iPad Do you use Safari or another web browser

[mi7chy]

Safari is a desktop-class browser on iPadOS.

It's not. Only ChromeOS, MacOS, Windows, Linux, BSD, etc. have desktop class browsers. iPadOS/iOS aren't one of them. More reason for MacOS on iPP 2021.

 

[CTHarrryH]

Safari most of the time - occasionally Firefox since there are a couple of sites I go to that don't work totally OK with Safari.

 

[Surfer13134]

It's not. Only ChromeOS, MacOS, Windows, Linux, BSD, etc. have desktop class browsers. iPadOS/iOS aren't one of them. More reason for MacOS on iPP 2021.

It actually is and was introduced in iPad OS 13.

 

[one more]

Safari, just Safari. ✌️

 

[AutomaticApple]

It's not. Only ChromeOS, MacOS, Windows, Linux, BSD, etc. have desktop class browsers. iPadOS/iOS aren't one of them. More reason for MacOS on iPP 2021.

Not even close...

Introducing Desktop-class Browsing on iPad - WWDC19 - Videos - Apple Developer

iOS 13 brings desktop-class browsing to iPad. With blazing-fast performance, industry-leading security, and modern desktop features,...

developer.apple.com

 

[sparksd]

It's not. Only ChromeOS, MacOS, Windows, Linux, BSD, etc. have desktop class browsers. iPadOS/iOS aren't one of them. More reason for MacOS on iPP 2021.

Apple advertising aside, what do you feel is missing/lacking on the iOS side?

 

[DreamPod]

As far as I understand, due to security and stability concerns Apple doesn’t allow third party browsers to use their own rendering systems in iOS - they are all just re-skinned Safari. So that’s what I use, Safari.

 

[doboy]

As far as I understand, due to security and stability concerns Apple doesn’t allow third party browsers to use their own rendering systems in iOS - they are all just re-skinned Safari. So that’s what I use, Safari.

True, but other browsers offer more features, if anyone cared about them.

 

[Gregg2]

I am mostly using Edge (used to be Chrome), because I have to bounce back and forth between a Windows PC, my MBP, an iPhone and an iPad. I need my bookmarks synced across all devices and while there are extensions that will sync between Safari and Edge or Chrome, they suck and constantly screw up my bookmarks.

I believe that Microsoft Edge is the replacement for the former Microsoft Internet Explorer. Before that name change, it was awkward to refer to the browser for us lazy Americans who try to shorten anything and evrytng, because the file manager was called Microsoft Explorer, and I think it still is. Chrome is from Google, so it competes with Edge.

Here's some info (see?) about browsers in general, undoubtedly for computers rather than specific to tablets.

Browser Market Share United States Of America | Statcounter Global Stats

This graph shows the market share of browsers in United States Of America based on over 5 billion monthly page views.

gs.statcounter.com

 

[mikiee]

I u

I’ve never downloaded a third-party web browser to mu iPad. Am I missing out? Obviously, Safari has some compromises and just plain sucks on some websites. Are there iPad browsers that work more like a desktop browser and avoid some of the issues Safari has on the ipad?

I use Chrome on my ipad 8. Why? Because for the life of me I could not figure out how to import Favorites into Safari. Someone later supplied an involved link how to do it, but it just wasn't worth the hassle. Who designs a browser with no import option?

 

[iPad Bro]

Chrome for me. Been using it as my browser for years now. I’ve sometimes used Safari when I can’t seem to save images in Chrome or something annoying like that, though.

 

[Gregg2]

I use Chrome on my ipad 8. Why? Because for the life of me I could not figure out how to import Favorites into Safari. Someone later supplied an involved link how to do it, but it just wasn't worth the hassle. Who designs a browser with no import option?

When I bought my iPad, it automatically synced with Safari on my Mac and my wife's iPhone. You must be bypassing iCloud.

 

[mikiee]

When I bought my iPad, it automatically synced with Safari on my Mac and my wife's iPhone. You must be bypassing iCloud.

Uh, I'm talking about from another browser. Ipad is my first Apple product, so all my Favorites are either in Edge, Firefox, or Chrome and any of those browsers allow importing. Apple's Safari is a closed vault!

 

[pdoherty]

Uh, I'm talking about from another browser. Ipad is my first Apple product, so all my Favorites are either in Edge, Firefox, or Chrome and any of those browsers allow importing. Apple's Safari is a closed vault!

Don;t worry - when all your bookmarks, history, passwords, etc are on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and your text messages and phone calls come to all of them too, you’ll be sucked in and there’s no going back!

 

[shenfrey]

All web browsers on iPad use webkit anyway so not much point unless you need it for cross-platform syncing.

I'm actually hoping this is one of the things that will change come WWDC. I like Safari well enough but even on the MacBook, I've encountered a few websites that needed Firefox or Chrome in order to work.

Edge with DuckDuckGo.

 

[Booker45]

Does it still have the feature to add proxy servers like socks5? cause I heard it has been excluded in the latest version?

If you desire a desktop-class browser for your iPad, I'd suggest looking at iCab Mobile.

It's the closest thing to a desktop browser I've used (since Mercury, before it was sold and ruined), with myriad customization, functional, and import/export options, including direct support for the major ad-blocking lists (it does not rely on iOS' system content blocker). It's more like Firefox desktop than Mozilla's own iOS browser is, and the developer is responsive to users.

A browser is far more than its rendering engine. To suggest otherwise is silly, and akin to telling the developers of Edge, Vivaldi, Brave, etc. that they have no reason to exist, just because they employ Blink like Chrome. That also applies to iOS.

 

[JSteele]

I have DNS ad blocking setup so I try and use Safari as much as I can. However there are just some websites that don't work well on Safari, so I have chrome downloaded as backup.

 

[harriska2]

Full Safari on my ipad and Safari on Mojave both don't work properly with Facebook so I'm forced to use Chrome. Also, my bank doesn't work in Safari so I have to use Chrome there, too.

 

[TheIntruder]

Does it still have the feature to add proxy servers like socks5? cause I heard it has been excluded in the latest version?

That had to be dropped because the modern version of iOS' web engine doesn't support it.