Safari Technology Preview 208: Enhancements and New Features for Developers on macOS

Apple has introduced the latest version of its experimental browser with a recent update aimed at developers testing emerging web technologies. The release of Safari Technology Preview 208 for macOS enhances various aspects of the browser, ensuring a smoother and more efficient user experience. This update addresses several issues and introduces new features that facilitate improved web interaction.

Safari Technology Preview 208 is now available to users operating macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia. Key enhancements include:

1. Resolution of scrollbar appearance issues when changing the color scheme.
2. Fixes for a WebRTC issue that resulted in unnecessary prompts for camera or microphone permissions during voice search.
3. An adjustment that ensures permissions are retained during same-origin navigation.

Previous versions encountered difficulties processing source maps, but with this update, these problems have been resolved according to the changelog. Additionally, a fix has been implemented to address issues with resizing generated content.

Beyond bug fixes, several new features have been added in Safari Technology Preview 208, including:

1. Support for Iterator Helpers.
2. Implementation of relaxed laneselect SIMD instructions.
3. Support for unless-frame-url within content blockers.
4. Fallback support for attr().

Importantly, Safari Technology Preview does not necessitate an Apple Developer account for use. It can operate concurrently with the standard Safari browser on macOS devices. Users can download the latest version by accessing the software update option found in System Preferences.

This update builds on the enhancements made with Safari Technology Preview 207, unveiled recently, this month. That version provided improvements in areas like loading, networking, web extensions, and the web inspector, further refining system performance.