Safari in iOS 26: Liquid Glass and new features
Apple has updated many of its built-in apps in iOS 26, and Safari is one of the apps with several notable changes. There’s a new design, an updated layout, and new features. This article covers all the changes coming to Safari in version 26 when the new iPhone operating system is released to all users this fall.
Liquid Glass Design in iOS 26
Safari uses the same Liquid Glass design as the rest of Apple’s apps. It’s mainly visible in the address bar, tab view, and buttons.
The buttons and tab bar have a translucent Liquid Glass look, and more of each web page’s background is visible underneath. The tab bar is more compact and takes up less space. Everything also appears more rounded.
When you scroll down, the tab bar collapses. You only see a small bar with the website URL, keeping the focus entirely on the website content. When you scroll up, the tab bar reappears in full size.
Updated Layout
In iOS 26, there’s a new compact design option. However, Apple has retained the ability to use the previous top and bottom tab views if you prefer them. Layout options are available in the Safari section of the Settings app.
Compact hides the sharing, bookmarking, and tab options behind the three-dot button on the left side of the tab bar. While this looks cleaner, it can be frustrating if you frequently need to access features like the tab menu. There’s a back arrow that splits into forward and back arrows when navigating through content. Settings such as translate and read mode are still available by tapping the small icon next to the URL.
The “Top” and “Bottom” views offer the same setup as in iOS 18, but with a new Liquid Glass look. Both bars have been reduced in size and no longer take up the entire screen width.
Tab management has been redesigned with the same design changes. The “+” button for opening a new tab is still on the left, and there’s now a blue check mark when you’re finished interacting with tabs. In the center of the tab view is a slider that shows the current number of open tabs in the tab group you are in.
Swipe left to right to quickly switch between your tab groups. Profiles can be changed using a dropdown menu at the top of the display. Additional tab management tools are available by tapping the three-dot icon.
Web Apps
When you add a web page to your Home screen in iOS 26, it always opens as a web app. Web apps are supported on the Home screen. in earlier iOS versions, but web developers had to configure them to work as web apps.
If websites were not configured correctly, they would open in Safari when added to the Home screen. Now a website will open as a dedicated web app, even if it hasn’t been explicitly configured for that purpose.
The “Open as web app” option can be disabled when adding a website to the Home screen if you want websites to open in Safari.
Tracking Protection
The extended fingerprinting protection now applies by default for all browsers and is no longer only activated for private surfing. Apple’s fingerprinting protection functions prevent websites from tracking their device use across different websites.
HDR images
iOS 26 offers HDR image support for Safari. HDR images have a larger dynamic range for lighter white tones and deeper black tones as well as an improved color space. P3-HDR images are now being shown in Safari on iPhones with XDR-Displays as shown.
SVG symbols
safari supports the SVG file format for symbols wherever symbols appear in the user interface, including the start page, web apps, safari tabs, menus and more. SVGs are superior to Pngs because they can be enlarged without loss of quality. In Safari, symbols often have to be displayed in different sizes.
WebGPU
safari in iOS 26 contains webgPU, a function that Apple tested in the Safari Technology Preview. WebGPU is similar, but is more direct with metal and the underlying iPhone hardware. WebGPU is not a directly usable function, but offers advantages.
web-based games achieve higher frame rates and better effects with lower CPU utilization. Image editing programs, 3D modeling pages, CAD viewers and websites with device-internal machine learning run faster and use less battery. Webgpu requires a iPhone 15 Pro or newer.
Digital Credential API
Apple now also supports Safari the W3C Digital credentials API. This enables websites to request ID documents such as Apple Wallet driver’s licenses to carry out a private and safe identity and age check.
The first websites that support the “Verify the Wallet on the web” are Chime, Turo, Uber Eats and the U.S. Bank.
Improvements in data protection
iOS 26 supports the “verify with wallet on the web”. The new Safari version prevents well-known fingerprinting scripts from accessing web-APIs that can disclose device properties such as screen dimensions. This restricts the possibility for advertisers to pursue them across websites. In addition, these scripts cannot set long-lasting memory such as cookies and do not read query parameters that could be used for navigation tracking.
Report website compatibility problems
With a new function, you can report problems with a website. In the “Page” menu, Apple adds the “Report website problem” option, which you can use to share information about improving Safari with Apple.
Publication time
iOS 26 is now available for developers and Apple plans to publish a public beta version in July. After a few months of test phase, iOS 26 is now available. will come onto the market together with the new iPhones in September.
