Safari 16.1 launched with Web Push, Passkeys and Apple Pencil hover support

iOSiPadMacby Imran Hussain

Apple has released Safari 16.1 for iPhone, iPad, and Mac with new features including Web Push, Passkeys, Apple Pencil hover support, and more. The release rolls out alongside iPadOS 16.1, iOS 16.1, and macOS Ventura. 

Safari 16.1

Safari 16.1 features

Apple has released a number of features that were previously in the works, as well as a number of new features and bug fixes. Here is a list of the major new changes:

  • Safari 16.1 for macOS Ventura supports Web Push. While Safari already supported push notifications for websites, it required the browser to be open to work. Web Push allows web apps to send notifications even if the browser is not open. Users still get to choose whether they want to receive notifications or not.
  • Animated AVIF images are not supported in Safari 16.1 on iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura.
  • Passkeys support was announced at WWDC 2022. The feature is finally available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac now, and allows the use of passwordless sign-in. This feature requires apps and websites to support it, and some services like Visa already support it.
  • Apple Pencil hover is now supported with the new iPad Pro. this feature allows the detection of hover states for links, animations, etc.
  • New viewport sizes are supported on iPadOS so that websites show properly in the different window sizes supported by Stage Manager.
  • Safari 16.1 supports text fragments now. This allows the use of URLs with text directives to scroll directly to specific parts of a web page with the marked text highlighted. Chrome added support for this feature a while ago, and even allows creating such links right from within the browser.
  • On macOS Ventura, Safari now allows sharing specific windows during video calls. A permission pop-up appears which asks users whether they want to share the screen or just the window.

You can check the complete list of updates here on the WebKit blog. 

Despite releasing alongside the new iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1, and macOS Ventura software updates, Safari 16.1 can be downloaded and installed on iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Monterey.

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About the Author

Imran Hussain is the founder and editor of iThinkDifferent, which he launched in 2008 to cover Apple news, reviews, and how-to guides. He has spent over 15 years writing about iOS, macOS, and the wider Apple ecosystem, with a focus on hands-on guides - installing developer betas, troubleshooting, and walking through new features on his own devices. Based in Dubai, he also loves to cover photography, gaming, and the tech industry more broadly on his social media profiles.

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