I think you mean the website failing to work properly with Safari. It’s up to website developers to make their sites work in different web browsers. You need to speak to the website developers to get them to fix the issues with Safari.
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Safari on iPadOS 26
- Thread starter gthompson20
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Which means they haven’t tested it properly on mobile Safari obviously!
You can’t just test on desktop browsers and call it a day thinking it’s going to also work on mobile device browsers. They all need testing.
You expect every website is going to develop a special version of the site that works properly specifically on the iPad Safari for the small percentage of even those people who are using a mouse and keyboard with said iPad instead of touch? That's a fantasy in the real world where you sometimes have to use suboptimal/old products at your job, where you have absolutely no agency to "speak to the website developers". ANY computer works properly with the website - the iPad doesn't.
Instead of "speaking to the website developers" people are going to "use a real computer".
All websites should test that they work on Safari on the mac, iPad and iPhone. They should also test that they work on Firefox on the desktop and mobile too.
Websites shouldn’t assume that users are accessing via a desktop, especially these days.
For those of us who actually live in the real world where they have to use websites for work purposes that simply aren't going to get the special iPad+mouse/kb treatment, at least any time soon, we'll keep using real computers.
If you want to live in Apple fantasy land where everything is tailor made to work with every Apple product, go ahead, but don't think that is viable for the majority.
You should always use the right tool for the job.
If you need websites that don’t work on mobile browsers then you shouldn’t use a mobile device to try and do that work.
To get those websites to work on mobile browsers the website developer needs to make that work.
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The original point was that the iPad version of Safari is lacking because it could very easily work with those kinds of websites, and that simple ability in the browser to just act as a desktop browser when on mouse/kb would be the last key in the lock for it being a much more capable device for many.
Safari is much better than it used to be, but it still has a way to go. I guess you would have been in here back in the day arguing that anyone who wanted Safari to become more capable simply use another device because Safari was perfect at the time. But Safari was in dire need of updates, and it got some great ones.
I'd also be down for Apple to allow actual third party browsers on iPad that aren't just reskins of iPad Safari. Either would fix the issue and make the iPad more capable. Which would be a good thing.
I don’t think there’s anything stopping these websites from working with Safari on the iPad other than lack of testing and making them work by the website developer.
What's stopping them from working is the iPad Safari not being able to present as a full desktop browser to the website. If it did, it would work. In the real world there are plenty of older websites that are NEVER going to get an iPad update, that real people in real jobs have to use. This issue is simply never going to go away unless change comes from the Apple side.
The iPad can’t present as a full desktop browser because it isn’t a desktop browser. It’s a mobile browser. It’s always going to be a mobile browser. The iPad is not a desktop.
Of course it can. The iPad isn't a phone either. It's a hybrid device. Sometimes an interface that is touch-first is appropriate, sometimes an interface that is mouse and keyboard-first is appropriate. The iPad can cope with the former, but it still has issues with the latter.
The iPad could absolutely present itself to a website and ask for the desktop version, and be more compatible with that. The iPad isn't a desktop but please don't insult all our intelligence here and claim that Apple could not make the iPad version of Safari able to behave as a desktop browser if they chose to. That is utter nonsense.
Wasn't that a Safari setting even in 18.5? I really now start to forget how it was in 18.5, it is crazy how quick I get adapted!
But for me, I cursed a lot when toolbar and tabs were always visible when scrolling. On my 11' iPad that sucks (for me). Thankfully you can choose in Safari settings which behaviour you want.
Safari itself works as good as before, I cannot see or feel any changes. At least not on the pages I use.
But I LOVE that you now have a real mouse cursor when you work with a keyboard. Magic keyboard in my case. Such a small change with such a huge improvement.
The iPad is a touch screen mobile device. All apps and functionality needs to be able to be driven via the touchscreen. The iPad shouldn’t request a desktop site because you may end up with something that cannot be navigated via the touchscreen. The iPad should always request a mobile, touch friendly version of a website.
This is why it’s up to the website developer to test to make sure their website works on mobile browsers.
If those website developers can’t or won’t do that then you’ll need to access their websites on a desktop that they’ve designed their website for.
Then, as originally stated, the iPad is not a real computer.
Well that's just obviously wrong: there is a "request desktop site" button built directly into the iPad version of Safari. The issue is that this feature isn't quite there yet. But if you truly believe this perhaps you need to ask Apple to remove this.
The iPad is a computer, it’s just not a desktop or laptop computer. It’s a mobile device, like a smartphone.
Ok champ, report back your experience once you've asked Apple to remove the "request desktop site" function in the iPad's Safari app. Would love to know what they say.
I’m just trying to help explain to you, no need to be rude!
I have my iPad configured to always request the desktop version of websites, and I can only think of one site that doesn’t work (and that might’ve been due to my cookie settings or plugins; I didn’t try to figure it out). So I disagree about always requesting a mobile version. I think it’s great that we have the option to always request the desktop version, and would be sad to see that go away.
Obviously your experience differs from mine, but that doesn’t invalidate what I (and others?) am saying. Choice is a good thing. You can choose to always request a mobile version, and I can choose desktop.
Anything new in terms of features and performance? I'm still frustrated that other web browsing engines aren't available on iOS.
In Beta 2 on light web page I am unable to see my Favourites bar. Is there a way to turn off the tintining or at least have the toolbar always dark as is my dark setting? The toolbar just changes every single time new page or tab I open. reducing transparency helped to have the Favourites bar always black, but the constant light, dark changes of the toolbar is so annoying - especially when browsing in bed at night.
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