In iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, Apple has dramatically redesigned Safari for the first time in years. The iPhone gets the biggest changes, with a new tab bar at the bottom of the screen and a bunch of new gestures and touch targets. To say that the changes have been “controversial” would be an understatement, with our own Jason Snell calling it “a mess.”
But if you’re struggling to get used to the change, you don’t have to keep it. After criticism during the beta period, Apple has given users the option to go back to a single tab view with an address bar at the top of the screen, like it used to be! Here’s how:
- Open Settings
- Select Safari
- In the Tabs section change from Tab Bar to Single Tab
You can also change the bar at the top back to white, rather than matching the main color of the site, and opt to hide the tab bar when surfing in landscape view. We typically suggest users give interface changes a week or two to get used to them, as changing habits and muscle memory takes time. But if you’ve given the new Tab Bar on the bottom an honest shot and prefer Safari on iPhone to have the address bar at the top like, you know, every other web browser on earth, it’s very easy to change.
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor
I have written about technology for my entire professional life - over 25 years. I enjoy learning about how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.