(RANT) Safari is a literal piece of (beep)

[Shirasaki]

WARNING: This post is a RANT post. If you don't want to read this, please close the tab NOW.
I have also sent feedback to Apple already for all points mentioned below.

Ever since I got my M1 MacBook Pro, I was impressed with its great battery life, decent performance and good portability compared to my ageing 11" MacBook Air early 2014 model. But this Safari, my god, is a literal piece of (beep) that I just can't stand it anymore.

1. Random closing or reopening tabs.
Ever since the release of Monterey Safari has this "tab group" thing that is supposed to be synced across iPhone, iPad and Mac. But more often than not, some tabs I just closed will reopen immediately, while other tabs I just open will be closed immediately. It's so random I cannot reproduce or troubleshoot. Instead, it's like "gotcha" "boom" and I am speechless.

2. Cannot create tab groups on Monterey.
Similar to 1, this happens randomly, but one day I want to send a group of tabs from a tab group to a new group so I don't over clutter my current browser window. Easy, right? No. Safari just won't even allow me to rename the new tab group, let alone create it or bring any new tab in. When I check my iPad, all those "Untitled Group" are there. WTF? Mac is so niche iPad is somehow superior?
I end up moving those tab groups to another browser. It's just horrible.

3. No "Hold Command+Q to Quit" feature.
Idk who designs Safari and think there is absolutely NO CHANCE user would not press CMD+Q when they are supposed to press CMD+W to close a tab. Edge and Chrome both have this "Hold CMD+Q to Quit" feature that could effectively eliminate the chance that a misclick could happen. I need to press CMD+Q for about 1s to close the browser that way. To be fair, FireFox doesn't have this feature either, but at least they offer "Warn you before closing the browser" option. Safari? NEITHER. NEITHER!!! I don't care how Apple touts how advanced their Safari browser is, I have prolly closed more than 100 tabs by accident like that and "recover from last session" doesn't always work and it doesn't really work for more than one browser window. Just like the AirPods Pro, I don't care how fancy the other feature is when the basic "Connectivity" is somehow a huge struggle.

Yes, there are workarounds through assigning alternative hotkeys or using third-party apps with script to mitigate the issue. But alternative hotkey doesn't seem to work on Monterey, and there should be no need to use third-party tools to achieve this basic feature either.

4. "Tab Group" sync is a huge mess.
More often than I want to admit, Safari tab group syncing is a huge mess. It's almost as if Monterey Safari is "inferior" over iPad Safari or something. Every time I close the Safari (mostly by accident), whatever I opened before closing are all GONE, and tab group goes back to an arguably very old state with tabs I meant to close opened anyways. What's the point of syncing tab group status then, if somehow iPadOS Safari tab group is the "master tab group"? Idk. But tab group syncing almost never works well for me.

Those four reasons above means I will slowly phase out Safari from my daily browsing and doing any sort of work with them. It's not like Safari is being widely supported by website anyways given how niche they are in the desktop world and how ubiquitous Chrome is. You know what, being Apple forum exclusive browser might not be that bad huh?

Sorry for the wall of text. But I am seriously enraged at this point. It's just a worse browser all around. There's a reason why most people uses Chrome despite Google privacy etc. If Apple still keeps the "superior" mindset, then good luck.

PS: Oh btw, somehow clicking a link that supposed to open a new tab instead opens a blank tab. I have to CMD+Click to open a new tab properly, which doesn't always work. WTF is this?

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Do I understand point 3 right? You're complaining, that Command+Q is quitting Safari?

 

[Shirasaki]

Do I understand point 3 right? You're complaining, that Command+Q is quitting Safari?

What I complain about is CMD+Q doesn't have any mechanism to prevent accidental press, unlike Chrome/Edge, or a warning popup like FireFox. Q and W are next to each other you know.

 

[yawarkhalid]

WARNING: This post is a RANT post. If you don't want to read this, please close the tab NOW.
I have also sent feedback to Apple already for all points mentioned below.

Ever since I got my M1 MacBook Pro, I was impressed with its great battery life, decent performance and good portability compared to my ageing 11" MacBook Air early 2014 model. But this Safari, my god, is a literal piece of (beep) that I just can't stand it anymore.

1. Random closing or reopening tabs.
Ever since the release of Monterey Safari has this "tab group" thing that is supposed to be synced across iPhone, iPad and Mac. But more often than not, some tabs I just closed will reopen immediately, while other tabs I just open will be closed immediately. It's so random I cannot reproduce or troubleshoot. Instead, it's like "gotcha" "boom" and I am speechless.

2. Cannot create tab groups on Monterey.
Similar to 1, this happens randomly, but one day I want to send a group of tabs from a tab group to a new group so I don't over clutter my current browser window. Easy, right? No. Safari just won't even allow me to rename the new tab group, let alone create it or bring any new tab in. When I check my iPad, all those "Untitled Group" are there. WTF? Mac is so niche iPad is somehow superior?
I end up moving those tab groups to another browser. It's just horrible.

3. No "Hold Command+Q to Quit" feature.
Idk who designs Safari and think there is absolutely NO CHANCE user would not press CMD+Q when they are supposed to press CMD+W to close a tab. Edge and Chrome both have this "Hold CMD+Q to Quit" feature that could effectively eliminate the chance that a misclick could happen. I need to press CMD+Q for about 1s to close the browser that way. To be fair, FireFox doesn't have this feature either, but at least they offer "Warn you before closing the browser" option. Safari? NEITHER. NEITHER!!! I don't care how Apple touts how advanced their Safari browser is, I have prolly closed more than 100 tabs by accident like that and "recover from last session" doesn't always work and it doesn't really work for more than one browser window. Just like the AirPods Pro, I don't care how fancy the other feature is when the basic "Connectivity" is somehow a huge struggle.

Yes, there are workarounds through assigning alternative hotkeys or using third-party apps with script to mitigate the issue. But alternative hotkey doesn't seem to work on Monterey, and there should be no need to use third-party tools to achieve this basic feature either.

4. "Tab Group" sync is a huge mess.
More often than I want to admit, Safari tab group syncing is a huge mess. It's almost as if Monterey Safari is "inferior" over iPad Safari or something. Every time I close the Safari (mostly by accident), whatever I opened before closing are all GONE, and tab group goes back to an arguably very old state with tabs I meant to close opened anyways. What's the point of syncing tab group status then, if somehow iPadOS Safari tab group is the "master tab group"? Idk. But tab group syncing almost never works well for me.

Those four reasons above means I will slowly phase out Safari from my daily browsing and doing any sort of work with them. It's not like Safari is being widely supported by website anyways given how niche they are in the desktop world and how ubiquitous Chrome is. You know what, being Apple forum exclusive browser might not be that bad huh?

Sorry for the wall of text. But I am seriously enraged at this point. It's just a worse browser all around. There's a reason why most people uses Chrome despite Google privacy etc. If Apple still keeps the "superior" mindset, then good luck.

PS: Oh btw, somehow clicking a link that supposed to open a new tab instead opens a blank tab. I have to CMD+Click to open a new tab properly, which doesn't always work. WTF is this?

This random closing and reopening is a pain in the (beep) for me too. There is absolutely no fix for it. Recently, Safari has also started taking a lot more battery on my M1 MacBook Air. Low power consumption was the only reason I was still sticking to Safari. Time to Chrome it up!

 

[MBAir2010]

Although im stuck on Mojave, is there a difference in Big Sur and Monterey?
you could switch back to big sur, then when SaltonSea or WhittierBLVD is release later this year, latch on to that,
Safari and High Sierra did the same crap on my MacBook air in 2017-18

but we need more rants like this from everyday members
Safari crashed 2 times on the iPad last night.

 

[frou]

Do I understand point 3 right? You're complaining, that Command+Q is quitting Safari?

This article explains the problem and a solution for Cmd-Q in Safari:

Quit Confirmation for Safari on MacOS

Now I can wildly stab at ⌘W to close tabs without a care in the world.

daringfireball.net

Unfortunately I think you really do need the 3rd-party FastScripts app it mentions for the solution, because in my testing it doesn't seem that Cmd-Q can successfully be bound to the AppleScript or an Automator workflow using stock MacOS features. (Maybe in Monterey it's possible to bind Cmd-Q in Safari to a "Shortcut" that runs the AppleScript?).

(But anyway I think the Chrome thing of holding down a keyboard combination for a longer time to modify its behaviour is a crappy approach. A confirmation dialog is the obvious and correct approach if doing this at all)

 

[KALLT]

This article explains the problem and a solution for Cmd-Q in Safari:

Quit Confirmation for Safari on MacOS

Now I can wildly stab at ⌘W to close tabs without a care in the world.

daringfireball.net

Unfortunately I think you really do need the 3rd-party FastScripts app it mentions for the solution, because in my testing it doesn't seem that Cmd-Q can successfully be bound to the AppleScript or an Automator workflow using stock MacOS features. (Maybe in Monterey it's possible to bind Cmd-Q in Safari to a "Shortcut" that runs the AppleScript?).

(But anyway I think the Chrome thing of holding down a keyboard combination for a longer time to modify its behaviour is a crappy approach. A confirmation dialog is the obvious and correct approach if doing this at all)

You could use that script in an Automator Quick Action, restrict it to Safari and save the workflow to ~/Library/Services. Then you can reach it via Safari’s app menu → Services. Then you can redefine the keyboard shortcut for command + Q in System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts → App Shortcuts by adding a new shortcut for Safari that has the exact name as the workflow. Now command + Q in Safari will only call that script.

 

[svenmany]

I am sometimes surprised by tabs since I will have more than one window open looking at the same tab group. It's usually unintentional when that happens, but I do finds one window changing on me as I work in another. I guess the same thing would happen to me if I was looking at the same tab group on my phone and my computer.

I'm really not sure what I would like to have happen in those situations.

 

[russell_314]

I use Safari for financial websites and Firefox for everything else. My biggest issue with safari is plug in support. It prevents ad blockers from properly working. Of course Google did this with Chrome but I expect that from a company that makes its money from advertisements. It’s just weird Apple did it.

I don’t think I’ve ever accidentally pressed Command + Q. It would be nice if Apple gave us the option to remap some of the commands.

 

[frou]

You could use that script in an Automator Quick Action, restrict it to Safari and save the workflow to ~/Library/Services. Then you can reach it via Safari’s app menu → Services. Then you can redefine the keyboard shortcut for command + Q in System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts → App Shortcuts by adding a new shortcut for Safari that has the exact name as the workflow. Now command + Q in Safari will only call that script.

Ah, thanks. Not sure why I didn't think of that, because I already define some "App Shortcuts" there, including one for Safari ("Disable Styles"). Because the quit confirmation thing is a Service, I had tried to bind it in SysPrefs > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services > General, instead.

 

[ruil]

the reopening and closing tab is absolute sxxt

 

[stevemiller]

I tried and then briefly abandoned the tab group feature, mostly because it felt like more work to organize and maintain, and the usability felt atrocious. I also wonder if all these tab opening and closing bugs are tied to the groups feature, since I haven't come across that issue yet.

What I will say in safari's defence is their pinned tabs feature seems A LOT more usable than chrome's equivalent. I'm not even sure what the point of pinned tabs in chrome are? maybe I'm using it wrong, but they almost always are lost when I either close the window or quit the app, and then I have to restore them from history in my next session. I don't think safari's pinned tabs have ever disappeared for me.

as for the delay before quitting in chrome, I personally loathe it and turn it off, but its totally a personal preference and I can see the purpose. Definitely make it optional though (similar to chrome), and a warning popup seems like a more consistent UI convention than the delay.

 

[bry223]

Im glad Im not the only one. I had to transition over to chrome (for now). Safari and google sheets / gmail is an absolute S*** Show. Random freezing, crashing etc. I use these functions a-lot for my day to day and just deal with it anymore.

 

[Cayenne1]

I never liked the Safari UI and have used Firefox for many years. Same for IE on my Windows PC where I used Firefox there as well.

The Mac allows alternatives so try Firefox, Chrome or something else. But they all have something to rant about if so inclined.

 

[ruil]

did the new beta today solve the problem? anyone knows?

 

[chevyboy60013]

don't have any issues with safari on my patched MacBook Air....

 

[greyeyezz]

I have always used Opera even back on Windows. The built in OS browsers (Safari, IE) are extremely primitive feature wise and offer no benefit whatsoever.

 

[hvfsl]

I have noticed that Safari got slower on my 2019 MBP compared to my 2012 MBP. The most annoying thing for me is that popup which says a page is using lots of resources, but the act of showing that warning seems to slow it down even more. Chrome is lightning fast in comparison (you notice most on web applications like Googlemaps), but the main reason I use Safari is for Netflix/Amazon Prime/Disney etc as they only show in 720p if you use other browsers.

 

[greyeyezz]

I have noticed that Safari got slower on my 2019 MBP compared to my 2012 MBP. The most annoying thing for me is that popup which says a page is using lots of resources, but the act of showing that warning seems to slow it down even more. Chrome is lightning fast in comparison (you notice most on web applications like Googlemaps), but the main reason I use Safari is for Netflix/Amazon Prime/Disney etc as they only show in 720p if you use other browsers.

Not true, screenshot from Opera Prime

Screen Shot 2022-02-09 at 5.46.45 PM greyeyezz

 

[nortonandreev]

The Tab Groups issues are persistent on the latest build of Safari on macOS 12.3 Beta 2 as well. It's beyond me how this feature was publicly released with these problems.

 

[brsilb]

I gave up on Safari and moved to MS Edge. Too much hassle.

 

[svenmany]

The Tab Groups issues are persistent on the latest build of Safari on macOS 12.3 Beta 2 as well. It's beyond me how this feature was publicly released with these problems.

Tab groups are working well for me. The only issue I have is that the groups sync between different windows and different devices. So deleting a tab in a group on one device will delete it on all devices, even if you have the tab group open at the moment it synchronizes with a change elsewhere.

Is the problem just the synchronization is delayed, so it catches the user at bad moments? What other issues are there?

 

[matrix07]

I think I’m in a minority. 😀

Always working with ~70 tabs (3 windows) everyday and doesn’t have any big issue. (forgot what the last issue I had)
And with new Quick Note function it’s just getting better and better. Can’t live without it.

(still using Edge when I want to download some video though 🙂)

 

[Reggaenald]

What I complain about is CMD+Q doesn't have any mechanism to prevent accidental press, unlike Chrome/Edge, or a warning popup like FireFox. Q and W are next to each other you know.

Every time I use Safari I question myself how there can’t be a safety mechanism, like keeping the buttons pressed or something, when Cmd+Q and Cmd+W are so close to each other, it’s maddening.

 

[Reggaenald]

I send the link of this thread to Jen Simmons on Twitter, hopefully not too many people did the same.