iOS default browser

[Kev]

Why has apple not yet made it possible to change your default browser without jailbreaking?

I personally think safari is terrible. Atomic browser is by far the best browser for iOS but I still have apps opening links in safari.

Wasn't microsoft sued for locking people into IE in windows? What's the difference here?

 

[amdhunter]

That's one of the main reasons I haven't updated to iOS 5 on my iPhone. I really hate having Safari as default. At least if they allowed plugins for adblocking, then I would be OK.

 

[badb0y]

I just got Atomic Web Browser. Finally tabbed browsing for my iPhone lol.

 

[Kev]

That's one of the main reasons I haven't updated to iOS 5 on my iPhone. I really hate having Safari as default. At least if they allowed plugins for adblocking, then I would be OK.

Yeah I struggled with deciding on the iOS5 update. iMessage is literally too valuable, it will save me a lot of money on SMS charges.

 

[alent1234]

what does atomic do that safari doesn't?

 

[runawayprisoner]

Atomic doesn't have the nice javascript performance boost as Safari, among other improvements to performance. It only has more features.

In fact, what you think are third-party browsers on iOS are merely skins running on top of a Safari interface, or WebView. Strictly speaking, that means you are still using Safari.

The only exception is Opera Mini, which is technically not a browser in the conventional sense of the word.

So you really can't sue Apple for not allowing another variance of Safari to open links? It'll be the same thing anyways.

 

[badb0y]

Atomic does tabbed browsing. Apple didn't think it was important for the iPhone users to have tabbed browsing.

 

[runawayprisoner]

Atomic does tabbed browsing. Apple didn't think it was important for the iPhone users to have tabbed browsing.

Well, I can understand why. The menu bar down below takes up a god portion of the screen. Especially in landscape mode. But if it doesn't, then any other gestures to hide/unhide it would be unnecessarily cumbersome.

Adding a tab bar on top of that one is just blocking more screen real estate needlessly.

 

[alent1234]

ipad has it on ios 5. screen is too small on iphone. what's so hard about pushing that button in the lower right to switch tabs/windows?

 

[badb0y]

It's not too small and you can scroll through the tabs on top. Also you can hide the tab bar when not using it. The whole iPhone browser experience gets messed up when I have to open a new link and it disrupts the whole screen and takes me to the next window without my consent. I can also go through my pages easily on Atmoic without having the whole transitional page effect that Safari has.

Same concept as a desktop. Why open links in a new page when you can have everything consolidated in one Window and go through it however you want.

 

[Kev]

what does atomic do that safari doesn't?

- tabbed browsing
- open in background tab
- change user agent
- adblocker
- private browsing mode
- search text on page (I think safari just added this)
- drop box support
- gestures
- full screen
- other tweaks and controls

 

[Kev]

Atomic doesn't have the nice javascript performance boost as Safari, among other improvements to performance. It only has more features.

In fact, what you think are third-party browsers on iOS are merely skins running on top of a Safari interface, or WebView. Strictly speaking, that means you are still using Safari.

The only exception is Opera Mini, which is technically not a browser in the conventional sense of the word.

So you really can't sue Apple for not allowing another variance of Safari to open links? It'll be the same thing anyways.

I didn't realize this. I still think it would be nice to have the option to change your default browser

 

[Red Storm]

I'm surprised Apple hasn't at least added an option hidden deep in Settings to enable a default browser choice.

 

[runawayprisoner]

I didn't realize this. I still think it would be nice to have the option to change your default browser

Well yeah, but putting the option in means Apple has to watch out every time someone taps on a link, and check to see if the default web browser is still there or it has been deleted. If it has been deleted, should they pop up a menu to let the user choose, or default to Safari, and so on.

It still complicates the experience, and I don't think Apple would want that.

 

[alent1234]

- tabbed browsing
- open in background tab
- change user agent
- adblocker
- private browsing mode
- search text on page (I think safari just added this)
- drop box support
- gestures
- full screen
- other tweaks and controls

oh no, i'm going to go blind by looking at ads

i personally rarely notice them even on a laptop unless it's something i'm interested in

private browsing is available via free apps that ride on safari
drop box i don't care about

 

[Red Storm]

oh no, i'm going to go blind by looking at ads

i personally rarely notice them even on a laptop unless it's something i'm interested in

private browsing is available via free apps that ride on safari
drop box i don't care about

Why exactly are you justifying Apple's decision to prohibit users from setting a default of their choice? If they give you the option but make you go deep into settings to enable it, the only people that will use it are those who want to, not those who only care about the "experience".

All OP is asking for is the option to make his app of choice the default. Seems like a very reasonable request. 🙂

 

[alent1234]

it's not that big a deal for most iphone users. i don't use the browser that much. mostly use apps, twitter, pulse and other data aggregators

every year apple tries to figure out one or two features to concentrate on for the next ios/iphone version and leave the rest in the dust. that's how apple works

 

[Fingolfin269]

I just started using an iPhone and have no issues with Safari at all, at least at this point. The way it just opens extra pages in the background doesn't bother me at all.

 

[Aikouka]

Well yeah, but putting the option in means Apple has to watch out every time someone taps on a link, and check to see if the default web browser is still there or it has been deleted. If it has been deleted, should they pop up a menu to let the user choose, or default to Safari, and so on.

It still complicates the experience, and I don't think Apple would want that.

As a software engineer, this is an incredibly easy problem to solve without being too difficult. You can't just magically remove applications from your phone without it knowing (unless you jailbreak and delete it from the file system). iOS could easily do something such as set a flag on the application (if it's a default application) or check that single setting if it deletes a web browser (not sure if that specific type of an app is available, if not... it shouldn't be difficult to check on each app removal).

Also, if you can't find the web browser when someone clicks a link... just open it in Safari instead and pop up a message stating that Safari will be set as default. 😛

Atomic doesn't have the nice javascript performance boost as Safari, among other improvements to performance. It only has more features.

Why wouldn't AWB have almost the same performance levels as Safari? I thought they use the same rendering engine, which excluding any changes (pre-processing the source, removing ads, etc.) should make them about the same.

It makes me think of back when I first started messing around with Visual Basic, and it had a web browser pane that you could put in an app. The browser was essentially just IE without the controls. I assume this isn't much different.

EDIT:

I just started using an iPhone and have no issues with Safari at all, at least at this point. The way it just opens extra pages in the background doesn't bother me at all.

I've recommended using AWB quite a few times, and I even used Safari for a long time (~2 years). There is a free version if you'd just like to give it a shot. I forget what you get in the paid version (99 cents 😛).

 

[purbeast0]

it all just boils down to apple not giving you control over things like this. not sure why this would surprise anyone as iOS is locked down as a whole.

 

[runawayprisoner]

Why exactly are you justifying Apple's decision to prohibit users from setting a default of their choice? If they give you the option but make you go deep into settings to enable it, the only people that will use it are those who want to, not those who only care about the "experience".

Because for some of us, the prohibition means we don't have to worry about things jumping around randomly.

I can give my phone to my cousin and not be afraid that the next time I click a link in my email, it'll jump to some random app that I have never used before. If it's a sensitive link in the company, and the app records it, that's even worse.

That's not to say choice should be taken away, but like I kept mentioning, giving choice means complicating the process by which that choice can be made, and it'll just make things more cumbersome than they actually are.

Deep settings don't mean it ends right there. Think of when the app you chose is suddenly not on the device anymore for any ridiculous reason. What should the phone do? Open Safari again and risk having the user report a bug about the option reverting back to Safari? There are actually people who report silly bugs like those, and since Apple does take the time to go through bug reports, it's a crazy thing to sort out.

 

[Red Storm]

Because for some of us, the prohibition means we don't have to worry about things jumping around randomly.

I can give my phone to my cousin and not be afraid that the next time I click a link in my email, it'll jump to some random app that I have never used before. If it's a sensitive link in the company, and the app records it, that's even worse.

That's not to say choice should be taken away, but like I kept mentioning, giving choice means complicating the process by which that choice can be made, and it'll just make things more cumbersome than they actually are.

Deep settings don't mean it ends right there. Think of when the app you chose is suddenly not on the device anymore for any ridiculous reason. What should the phone do? Open Safari again and risk having the user report a bug about the option reverting back to Safari? There are actually people who report silly bugs like those, and since Apple does take the time to go through bug reports, it's a crazy thing to sort out.

Someone who doesn't know what "set as default" is will most definitely not know how to send a bug report, let alone what that means. Heck, I'm a power Android user and I don't even know off the top of my head how to submit bug reports.

 

[alent1234]

i don't care what the metal content of my screwdriver is, why would i care about a browser. it opens web pages OK, good enough for me. i've used IE since version 3 or so along with netscape navigator. browsers are commodities now. 99% of people don't care as long as it does basic tasks.

apple is catering to the 99% and allowing apps for the other 1% of niche users

 

[runawayprisoner]

Someone who doesn't know what "set as default" is will most definitely not know how to send a bug report, let alone what that means. Heck, I'm a power Android user and I don't even know off the top of my head how to submit bug reports.

But someone who does know how to use the feature will definitely file the bug report.

And it's only those that need the feature. If someone doesn't know how to "set as default", chances are they don't even need it to begin with.

 

[Red Storm]

But someone who does know how to use the feature will definitely file the bug report.

And it's only those that need the feature. If someone doesn't know how to "set as default", chances are they don't even need it to begin with.

Err, yes, that's the point.

I don't care about Average Joes. This is Ananadtech, we're power users of varying degree talking about the devices we like to use. I don't think it's so crazy for Apple to include a "feature" that has been around in Android for I don't even know how long.

It doesn't help the OP any to answer his question with "the Average Joe doesn't know what default means, so you shouldn't be asking for this feature".