Safari is getting major feature updates in Apple’s 27.3 operating system updates, expected in December and appearing today in a developer beta: vertical tabs, an adaptive dark mode, and additional integration points with Siri AI.
Now your tabs are going the other way
In recent years, many browsers have experimented with reorienting the traditional top-of-page tab bar to a vertical stack, and Safari is now joining the parade. (This makes sense, when you think about it, because most of our screens are much wider than they are tall, which puts vertical space first.)
Vertical tabs are not a default option, but they are now a new option. Tabs are by default in the left sidebar as a strip of icons, but if you prefer, you can resize the tab bar to also show the tab titles. On the Mac, Apple created a hover effect reminiscent of the macOS Dock that displays the tab name when you move the pointer over its icon, and if you pause and hover, it will display a floating window with a visual preview of the page.
Just like with the horizontal tab bar, you can pin tabs, in this case, by dragging them to the top of the bar. And the new vertical tab system works with both tab groups and thematic views organized by Apple Intelligence.
This feature is not only specific to Mac: it is also available on iPad and iPhone Duo, in portrait and landscape mode. It is configurable through the View menu on Mac and iPad, and in the Settings app on all platforms.
Please turn off the lights
Apple added support for Dark Mode in 2018, and web standards have supported the idea of an alternative dark appearance for ages. The problem is, and always has been, that if a website doesn’t explicitly support dark mode, it will project its lightness in your eyes and make you unhappy. It’s so frustrating that many extensions have been created to allow users to force websites into dark mode, my favorite of which is Noir.
Still, it’s high time for the Sherlocking of Noir, and here it is. In version 27.3, if Safari comes across a web page that doesn’t offer a dark mode, it has the ability to intelligently create a dark style for that site, not only by darkening backgrounds, but also by adjusting text contrast, inverting certain logos and graphics, recoloring vector illustrations, lifting raised surfaces, and rebalancing overlapping shadows.
This is an optional feature. When you come across a site that might be obfuscated, Safari will ask you to try it and see if you like it. You can choose to have Safari automatically apply dark mode to all websites or approve changes on a site-by-site basis.
If a site do offering a dark mode – but it might be a little too light for comfort – well, Safari is going to respect the original designer’s wishes in that context. Basically, web designers who hate the idea of dark mode and explicitly warned against it won’t be replaced by Safari. (See, there’s still at least one use case for third-party extensions!)
This is a great feature that should have been included in Safari a long time ago. But Apple doesn’t have to stop there: HTML emails in Apple Mail are also a disaster in dark mode. Additionally, this change doesn’t affect in-app WebViews today, meaning your in-app browser sheet will still be screaming at you in the dark. Once this shakedown cruise in Safari is over, Apple needs to put these skills everywhere.
More access for Siri AI
Apple is also expanding Siri AI’s ability to access the content of web pages currently loaded in Safari. This new set of custom actions allows Safari to understand the full web content of all open tabs. (Currently, just look at what is displayed on the screen.)
So, for example, you can ask questions about content that’s at the very bottom of a page you’re viewing. Currently Safari can’t respond if it can’t see it, but in version 27.3 it will be able to scan the entire page and find the answer.
Siri AI can also now perform direct actions on your Safari tabs and windows, including moving, sorting, and organizing them. So you can ask Siri AI to put all your cooking tabs into a tab group, or sort a bunch of Amazon product pages by price, or close all those Amazon tabs. You can also add items to the reading list and even ask Safari to clear your history, including by site.
These new features all appear in iOS 27.3, iPadOS 27.3, and macOS 27.3. Early developer betas are available now, public betas should be available in the coming weeks, and Apple expects the final 27.3 to ship to everyone in December.
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