the company said it will continue to support Intel Macs for several years, but it did not offer specifics. The last Mac to switch from Intel to Apple Silicon was the Mac Pro last year. The clock is ticking on Intel Macs, but it’s likely that the last generation of Intel Macs will be on the macOS 15 compatibility list.

Here is the current compatibility list for macOS Sonoma :

• iMac from 2019 and later
• Mac Pro from 2019 and later
• iMac Pro from 2017
• Mac Studio from 2022 and later
• MacBook Air from 2018 and later
• Mac mini from 2018 and later
• MacBook Pro from 2018 and later

Apple launched its first M1 Macs (MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro Mac mini) in late 2020, so some Intel models will still get another year of updates with macOS 15. the most likely candidates to drop support are the 2018 models and the iMac Pro. To find out which version of macOS and older Mac can run take a look at our macOS compatibility list .

macOS 15 name: What will the new version be called?

Ever since Apple stopped using jungle cats with macOS 10.9 Mavericks, it’s used California places to identify its annual OS updates. The last several years have been Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, and Catalina. We’re not sure yet what locale Apple will choose for macOS 15, but it has trademarked several unused place names , including Condor, Mammoth, Redwood, and Sequoia.

macOS 15: Rumored new features

It’s possible that macOS 15 may not have a lot of new features. Last November, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple shifted from developing new OS features to fixing bugs and improving performance. Since that report came a few months ago, Apple may have finished that task and returned to developing new features. Regardless, the switch impacted the development time for new features and that could mean macOS 15 has fewer than originally planned.

AI everywhere

Several reports over the past few months have stated that Apple is doing a lot of work towards AI, and that generative AI (using AI to create content) will have a big role in macOS. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in October 2023 that AI will be prominently featured in iOS 18 with macOS following at a later date. That seems to indicate that macOS 15 won’t get as many AI features as iOS 18.

If macOS 15 doesn’t match iOS 18 feature for feature, it’s not known when Apple will bring those missing features over. It could decide to introduce them in updates throughout the year or wait until macOS 16 in 2025. iOS has long been Apple’s priority, so it won’t be surprising if macOS 15 doesn’t have the same new features as iOS 18. However, it’s nearly certain that macOS will have some new AI features baked in.

Gurman reported that Apple is going to  refer to its AI feature set as “Apple Intelligence.”  One key characteristic of these features is that users will have to  opt-in to use them . Gurman also reports that Macs will need at least an M1 chip or later. Apple Intelligence features will mostly be processed on the device, which is different from other platforms where AI processing is done in the cloud. But Apple Intelligence will be able to determine if cloud processing is needed and will use it when appropriate.

Accessibility

A report by MacRumors states the macOS 15 will have several new Accessibility features. These include Adaptive Voice Shortcuts, which activates accessibility features by speaking a phrase; a Live Speech enhancement that lets users create categories; and expanded app support for custom font sizes.

Freeform Scenes

MacRumors reports that the Freeform app will get a new feature called Freeform Scenes, which will let the user select specific sections on boards to ease navigation. Scenes will reportedly work with iCloud for sharing and editing.

Redesigned Calculator app

AppleInsider reports that Apple is working on a new Calculator app. It may be redesigned to resemble the iOS version, with new features including a history tape, revamped conversions, and a resizable window.

AppleInsider reports that Safari 18, which will be in macOS 15, will include several new features, including AI-enhanced “Intelligent Search,” a “Web Eraser,” and a new page controls menu. An update in 2025 will provide an AI enhancement to Visual Lookup not just in Safari, but throughout the OS.

Calendar and Reminders sync

AppleInsider reports that the Calendar app will allow users to manage reminders from within the Calendar app, which will also have minor UI changes.

System Settings UI tweaks

AppleInsider reports that System Settings will have UI changes to make it easier for users to quickly get to frequently-accessed settings.

Author: Roman Loyola , Senior Editor

Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started at MacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV.

Recent stories by Roman Loyola:

• These are the devices you’ll need to use Apple’s AI features in iOS 18 and macOS 15
• The ‘AI’ at WWDC24 will stand for ‘Apple Intelligence’
• Apple’s biggest WWDC keynote in years will still feel a little empty

iOS 18 AI features: 7 new rumored updates coming to iPhone

iOS 18 and AI are the talk of the town as reports about Apple rolling out new AI-powered features to iPhones heat up. Most recently, in a new report, AppleInsider unveiled that Apple is working on AI-based updates for Messages, Siri, and Notes.

However, this isn't the first time we've heard about Apple's AI plans for iOS 18. As such, let's do a roundup of all the reported AI features coming to the next big iOS update.

AI on iOS 18: 7 new features coming to iPhone

Before we dive into the iOS 18 AI features, let's talk about what will be underpinning these new tools. First up is Ajax , Apple's hush-hush large language model (LLM) that will reportedly power the AI features arriving to the next big update.

According to AppleInsider , Ajax will allow iOS 18 to generate basic responses entirely on-device. In other words, certain perks will not rely on the cloud. Instead, simple requests will utilize the neural engine packed inside iPhones.

The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models, by the way, are expected to get an upgraded neural engine that can handle more AI processing than its predecessors.

However, more challenging AI processes will need to rely on the cloud. To quell concerns about data exposure, Apple will use a "black box processing" technique that allows the Cupertino-based tech giant to keep users' data totally private, according to The Information.

Curious about the AI features that are reportedly coming to iPhone? Here are seven rumored perks that we're most excited about.

1. Siri gets smarter

Siri can fulfill requests on a broader plane. For example, it can launch music playlists, control smart-home appliances, tell you the weather, and more. However, if you were to ask it to summarize an article, delete a message in your inbox, or other granular tasks, it will balk.

Fortunately, with the new-and-improved AI-powered Siri, the popular assistant will reportedly do the following, according to Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman (a respected Apple analyst and prognosticator):

• send an email
• delete an email
• open a document
• move a note to another folder
• launch a specific newspaper in Apple News
• summarize an article in Safari
• summarize recent texts
• transcribe a voice memo

Although we're expecting to hear about the updated Siri at WWDC 2024 , Gurman says that these features are expected to hit iPhones in 2025.

2. Generate new emojis with AI

One of the most eye-catching rumors we've heard about the AI-powered iOS 18 is that it will get AI-generated emojis . In other words, based on the conversations you're having with friends and loved ones, iOS 18 will be capable of generating new emojis that fit your discussion.

3. Suggested replies in Messages

Also based on AI, the Messages app is expected to offer recommended replies for users, allowing them to fire quicker responses. (The Mail app is expected to get a similar feature, too.)

4. New-and-improved Safari

Safari, based on Ajax, will reportedly have the ability to identify key phrases and topics within a web page. According to Forbes, this feature is reportedly called "Intelligent Search." This will allegedly allow Safari to summarize online articles.

5. AI-powered Photos app

With Samsung unveiling Galaxy AI earlier this year and Google making a splash with its AI-powered editing features on Pixel phones (and Chromebook Plus laptops), some people are looking at Apple and asking, "What about you?"

Well, according to Gurman , Apple will also be rolling out some AI-based editing features to its Photos app this year.

6. Smart recaps

iOS 18 may give you a quick and brief summary of your missed notifications, according to Gurman.

7. Eye tracking

Taking a page out of the Apple Vision Pro 's playbook, Apple recently revealed that it is poised to launch eye tracking for the iPhone (and iPad).

Powered by AI, it will allow users, particularly people with disabilities, to use their eyes as a cursor by utilizing the front-facing camera.

It's also worth noting that Apple is reportedly in talks with OpenAI to add ChatGPT to iOS 18 . Although Gurman has a great track record with rumors, we won't know if any of these will truly come into fruition until we hear it from the horse's mouth at WWDC 2024 on June 10.

Safari User Guide

• Get started
• Go to a website
• Bookmark webpages to revisit
• See your favorite websites
• Use tabs for webpages
• Import bookmarks and passwords
• Pay with Apple Pay
• Autofill credit card info
• View links from friends
• Keep a Reading List
• Hide ads when reading
• Translate a webpage
• Download items from the web
• Add passes to Wallet
• Save part or all of a webpage
• Print or create a PDF of a webpage
• Interact with text in a picture
• Change your homepage
• Customize a start page
• Create a profile
• Block pop-ups
• Make Safari your default web browser
• Hide your email address
• Manage cookies
• Clear your browsing history
• Browse privately
• Prevent cross-site tracking
• See who tried to track you
• Change Safari settings
• Keyboard and other shortcuts

View your Favorites in Safari on Mac

View your Favorites from the Smart Search field: Click in the Smart Search field to see your Favorites in the start page view, then click the icon of the website you want to visit. The start page view goes away if you start typing, and it doesn’t appear if you click the field while you’re viewing the start page.

You can also see your favorite websites when you open new tabs. If you don’t see your Favorites in new tabs, see Change General settings .

Show the Favorites bar: Choose View > Show Favorites Bar. A bar with your favorite websites appears below the toolbar.

Go to a Favorite website: Click in the Smart Search field, then click a website below Favorites, or click a website in the Favorites bar (or use the Touch Bar ).

Best MacBook in 2024: Which Apple laptop should you buy?

We've tested them all to find the best MacBook

Best MacBook Overall

Cheapest macbook.

• Affordable big-screen

Cheapest MacBook Pro

Best video editing macbook.

• How to Choose the Best MacBook

How We Test MacBooks

Why trust laptop mag.

The list in brief 1. Best Overall MacBook 2. Cheapest MacBook 3. Best Affordable Big-Screen MacBook 4. Best Cheap MacBook Pro 5. Best Video Editing MacBook 6. How to Choose the Best MacBook for You 7. How We Test MacBooks 8. Why Trust Laptop Mag

Choosing the best MacBook isn’t easy as it’s now a fairly extensive lineup. But we’re here to help. At Laptop Mag we have reviewed and tested every current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro to help you decide which one is right for you.

The MacBook Air M3 currently reigns atop our best laptop page, so it should come as no surprise that it is also our pick for the best MacBook overall. It’s fantastically portable, while also offering enough power and battery life to meet the needs of students, professionals, content creators and more. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it is the best MacBook for you, so let's dig a little deeper into the Apple laptop lineup.

The Apple Silicon powering the MacBooks is the key ingredient to Apple’s recipe for success with a blend of performance and efficiency that its Windows rivals are unable to match. From the M2 to the all-powerful M3 Max, these chips cover a wide variety of needs, meaning there is a MacBook for just about every type of user. That’s true when it comes to price as well with the MacBook Air M2 often available for as low as $849, while the Pro lineup starts at $1,599 with the MacBook Pro 14 M3 and $3,499 for the most powerful 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Max.

With the departure of the Air M1, all MacBooks sold by Apple now feature restored features like MagSafe charging on the Air models, while the Pro line also offers an HDMI port and an SD card reader. The MacBook Pro models were just refreshed in November 2023, so don’t expect any updates until this fall at the earliest.

Read on for our full thoughts on each Apple laptop and we will help you find the best MacBook for your needs.

Sean Riley has covered a wide variety of tech over his 13 years as a journalist, but found his home at Laptop Mag in 2020. As the managing editor he takes a part in every laptop review that is published on Laptop Mag, whether as reviewer or editor. Sean has used MacBooks since the unibody plastic days and most recently reviewed the MacBook Air M3 models, so he has a wide breadth of experience with Apple laptops.

The Quick List

The best MacBook for most people

Our pick for best overall laptop is the MacBook Air M3, so no surprise it is also the best MacBook for most people. Starting at $1,099 you get an excellent mix of performance and portability with over 15 hours of battery life.

Read more below

The cheapest MacBook

With the M1 Air discontinued the M2 is the budget Apple laptop, typically available for under $899 this is a great choice to save money while still getting solid performance, the current Air design, and over 14 hours of battery life.

Affordable big-screen MacBook

The MacBook Air 15 is the answer for prospective MacBook buyers who want a larger display without spending over $2,500. It offers the same benefits as the 13-inch model with a slight performance boost for tasks like video editing.

Whether you’re editing photos or videos, creating music, or just working on a massive spreadsheet, the MacBook Pro 14 is the way to go. The M3's power and endurance are off the charts. 

There's no task the MacBook Pro 16 with M3 Max can't handle. Whether it's the larger display, higher peak performance, or over 18 hours of battery life, the Pro 16 earns its premium price.

1. MacBook Air M3

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

The MacBook Air M3 is a perfect laptop for a wide variety of users thanks to its thin and light design married with outstanding performance and battery life. While the display notch may take a moment for new users to acclimate to, rest assured it will disappear for you faster than the iPhone notch as it is effectively integrated into the OS. 

The Apple M3 chip is more than up to most tasks that you are likely to throw at it. Whether you are a professional, a student, or just someone that wants an outstanding laptop for around the house the Air 13 M3 will juggle apps and browser tabs without a stutter. Just consider bumping up to 16GB of RAM if you don't like remembering to close some of those apps or tabs.

While content creators would be better served by at least the MacBook Air 15 M3 and best served by one of the MacBook Pro models, the Air M3 can certainly do light duty there if you aren't doing photo and video editing constantly.

What else are you getting with the Air 13 M3? A bright display, a quad-speaker array and a solid 1080p webcam. These make it a great match for users that are regularly on the go as you can work in any lighting, enjoy your audio if you are watching or listening to content on the Air, and don't need to bring an external webcam . MagSafe charging keeps your two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports available for other purposes.

The biggest consideration with the Air M3 is the price if you need to upgrade much from the $1,099 base model. If you find yourself cresting the $1,500 mark for your configuration then you may want to consider the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, which I cover later in this list and starts at $1,599.

See our full MacBook Air (M3, 2024) review

2. MacBook Air (M2, 2022)

While most will be happy with the MacBook Air M1, there's no denying the appeal of the new design and of course chip inside the MacBook Air M2. The notch in the display isn't my favorite design choice, but the rest of the changes are great with the addition of MagSafe charging freeing up those two Thunderbolt 4 ports for other purposes.

You also get a nice performance bump and it still delivered 14 hours and 6 minutes in our battery life test, placing it easily ahead of the Windows competition and ridiculously so when factoring in performance. The fact that it does all this while staying whisper quiet and cool without fans remains astounding.

The list of upgrades also includes a brighter display, a quad-speaker array and the new 1080p webcam. That first will be particularly welcome to those that are using the Air M2 on the go and may be faced with less than optimal lighting conditions.

The biggest consideration with the Air M2 is the price if you need to upgrade much from the $1,199 base model. As I mentioned the Air M1 stuck around at $999, so you are paying a premium for the M2 model. If you find yourself cresting the $1,499 mark for your configuration then you may want to consider the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, which I cover later in this list and can now be regularly found for $1,799.

See our full MacBook Air M2 review

3. MacBook Air 15 (M3, 2024)

On one level, yes it is just a bigger MacBook Air M3, but that alone wouldn't be a bad thing and the reality is that it does get a couple of additional boosts due to its larger size.

The larger screen makes the Air 15 M3 a better option for those who need to work with data or any content that benefits from a little more screen real estate. The larger size also gives the Air 15 M3 slightly better sustained performance due to superior thermal management, so sustained tasks like photo or video editing will go much quicker on the 15-inch Air.

While battery life is roughly flat with the smaller model, at just over 15 hours no one is going to be complaining. Apple also isn't taxing you too hard for the larger display with the Air 15 M3 starting at $1,299 compared to $1,099 for the 13-inch model.

That's a solid value, particularly when you consider getting a MacBook with a 15-inch+ display has historically cost you $2,500 or more. While it's still not cheap, it's affordable by Apple standards while delivering all of the performance the average user needs for work, school, or general use. 

See our full  Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3, 2024) review .

4. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3)

Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 arrived in late 2023 and finally gave MacBook Pro fans a more affordable option with the current MacBook design, for $1,599 this is every inch a MacBook Pro. 

That base M3 offers plenty of performance for most users and the laptop still boasts incredible longevity with 17 hours and 16 minutes of battery life in our testing. , the hardware is otherwise largely the same excellent laptop we got 2 years ago. Now if you are a content creator, a power user, or dare we say it even a gamer then the M3 Pro or M3 Max models may be calling to you. While Apple still isn't challenging the best gaming laptops , it is making a meaningful plunge into gaming after just dipping its toe in for years.

Our complaints with the 14-inch MacBook Pro are nothing new, the notch still isn't our favorite design choice and it still stings that they are using up all that display real estate without giving us Face ID. However, these are minor quibbles regarding an outstanding laptop that is now available for a more affordable price.

See our full 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3, 2023) review .

5. MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Max)

We called the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max the "new king of MacBooks" and while you might think that means it belongs at the top of this list, the price makes it a choice you need to carefully consider despite how phenomenal it is.

Starting at $2,499 for the M3 Pro model and $3,499 for the M3 Max model, the 16-inch MacBook Pro isn't for everyone. However, if you are a creative professional or someone who just wants the biggest and best without concern over cost this belongs on your short list.

The notebook’s design is still virtually identical to the 2021 and early 2023 models, but that's not a complaint just yet. That means the new model retains the blessedly returned full HDMI and SDXC card reader. Battery life is mind-boggling for a laptop this powerful at just over 18 hours on a charge in our test, it also delivers that show-stopping Super Retina XDR mini-LED display, a super comfortable keyboard, and an excellent audio system. 

I still would recommend a gaming laptop with a discrete GPU for those who want the best overall gaming experience, but the 16-inch MacBook Pro is finally good enough to meet the needs of more casual gamers and there is evidence that things are only going to improve.

Overall, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops on the market and the only real hurdle a buyer needs to clear is that price.

See our full 16-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Max, 2023) review

How to Choose the Best MacBook for You

For us, the MacBook Air is an easy choice. It comes in at $999 (on the rare occasions when it isn't on sale) yet sports solid performance and incredible endurance thanks to its M1 processor. It's also the most portable of the bunch, and the improved 13.3-inch display is great for watching TV shows or movies. If you want a little more power, screen real estate, and a fresh design the MacBook Air M2 is your answer.

However, those looking for endurance and better performance over longer periods should consider the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3. It lasts for a remarkable 17 hours and 16 minutes on a charge and scored benchmark numbers that blow away much of the competition. 

Those three options should cover at least 90% of users. However, if you need either a larger screen or vastly more power for professional apps then the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro with either the M3 Pro or M3 Max are outstanding, if expensive, options. 

We put MacBooks through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate everything from speed and battery life to display brightness, speaker volume and system heat.

We use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut of a laptop's display. For performance benchmarking, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 5.4 and 3DMark professional graphics tests. 

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 25GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics tests include Assasin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry New Dawn, Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm and Shadow of the Tomb Raider with 1080p or higher resolution when the display supports it. 

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. We consider everything over roughly 10 hours to be a good result. Of course, these tests are complemented with hands-on testing from our reviewers.

Laptop Mag reviews over a hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming. 

We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on. 

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it. 

Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers,  Future Publishing . As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

Stay in the know with Laptop Mag

Get our in-depth reviews, helpful tips, great deals, and the biggest news stories delivered to your inbox.

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more.  Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more. 

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Disappearing Safari Tabs on iPhone or iPad? How to Find Them

Every so often, a seemingly small bug in Apple's operating systems survives the company's annual OS launches and continues to cause users huge frustration from one software update to the next.

While there isn't an accepted solution to the problem of disappearing tabs, there are cases where it might seem that your tabs are gone, when in fact they are just hidden from view. Here are some ways that you may be able to get them back or stop them from disappearing in the first place.

Reveal Hidden Tabs

On iPadOS, for example, if you press and hold the Show Tab Overview button (four squares in a quadrant) in the top-right corner of the Safari window, this will reveal a dropdown menu that includes an option to Merge All Windows .

Reveal the Shelf

Another action worth trying on iPadOS is pressing and holding the Safari icon in the Dock or on the Home Screen and selecting Show All Windows from the popup menu that appears.

Recently Closed Tabs

If you have an inkling that some of the tabs you're missing have been inadvertently closed, you can always use the Recently Closed Tabs option to re-open them. All you have to do is open up the tab view in Safari and long press on the "+" icon to get a look at all of the tabs that you've recently closed.

play Even if you're aware of the gesture, it's worth a reminder that this feature exists in case someone gets ahold of your phone and checks your browser. Even if you've closed out a tab, it's still going to be visible in Safari, unless you were using a private browser window or have cleared your browsing history.

Turn Off Auto-Close Tabs

If you still haven't been able to find some of your tabs, make sure that Safari isn't closing them after a certain duration on your behalf: Open Settings , tap through to Safari -> Close Tabs and ensure that Manually is selected.

Bookmark All Open Tabs

If the above suggestions haven't worked for you, there is a workaround: Consider bookmarking your open tabs after each browsing session. This might sound like more hassle than it's worth, but since iOS 13 Apple has included a one-tap option to just that.

A popup menu will appear at the on the screen from which you can select Add Bookmarks for X Tabs , the X being the number of tabs open.

Once you've tapped this option, you'll be asked to save the tabs in a new bookmarks folder (remember to give it a recognizable name). Alternately, you can choose a location from the existing folder list in which to save the tabs.

To access your bookmarks in Safari at any time, simply tap the Bookmarks icon in the main browsing interface or the sidebar to reveal all of your saved favorites and folders. Press and hold on the folder of bookmarks and select Open in New Tabs , or alternatively, Open in Tab Group if you want them grouped.

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