iOS14 Last Minute Leak Reveals Huge Safari Upgrade to battle Chrome

iOS14 Last Minute Leak Reveals Huge Safari Upgrade to battle Chrome

WWDC 2020 is just hours away, and what could be Apple's biggest announcement has already leaked. According to last-minute information, Apple may be working on a long-awaited Quality of Life upgrade to Safari in iOS 14.

Asked about the major changes that could be coming to Safari on iOS in particular, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman responded with a list of features that he believes Apple is currently developing. Most interesting are an improved tab interface and voice search.

Of course, Gurman quickly grounds his statement by admitting that he doesn't know when Apple plans to introduce these features; they may be announced at WWDC, or later, or they may be announced at a later date. Nevertheless, this is the time of year for feature updates at this level in iOS.

Built-in translation tools are also long overdue, another category in which Chrome has long lagged behind Apple.

Safari's "guest mode" seems interesting as a sign that Apple is beginning to recognize that some users share devices. The multi-user profile option is currently only available on the iPad for the education and business markets.

If Apple is planning a major update to Safari in iOS 14, it would fit another rumor we have heard: iOS 14 may allow the iPhone to change its default apps to third-party apps; Chrome or Firefox as the default web browser, Safari will need to become more competitive if it is to survive in a world where it can be set as the default web browser. [For example, voice search has long been a powerful feature of the Chrome browser, and it would be a necessary upgrade for Apple to catch up.

iOS 14 is expected to bring a number of design changes across the board, including more prominent widgets and changes to the home screen. We also hear about "app clips," miniature versions of applications that can be used without having to download the entire app. Additionally, there are rumors of a new fitness app.

We should have a clearer picture of what iOS 14 will have in store in a few hours when WWDC kicks off at 1 p.m. ET.

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