Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 120 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

[MacRumors]

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

Safari Technology Preview release 120 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for Web Inspector, Scrolling, CSS, JavaScript, Web API, Media, WebRTC, Web Audio, Accessibility, Payment Request, Speech Recognition, and Private Click Measurement.

The current Safari Technology Preview release is the built on the new Safari 14 update included in macOS Big Sur with support for Safari Web Extensions imported from other browsers, tab previews, password breach notifications, web authentication with Touch ID, and more.

The new Safari Technology Preview update is available for both macOS Catalina and macOS Big Sur, the newest version of the Mac operating system.

The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple's aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

Article Link: Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 120 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

 

[Razorpit]

I had some issues a few years back and went and downloaded the preview to see if it would fix them. Never used it much since.

Anyone who is not a developer using the Preview?

 

[infiniteentropy]

Snappier? Snappier.

 

[jefhai]

They always mention performance improvements..
Are we going to see this finally released and Apple proclaim browser speed supremacy?

 

[Kylo83]

14.2 interesting 11.3 has 14.1

 

[TabascoMuffin]

It is still bad and choppy than 13.1.3 :/

 

[Bustycat]

Still hope some AV1 member called Apple could support AV1 and AVIF for its browser Safari soon..

 

[k.alexander]

Trying to switch from Chrome to Safari. Realized Gmail gets reloaded all the time due to "significant memory" messages. Tried Safari Technology Preview (STP) -- seems to happen less, but is still happening.
@TabascoMuffin seems from your cross-out, are you saying it's still happening on the newest STP?

Another question, how is everyone dealing with website notifications, like the Safari Push Notifications that MacRumors for example offers? I just realized when I click on one, even though I have STP set up as the default browser, the system insists of opening up Safari (not-STP) and loading the page in that. Although just now it opened Safari and actually loaded the page in both Safari and STP.

 

[Realityck]

14.2 interesting 11.3 has 14.1

The Safari preview releases must be alpha, where as Appleseed, and dev/public beta is beta version. Always wonders how these Safari preview releases fit in. Now it’s obvious.

 

[MauiPa]

I had some issues a few years back and went and downloaded the preview to see if it would fix them. Never used it much since.

Anyone who is not a developer using the Preview?

I use it almost exclusively, haven't ha any issues. Did get YouTube 4k before regular Safari because of the VP9 codec

 

[MauiPa]

The Safari preview releases must be alpha, where as Appleseed, and dev/public beta is beta version. Always wonders how these Safari preview releases fit in. Now it’s obvious.

huh? Safari technology Preview is a separate downloadable application, very much like chrome canary is a pre-release version of chrome. I would not say it is alpha, because I have never had a bug in it, always works great, I don't even use Safari, just Safari Technology Preview. and anyone can download it, not just developers or public testers, it is in developers area, but you can get it without logging in.

I'm not saying you are wrong, but I do not know what you are saying

 

[MauiPa]

14.2 interesting 11.3 has 14.1

separate download, you don't download technology preview with Big Sur, so I am not understanding what you are saying. for example, I downloaded Big Sur 11.3 when it cam out and STP 14.1, today I downloaded 14.2

 

[MauiPa]

Trying to switch from Chrome to Safari. Realized Gmail gets reloaded all the time due to "significant memory" messages. Tried Safari Technology Preview (STP) -- seems to happen less, but is still happening.
@TabascoMuffin seems from your cross-out, are you saying it's still happening on the newest STP?

Another question, how is everyone dealing with website notifications, like the Safari Push Notifications that MacRumors for example offers? I just realized when I click on one, even though I have STP set up as the default browser, the system insists of opening up Safari (not-STP) and loading the page in that. Although just now it opened Safari and actually loaded the page in both Safari and STP.

That is not happening to me at all, it works fine and has worked fine for years. You got something hincky running in background somewhere? and gmail works fine, although I don't use the web interface much, because why? I gave up on Chrome, it uses too much memory

 

[k.alexander]

That is not happening to me at all, it works fine and has worked fine for years. You got something hincky running in background somewhere? and gmail works fine, although I don't use the web interface much, because why? I gave up on Chrome, it uses too much memory

So you're saying that you get website apple push notifications and they open up just in STP? And they don't try to open regular Safari? I give up!

 

[k.alexander]

separate download, you don't download technology preview with Big Sur, so I am not understanding what you are saying. for example, I downloaded Big Sur 11.3 when it cam out and STP 14.1, today I downloaded 14.2

How are you updating to each new version of STP? Do you go and manually download and install on top of the current version, or is the update coming through the AppStore?

 

[TabascoMuffin]

Trying to switch from Chrome to Safari. Realized Gmail gets reloaded all the time due to "significant memory" messages. Tried Safari Technology Preview (STP) -- seems to happen less, but is still happening.
@TabascoMuffin seems from your cross-out, are you saying it's still happening on the newest STP?

Another question, how is everyone dealing with website notifications, like the Safari Push Notifications that MacRumors for example offers? I just realized when I click on one, even though I have STP set up as the default browser, the system insists of opening up Safari (not-STP) and loading the page in that. Although just now it opened Safari and actually loaded the page in both Safari and STP.

When you load a page with more than 2GB RAM on STP 119 or 14.0.3 on Big Sur, it becomes unusable, very laggy, and the message "safari using significant memory" appears.
Tested on MBP16 and iMac 2020.

However, on STP 120 I was able to load the same page to 2.6GB RAM and then got the "safari using significant memory" message. But this time, the page wasn't laggy and I could still scroll down and load more pictures for example.

It's not happening on Chrome nor Firefox.

 

[Realityck]

huh? Safari technology Preview is a separate downloadable application, very much like chrome canary is a pre-release version of chrome. I would not say it is alpha, because I have never had a bug in it, always works great, I don't even use Safari, just Safari Technology Preview. and anyone can download it, not just developers or public testers, it is in developers area, but you can get it without logging in.

I'm not saying you are wrong, but I do not know what you are saying

I haven’t looked at the Mozilla downloads for awhile, they now call it Developers edition instead of Alpha, my error. But yeah the Safari technology preview is similar except as you said it’s very stable.

 

[chinito77]

Still waiting on that translate feature that was mentioned years ago...
I got tired of waiting and moved to Brave. It's got better Ad blocking and does google translate while being fast.

 

[crevalic]

Still waiting on that translate feature that was mentioned years ago...
I got tired of waiting and moved to Brave. It's got better Ad blocking and does google translate while being fast.

Translate feature has been available in Safari since the Big Sur release (and earlier, with the technical previews)

 

[k.alexander]

❓❓❓Just to confirm: when you receive a website apple/safari push notification, it opens in just STP? And does it also open in regular Safari?

❓❓❓How are you updating to each new version of STP? Do you go and manually download and install on top of the current version, or is the update coming through the AppStore?

 

[mango316]

When you load a page with more than 2GB RAM on STP 119 or 14.0.3 on Big Sur, it becomes unusable, very laggy, and the message "safari using significant memory" appears.
Tested on MBP16 and iMac 2020.

However, on STP 120 I was able to load the same page to 2.6GB RAM and then got the "safari using significant memory" message. But this time, the page wasn't laggy and I could still scroll down and load more pictures for example.

It's not happening on Chrome nor Firefox.

Same problem I’m facing! I also got message “This page was reloaded because it using significant energy “ SUPER ANNOYING!!! I really hope this new STP version released today fixed these issues!!

 

[glindon]

It is still bad and choppy than 13.1.3 :/

I loaded this same page in STP and scrolling was the same. There's always been some slight chop on inertial scrolling at the end (not every time) and that didn't improve. I think most of the chop boils down to Safari trying to save energy rather than deliver constant 60 fps. It's also kinda baffling though as my iPP can always do 120fps and my M1, so who knows... it may just be a MacOS issue with scrolling in general (WindowServer process) and have nothing to do with Safari at all.

 

[steve333]

I just want the spinning beach ball when I click on Bookmars to be fixed, seems to be having issues drawing favicons.
Some pages also freeze or doesn't connect to website.
Never had these issues prior to Big Sur

 

[Blowback]

I had some issues a few years back and went and downloaded the preview to see if it would fix them. Never used it much since.

Anyone who is not a developer using the Preview?

Me. No real issues. TIP: great for doing crossword puzzles in 'Safari' and checking spelling/ answers in STR!

 

[k.alexander]

❓❓❓Just to confirm: when you receive a website apple/safari push notification, it opens in just STP? And does it also open in regular Safari?

❓❓❓How are you updating to each new version of STP? Do you go and manually download and install on top of the current version, or is the update coming through the AppStore?

ANYONE❓⁉️❓