Safari is a core system app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and Apple improves it with every major software update. Here’s a list of new features and improvements added to the Safari browser in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Golden Gate.
Note that some features, like using AI to build extensions and getting notified of webpage updates, use Apple Intelligence and are not available on iPhone 15 and older.
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Build Safari extension by describing
The latest OS 27 update lets you build Safari extensions just by describing them. I used it to create a few extensions, with one of them changing the white background of neveropen to gray so it’s easy on the eyes. I also built another to turn all pictures on a webpage black and white. You can learn about the whole process in our dedicated guide, but here’s a quick recap:
- Open Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac running iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or macOS 27.
- Tap the three-line menu icon in the address bar and select Describe Extension.
- Select a category or describe it directly, and Apple Intelligence will build an extension for you. You can tweak it repeatedly as needed to improve it.
Organize your open tabs by topics
Apple Intelligence can automatically group your open website tabs by topics. So, for instance, if you’re working on a paper called ‘History of SpaceX’ and have opened a bunch of different websites, Safari should automatically bring all the scattered tabs into one group. It also adds new and removes existing tabs from groups automatically (which can both be a good thing or an annoyance).
Our dedicated guide explains this feature in a lot more detail, but here’s a summary for iOS and macOS:
- Go to the All Tabs view in Safari on iPhone, tap the three-line icon, and set Organize Tabs to ‘Automatically Create Topics.’
- On Mac, go to Safari Settings > Tabs and set Organize Tabs to create topics automatically or just show related tabs.
Get notified when a page updates
Safari in OS 27 can do background checks on a website at a set time and alert you to the change you asked for. For instance, I set Safari on my iPhone to check Tesla’s website every day at 5 PM and alert me if their NEMA adapter bundle is back in stock. The day it came back in stock, Safari sent a notification informing me.
Here’s how you can set it up:
- Visit a website in Safari and tap the menu icon in the address bar.
- Select Notify Me, describe what change you’re looking for on the webpage, set the time, and save it.
Swipe down to refresh a web page on Mac
Like iOS, Safari on Mac now lets you refresh a web page by swiping down when you reach the top of a page. This swipe-down-to-refresh also works in other Mac apps on macOS 27 Golden Gate.
Use Visual Intelligence in Safari (and elsewhere)
macOS 27 Golden Gate gets the Visual Intelligence feature, which lets you select a part of the screen, including something on a web page in Safari, and ask about it or do a quick reverse image search. You can also take quick actions (e.g., Add to Calendar, Translate, etc.), as shown in the screenshot below.
On iOS, you can be browsing in Safari and invoke Siri to explain what’s on the screen. Of course, this also works outside Safari.
Recently Viewed section on Start Page
Safari Start Page now has a new ‘Recently Viewed’ section that shows your recently accessed and recently closed browsing topics, so you can resume accessing them without digging through history. Additionally, the Recently Viewed section also shows topics open on your other devices. This new option is in addition to the existing Recently Closed Tabs.
Push Mac’s Safari window to iPad and scroll there
Sidecar now supports touch. You can move a Safari (or other app) window from Mac to iPad and use your finger or Apple Pencil to scroll through the page and take relevant action. I have loved opening Safari on my iPad on the left and controlling it with touch while I use other apps on my MacBook screen.
Uses less battery
Safari was already one of the most battery-saving browsers, and OS 27 improves further on that.
Safari now handles JavaScript faster
Apple’s keynote mentioned “Faster handling of JavaScript in Safari,” which improves the speed, responsiveness, and overall performance of websites and web apps.
Start Page loads faster
Start Page content (like your favorite websites, recently viewed topics, iCloud tabs, etc.) loads and shows up even quicker now.
Automatic fixing of weak passwords
This one is coming in a future OS 27 update.
It will let Apple’s Passwords app use Safari to automatically fix weak and compromised passwords and save the new, strong ones to the Passwords app.
Ask to Browse for kids
The new iOS 27 Screen Time parental controls include an “Ask to Browse” option that requires your kids to ask for your approval before they can visit a new website that isn’t already allowed. It’s only available when all devices (i.e., both yours and your child’s) are running the latest version of iOS.
Also, check out: New features added to iPhone Photos app in iOS 27
