Apple upgrades WebKit, adds new features to Safari

Apple’s latest version of Safari was announced at WWDC as part of the newly announced macOS Sonoma. The new browser version brings new privacy features that include the ability to lock your browser window, block trackers, and remove URL trackers. Safari can also now share passwords and passkeys to groups using iCloud Keychain. The transfer is done with end-to-end encryption.

Perhaps the biggest new addition to Safari is the ability to create profiles. Now when you’re browsing, you can sandbox your activities separately for things like work and personal browsing. The feature will help keep data and trackers from mixing between each other and help you browse more organized.

Apple is refocusing on WebApps, allowing developers to take advantage of a new Add to Dock feature so you can quickly access that program. Safari is built on top of the WebKit engine, which is also getting a whole lot of under-the-hood updates that include features like adding vibration support for controllers, support for external webcams in the iPad version of Safari, and AVIF support for older macOS versions starting with Big Sur.

Apple claims that Safari is “the best way to browse the web” and is the “world’s fastest browser.” Notably, iOS and iPadOS third-party browsers still require to run WebKit under the hood.