Safari was updated along with the latest iOS for your iPhone and other Apple devices. This update added quite a few new features you may not be aware of. For example, the updated Safari now has a “smart search field” that displays the top searched for URLs when you start to enter information in the search box to help you browse faster. Also, you no longer have to type the “.com”, “.org”, “.net” or other website address extension. You can just type “.” and Safari will show a list of the available extensions for you to choose from.
If you don’t like to deal with all the website ads and other clutter, you can tap the icon on the left of the smart search box. This will open a Safari Reader feature that will show you the website without the ads and other clutter. You’ll see the icon turn white when it is activated to help you remember to turn it off if you want to see more information on the websites you are visiting later.
You can arrange your favorite website Favicons that show up in new tabs in Safari by holding on one of them and dragging it into the position you want, just the same as you can arrange your Home screen icons. You can also add a favorite by tapping on the Share button, then tap Bookmark and add it to your favorites. You can then choose which folder your favorites should be saved in by tapping on Settings, Safari and then Favorites.
If you are browsing the web and find articles you don’t want to read now, but want to save them for later, you can add them to Safari’s Reading List. This list will sync to all your iOS devices so you can read what you saved on your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or MAC computer. To save items to the Reading List, make sure you are on the right webpage and tap on the glass icon. To access your Reading List later, just tap on the Bookmarks icon and switch to the tab with the Glasses icon.
Safari accesses the new AirDrop feature so you can easily share web pages with those close by who are also using AirDrop. To do this, tap on the share button in the bottom toolbar, then choose “AirDrop”. This will allow you to choose a contact to share the page with.
To further help browsing the internet become more convenient, Safari has an option to search on web pages now just by typing what you are looking for in the search bar and tapping the “On This Page” section that will show up in the bottom right hand corner of your iPhone or other Apple device. This will make sure that only the web page you are on is searched to find what you are looking for quickly.
You can now set the font size to larger or smaller in apps that support “Dynamic Type” and the Safari Reader will also show your preferred font size. To set your preference, tap on Settings, General, Text Size and then adjust the slider to the size you want. You can then always re-adjust it to be smaller or larger anytime you want.
You can also improve your browsing experience in the updated Safari by choosing a full screen view. This makes the address bar and toolbar disappear. To do this, tap above the top of the smart search field as if you were going to the top of the page. Then you can unhide the bars by tapping at the bottom of the screen.