Apple is planning to let iOS 15 users revert to the current Safari web browser design, following mixed feedback from beta users on the floating url bar at the foot of the screen.
The latest iOS 15 beta 6 introduces a new design that sees the Safari URL bar sit at the bottom of the page, permanently, as opposed to floating. That sees the return of the toolbar too.
However, the company is also offering users the opportunity to go back to a URL bar at the top of the page. That, in effect is a return to the normal order for web browsers.
Some users had complained that the first floating design, which was a massive change for Safari, made it more difficult to see content on some web pages. It had also made some functionality, like the refresh button and reader mode, harder to access.
Apple had initially said it was designed to help with one-handed use on increasingly larger iPhone screens, but acclaim was far from universal.
In the release notes on the Apple developer page, the company says: “The bottom tab bar has been redesigned to appear below page content. An option to show the address bar at the top is also available.”
In order to change back to the old order, iOS 15 beta 6 users can tap the aA icon and hit Show Top Address Bar.
It’s not completely unheard of to see Apple walk back some features or alter them in beta after feedback from users, but the company has also been pretty stubborn in pushing what it deems to be progress on users either.
It remains to be seen how the final version of Safari in iOS 15 will be presented to users when the operating system rolls out to all iPhone users. That’s likely to be around a month from now, if recent history holds true.
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