What Upgrades are Added to Safari with macOS Sonoma?

On macOS, Safari is the default browser. The browser is developed and designed for a smooth browsing experience without compromising Mac’s performance. Unlike Chrome, Safari is not known to consume too much RAM and memory.

With every new macOS upgrade, new improvements and features are added to Safari. Since macOS Sonoma’s public beta version is available and the official release is sometime this fall, it is time to get excited and update Safari browser. No, there are no complicated steps. Once you install macOS Sonoma, Safari will be automatically updated.

What features are added to Safari with macOS Sonoma, you ask? Let’s take a look at some of the interesting ones.

• Profiles

Safari now supports Profiles, and this is perhaps the biggest new addition. Now when you browse, you can create separate profiles for different purposes. For instance, you can create a profile for personal use or work. You can also create a profile for your shopping, social media accounts, etc. Each profile will have its own set of extensions, settings, cookies, tab groups, favorites, history, and bookmarks.

The creation of Profiles allows you to sandbox your activities separately. The feature also helps to keep trackers and data from mixing. You can browse more smoothly and in an organized manner.

• Privacy enhancements

Safari received several improvements to augment user privacy. Take Private Browsing, for instance. Private Browsing comes with advanced fingerprint and tracking protections, which protect users against unwanted outcomes. Hence, it is much more challenging for outside elements to identify the content users are engaging with.

Additionally, private windows will automatically lock when they are not being used. Hence, anybody trying to access your device when you are not on your desk cannot see what you are browsing.

• Passkey and password sharing

Passwords are generally protected and kept personal. They are not shared with others. But there might be some accounts that you want to share with family, friends, or colleagues. macOS Sonoma allows Safari to share passkeys and passwords to groups via iCloud Keychain.

So, you need to create a group to share passwords. If you have updated the credentials, the group members will be notified. You can also remove the credentials at any time.

• Web apps

Working with Safari means opening multiple windows and tabs. It can get challenging to keep track of all of them. During those times, you might have found yourself hoping there was a web browser for one website that you use regularly. You can simply launch the web browser for that website and quit it when you are finished. This can solve the problem of having too many open tabs.

Your wish is answered! With macOS Sonoma, Apple introduced the ability to create web applications in Safari. Visit the website you use frequently and click the Share button > select Add to Dock. The website will be saved as a mini application and saved in the Dock. Then, you can click the icon in the Dock whenever you need to visit the website. You don’t need to type the URL, open Safari, or have tabs cluttered on the screen.

You can also remove the web apps from the Dock just as easily. Simply drag the web app icons and go to your user folder. You can place them on the desktop so you can launch them by double-clicking on them. Or launch them via Spotlight.

If you want to delete them, drag the web app icons away from the Dock and send them to the Trash.

• Web extensions

One of the reasons why Mac users preferred Chrome over Safari is because of its extensive collection of extensions. With macOS Sonoma, Safari supports web extensions. These are add-ons that can be installed to change the browser’s behavior and boost productivity. Some of the extensions are already available, and there are more in the development stage.

Additional Safari Upgrades:

Please note that some of the following enhancements are already present in macOS Ventura. With macOS Sonoma, they have become more polished.

• Shared Tab Groups – This feature allows you to collaborate smoothly and streamline your workflow. Whether you are working with a team on a research paper or any other project, this feature is handy.
• Intelligent tracking prevention – Thanks to intelligent tracking prevention, trackers are blocked from following you across websites.
• New features for developers – The web browser includes a number of new features for developers, such as Safari Technology Preview 173 and WebAssembly.
• Privacy Report – This is a new feature that shows users how Safari is protecting their privacy and security. The report shows all the websites that have been blocked because they were attempting to track your activities.

Conclusion

macOS Sonoma is a much-awaited upgrade, especially because of its Safari enhancements. If you are not afraid of glitches and bugs, try out the public beta version and utilize the aforementioned Safari features.