Apple on Monday debuted iOS 12 and macOS Mojave during its WWDC 18 keynote. Both operating systems offer the Safari web browser. The browser will offer favicon support in both operating systems.
Favicons are the tiny icons that appear in tabs, to the left of website page titles, and the bookmark bar. The favicon is usually a small version of the website or products logo. (If you’re using Chrome right now to view this, look at the tab for this site, you’ll see our recently redesigned logo.)
The Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Firefox platforms have offered favicon support for many years, but until now, Safari has lacked this support. Apple’s “What’s New in Safari” page on its website confirms favicons will arrive in the browser this fall:
Safari 12
Safari 12 ships with iOS 12 and macOS 10.14. It is also available for macOS 10.13.6 and 10.12.6.
- Icons in Tabs. Enable in Preferences to identify tabs visually with website icons.
- Automatic Strong Passwords. Safari now automatically generates strong, unique passwords when signing up for accounts or changing passwords on websites.
- 3D & AR Model Viewer. View 3D models or jump into an AR viewing experience in Safari on iOS 12.
Favicons make it easier to find a particular website in your browser window, particularly if you keep multiple tabs open at once.
In iOS 12 and macOS Mojave, the browser will not display the favicons by default, the user must enable them in the settings. To enable them on each operating system, do the following:
On the Mac:
- Open Safari.
- Click on “Safari” -> “Preferences” in the Menu bar.
- Click on “Tabs.”
- Check the box beside “Show website icons in tabs.”
On the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on the “Safari” menu option.
- Toggle “Show Icons in Tabs” to the on position. (It’ll turn green.)
iOS 12 and macOS Mojave are currently available in beta to registered developers. Public beta of both operating systems are due soon. The public release of both is expected in the fall.
(Via MacRumors)
