Safari has long been the go-to browser on the iPhone, but after Apple finally opened up the secret speed enhancements in Safari to other browsers way back in iOS 8, it’s now possible to ditch Safari entirely for another browser. Chrome is the most obvious choice for doing so. But is it worth it?
You have a number of browser options on iOS, but most of them, like the privacy-focused Brave, the gesture-based Dolphin, or the speed-centric Opera Mini, all fill a niche instead of trying to be your daily driver. For that, Chrome and Safari lead the pack. Here’s a quick summary of their feature-set:
Safari: Safari is the default browser we’ve all come to know so well over the years. It does everything a browser needs to do, including offering up a private browsing mode, bookmarks, and as of iOS 9, ad blocking. Safari is deeply integrated into iOS, which means you can search for something in Spotlight and open it in Safari, and by default most apps will open any links in Safari.
Chrome: When Chrome originally arrived on iOS, it was slow, but still managed to work so well with Google’s other products that people used it anyway. Now, the two are equally speedy. Alongside features you expect in any browser, Chrome on iOS has a few Google-specific quirks, like a built-in QR scanner, Google Now support, a translator, and more. Chrome also tends to hide a lot of its interface, foregoing the bottom navigation bar prevalent in Safari and instead placing everything up top. This is an aesthetic thing, but design matters enough that you might prefer how one works over the other.
Which browser is best for you is partially a matter of preference, but it also matters what other apps you use. Let’s dig into where Chrome makes more sense than Safari and vice versa.
Source: lifehacker