14
Oct
iOS 8 Steps Up Its Safari Game
- By Integr8
With the new larger displays on the latest iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, you might find yourself using the device to surf the web even more than before. I personally have increased my data consumption significantly because the larger screen is enough reason to reach for my iPhone 6 Plus instead of my iPad. This isn’t always the case; however, when I’m on the go, it tends to be more convenient to use my phone. In this post I’m going to share two new features that were previously reserved for using Safari on your computer.
A lot of web developers have created versions of their websites that were designed for a smaller display. In most cases, I find this to be sufficient, but there might be times that you need to view a webpage as you would on your desktop or laptop. This feature is now available in iOS 8, but it’s not the easiest to find, so I’d like to walk you through how to view what is called the “Desktop Site.”
The first step is business as usual. Open up Safari on your mobile device and type in the web address you’d like to view. The website will automatically direct you to the mobile friendly version of the site, as long as it’s available.
It can absolutely be beneficial having the website automatically format for a smaller display, but there may be reasons you prefer to view the full site instead. To view the desktop version, you will need to tap the address bar at the top of your screen until the text is highlighted. You can then drag down with your finger somewhere on the screen. You will see two options, one of which is to ‘Request Desktop Site’.
When you choose that option, the page will reload with the full desktop version of the webpage. You’ll have the same type of navigation functionality that you can find on your computer. Keep in mind that this isn’t guaranteed to be available for every website, but most of them do allow for this function. It’s up to the developer of the website you’re viewing.
The second feature Apple introduced to Safari in iOS 8 is called Reader. I use this feature quite frequently while reading articles on my computers and was thrilled to see it on my iOS devices as well. If you’re not yet familiar with Reader, it takes an article that you’re reading and streamlines it. The end result is an easy to read column of text and accompanying photos, making it an ad free reading experience.
You can tell if the Reader is available for the particular page you’re browsing by looking at the left corner of the address bar. The icon you’ll look for is 3.5 horizontal black lines.
As I said prior, when the Reader icon is tapped, the article is streamlined by aligning the text into an easy to read column and removing any ads that were once there. The feature also allows you to adjust the size of the font. You increase it by tapping the large A and decrease the size by tapping the small A. The more you tap, the larger or smaller the font will become. When you’re done with the article, simply tap the Reader icon again, which is surrounded by a black background showing it’s active. This will get you back to the normal view allowing you to navigate and find your next article.
I hope I was able to show you a couple of new tips today that will improve your web surfing experiences on your iOS devices. Be sure to check back frequently for more tips and tricks on all things Apple. If there is a particular topic you might be interested in learning, head on over to my contact page so we can set up a time to meet.
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