In macOS Big Sur, Safari will support more types of web extensions and Apple is also going to make it easier to port existing extensions from other browsers.
Apple in a WWDC presentation on Wednesday detailed a new Safari feature that allows developers to integrate Face ID and Touch ID authentication for the web, replacing common text-based logins.
New with iOS 14, Apple will finally allow users to set new default apps for email as well as surfing online, gradually opening the platform to more customization and third-party control.
Apple is reportedly working to bring full Apple Pencil support for websites and a built-in translator to Safari in iOS 14, with the latter feature also being tested on other system services.
An ethical "white-hat" hacker exploited Apple's own apps in December to show how a malicious website could gain unrestricted access to a user's camera and microphone without consent using flaws that have since been patched.
Websites typically adapt to the iPhone screen, but that doesn't mean they all do it well. When you know you're going to always need to see the full desktop version instead, you can make your iOS device automatically display it.
Along with iOS 13.4, Safari was updated with improved Intelligent Tracking Prevention to include full third-party cookie blocking and other privacy features.
The HomePod may be opened up to third-party music services, and Apple may also allow iOS users to permanently swap the default email and browser apps for alternatives.
The iCloud.com website now works natively on mobile browsers for both iOS and Android, giving users access to some of iCloud's most popular features to Android devices such as Find iPhone via a mobile-friendly interface.
Presaging what will be the final nail in the coffin for Adobe Flash on Safari, Apple on Wednesday disabled support for the much-maligned multimedia plug-in in the latest version of Safari Technology Preview.
Apple's enhanced privacy tools in Safari to prevent tracking can be used to continue tracking users, Google researchers intend to reveal in a paper, with a total of five different attack vectors identified in Apple's Intelligent Tracking Prevention system.
Apple's attempts to shield Safari users on iOS and Mac from privacy-infringing ad tracking technology has been "stunningly effective," according to ad executives, some of whom say features like Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) have severely impacted income.
The privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo has relaunched its Privacy Essentials extension for Safari on macOS Catalina, with the add-on revived for Safari 13 after it was removed from distribution for Safari 12.
Following a report alleging that Safari was sending URLs to China, Apple has clarified that this is not the case and has detailed how the Safe Browsing feature works.
An attempted billion-pound class-action lawsuit against Google, alleging the search giant has been tracking iPhone users, has been revived by the United Kingdom Court of Appeal, which has allowed the case to proceed through the UK courts.
Following moves by Google and Mozilla to block a Kazakhstan government-mandated certificate that facilitated state-sponsored internet surveillance, Apple has done the same in Safari.
