Apple updates Safari with new privacy features, including group passwords and passkey sharing

Apple introduced new Safari browser upgrades on Monday at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote event. With the release of macOS Sonoma, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17 later this year, the latest version of the company's browser will include new features such as a locked mode for Private Browsing windows, stripping tracking code from URLs, safely sharing passwords and passkeys to groups, and improved tracker blocking. On the next version of macOS, Safari will also allow users to pin a website added as a WebApp to the dock.

Apple revealed at WWDC 2023 that Safari would soon lock Private Browsing windows when they are not in use, secured by your password and Face ID or Touch ID. According to the corporation, this would allow you to leave your Private Browsing Windows open even while you are not near your devices. This functionality will be available later this year in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma. 

Safari will also allow you to establish profiles later this year. These will allow you to transition between job, school, and personal profiles. According to Apple, each profile has its own browser history, cookies, tab groups, and favourites.

WebKit, the browser engine on which Safari is built, will also see a significant boost, allowing WebApps to be pinned to the dock on macOS. This implies that users will soon be able to utilise the Add to Dock functionality to make webpages saved as WebApps more accessible.

Safari will also be upgraded to provide enhanced tracking and fingerprinting security. Safari, Mail, and Messages will all be upgraded with Link Tracking Protection, which is said to remove extra information from URLs to prevent cross-site tracking.

With the release of macOS Sonoma, users will be able to form groups with family or friends to share a set of passwords or passkeys. According to the business, this operates using iCloud Keychain, which means that all information exchanged with members are end-to-end encrypted, and all users who are part of the group will be able to update and add extra passwords.