macOSX Browsers Safari 13

Safari 13: Security and Simplicity

Released on September 19, 2019, Safari 13 arrived as a major update for macOS Catalina, while also being made available for users on macOS Mojave and High Sierra. This version was all about making the web more secure and less cluttered, introducing features that helped users manage their digital lives with greater ease.

Enhanced Privacy and Password Safety

Building on its reputation for privacy, Safari 13 introduced several proactive security tools:

• Weak Password Warnings: If you tried to sign into a website using a weak or compromised password, Safari 13 would flag it and help you instantly upgrade to a strong, auto-generated one.

• USB Security Key Support: For those who need the highest level of protection, Safari 13 added support for FIDO2-compliant USB security keys, allowing for physical two-factor authentication directly in the browser.

• Sign in with Apple: This release was the first to support "Sign in with Apple," allowing you to create accounts on various websites using your Apple ID without sharing your real email address.

A Smarter Start Page and Tab Management

Safari 13 made finding your way around the web much faster:

• Updated Start Page: The new layout featured your Favorites, frequently visited sites, and Siri Suggestions all in one place, visually refreshed for better clarity.

• Jump to Open Tab: If you started typing a URL or search term in the Smart Search field that matched a tab you already had open, Safari would offer to jump you straight to that tab instead of opening a duplicate.

The End of Legacy Extensions

For power users on Chasms.com, Safari 13 marked a significant turning point: the official end of Legacy Safari Extensions (.safariextz files).

• Safari App Extensions: To improve security and performance, Apple shifted entirely to "Safari App Extensions" distributed through the Mac App Store. While this made the browser more stable and secure, it also meant that many older, unmaintained extensions stopped working overnight.

Subtle but Useful Upgrades

• Picture-in-Picture from the Tab: You could now enable Picture-in-Picture mode directly from the audio icon in the browser tab, making it much easier to pop out a video while you continued to browse.

• Dark Mode Support for Websites: Safari 13 allowed websites to automatically switch to a dark theme if you had System-wide Dark Mode enabled on your Mac.