Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What Internet Browser are you Using on iPhone ?


  • Total voters
    97

NOATAK

macrumors member
May 8, 2018
38
188
I (still) use Safari because all other browsers do not allow extensions. However, as soon as Firefox releases their own real browser, I'll switch immediately. There's nothing like uBlock Origin. But Mozilla would also have to do something about the UI, the current Firefox app is terrible.
 

ignatius345

macrumors 604
Aug 20, 2015
6,899
11,267
iOS updates obliterate devices’ performance and battery life - no thank you. I’ll leave that degradation to others.
Yeah, I hear that. I’ve had that happen with an old iPad. I guess I was presuming that you have a new iPhone. But at some point, it’s smart to cut it off for that exact reason!
 

FeliApple

macrumors 68040
Apr 8, 2015
3,469
1,933
Yeah, I hear that. I’ve had that happen with an old iPad. I guess I was presuming that you have a new iPhone. But at some point, it’s smart to cut it off for that exact reason!
Well, I have the as-of-now latest iPad Air 5… on iPadOS 15. I never hit the update button, even if my device is the latest. Sadly, that does bring about issues with Safari, as some websites start having compatibility issues at some point (not on this iPad, but my iPhone is an iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12, and, occasionally, a website will not work), but I tolerate it.

If I had such a strict criteria, I’d have to upgrade everything immediately and I’d have to stop using devices sometimes days after purchase. Obviously not an option.

But like I have said elsewhere, these occasional Safari issues are the most annoying aspect of this, everything else is flawless. Ask iPhone Xʀ users how they feel about battery life with the original battery on iOS 17…
 

UliBaer

macrumors member
Feb 10, 2024
79
145
Germany
Default browser is Firefox Focus for all the links one accidentally clicks in mails, apps etc. One click on the waste paper basket icon and all is forgotten! 👍

For normal browsing i use Firefox. Desperately waiting for the native Firefox engine with uBlock origin!

EDIT: Firefox Focus also doubles as Safari plugin for filtering the most pesky ads!
 

ignatius345

macrumors 604
Aug 20, 2015
6,899
11,267
Well, I have the as-of-now latest iPad Air 5… on iPadOS 15. I never hit the update button, even if my device is the latest. Sadly, that does bring about issues with Safari, as some websites start having compatibility issues at some point (not on this iPad, but my iPhone is an iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12, and, occasionally, a website will not work), but I tolerate it.

If I had such a strict criteria, I’d have to upgrade everything immediately and I’d have to stop using devices sometimes days after purchase. Obviously not an option.

But like I have said elsewhere, these occasional Safari issues are the most annoying aspect of this, everything else is flawless. Ask iPhone Xʀ users how they feel about battery life with the original battery on iOS 17…
I think there's a balance to be made. In my opinion, you want to upgrade as far as you can, up until the point where the OS version starts really slowing the device down. I have an iPad Mini 4 that I definitely went one or two iPadOS versions too far and now it's barely usable. My M1 Air, on the other hand, still totally flies running MacOS Sonoma. My best guess is that it'll run smoothly with whatever MacOS comes out this fall and maybe 2025 before new version start slowing it down a lot. Hard to say, of course.
 

FeliApple

macrumors 68040
Apr 8, 2015
3,469
1,933
I think there's a balance to be made. In my opinion, you want to upgrade as far as you can, up until the point where the OS version starts really slowing the device down. I have an iPad Mini 4 that I definitely went one or two iPadOS versions too far and now it's barely usable. My M1 Air, on the other hand, still totally flies running MacOS Sonoma. My best guess is that it'll run smoothly with whatever MacOS comes out this fall and maybe 2025 before new version start slowing it down a lot. Hard to say, of course.
This depends on tolerance. I have zero. No iOS update should worsen my device in any way. Before your Mini 4 was slow, battery life suffered significantly. I don’t tolerate that.

As far as I know, my tolerance usually indicates that I have one major update in the majority of devices before something breaks. On some devices it is two. On some devices it is zero. It doesn’t get any better than two.

Safari suffers when doing this, which is why I’d like to update it as a standalone app, but Apple is more interested in forcing my devices to the latest version rather than helping me run older versions better.
 

bousozoku

Moderator emeritus
Jun 25, 2002
15,755
1,927
Lard
I almost always use Firefox, since it integrates with the Mac and Windows versions and has the finest tracking prevention. I wish it had its own back end, but that should be coming since Apple might be relenting.

I use Chrome when the Gmail app pushes me there and equally, I use Safari when Apple pushes me there.

I tried Brave and Opera Mini.
 

Blue Hawk

macrumors 68000
Dec 18, 2017
1,594
1,214
Germany
I’m using Chrome now because it’s much faster and cleaner than Safari.

I also like the Aloha Browser and Orion
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.