Safari 18 is also available for macOS 14 for testing
Apple is also launching a new browser version with the next macOS. It is part of macOS 15, but also runs outside of it.
Safari von Apple.
(Image: Apple)
Since June, participants in Apple's developer program have been able to test macOS 15 alias Sequoia free of charge in the form of a beta. However, not everyone who is interested has a suitable Mac for this. However, some of the new functions can also be tried out with an older macOS: the revised Safari 18 browser. This is also distributed via the manufacturer's regular public beta program, so you don't have to be a developer, you just need an Apple ID to log in.
AI is still missing
Safari 18 is already supported under macOS 13 alias Sonoma, but also under the current operating system macOS 14 alias Ventura. However, it should be noted that there is currently no easy way to run Safari 18 Beta in parallel with the current standard browser Safari 17.5. Safari 18 Beta overwrites or replaces the old version. The new features currently available in Safari 18 can be found in the openly accessible beta release notes.
Some of the functions announced by Apple have not yet been implemented. These include a "Highlights" feature that uses AI to summarize the essential content of a website via an overlay, but also discovers music on websites and then lists Apple Music albums. An AI summary ("Summarize" in reader/reading mode) is also not yet available. As part of Apple Intelligence, both functions are probably only available for macOS 15 with the appropriate SoC. Apple has not yet shown a controversial ad blocker ("Web Eraser").
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Watch videos for longer
However, there is still plenty to try out. This includes a new function that allows you to remove the viewer function on pages with a video and adapt it to the window size without having to switch to full-screen mode. The WebKit engine has been made even more energy-efficient and is said to be able to stream videos for up to four hours longer on a single charge than its big competitor, Google Chrome.
There are also new options for Apple Pay (transferring money, but only in the USA), support for WebAuthn-PRF, new JavaScript and CSS functions, the option to use passkeys across related origins, several new accessibility functions and many bug fixes. It should be noted that the beta may still contain bugs. Testing Safari 18 is free of charge.
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