Safari Gets Vertical Tabs and Siri Tab Control in iOS 27.3 Beta

The idea is not new: Microsoft Edge and Arc have offered vertical tabs for years, and Arc did much to popularize the layout. On Mac, Safari could already show tabs in a sidebar, but the new mode puts the tab bar itself on the left. On Mac and iPad, users switch to it from the View menu. Apple also says it will work on its foldable iPhone Duo.

Siri handles tab housekeeping

A new feature called Siri AI Custom Actions lets users move, group or close open tabs by voice or text. In an online demo, an Apple representative had Siri organize tabs gathered while researching a trip to Kyoto, and asked it to close every Reddit tab. Another planned capability, in which Siri understands a whole web page, including parts not visible on screen, and answers questions about it, is not in the first beta. The Siri features require a device that supports Apple Intelligence.

Adaptive Dark Mode

Adaptive Dark Mode darkens websites that do not offer a dark theme themselves, avoiding the glare of a white page when Safari is already in dark mode. Rather than simply inverting colors, it keeps text readable and adjusts logos, buttons and shadows. When a bright site opens, a Try button lets users preview the effect, then apply it to that site or to all supported sites.

The features are limited to the developer betas for now. A public release has not yet been announced.