Opera joins the browser wars on Apple's iPhone

Oct 2, 2018 07:38 GMT  ·  By

Opera has launched Opera Touch browser on iPhone, after the company rolled out the app for Android earlier this year, and the competition in the browser world is getting fiercer.

Opera’s big goal with this new browser is to dethrone Safari, the default browser on iPhone that most people stick with, according to their own stats.

“Did you know that 95 percent of iOS users in the US stick to the system’s default browser, Safari? We believe that the only thing Safari is currently really best at is at being the default browser,” the company says.

Opera Touch is specifically optimized for iPhone and comes with features that make sense on this device. When launching the browser, it goes directly to the search screen, with a so-called Fast Action Button placed in the lower part of the screen for quick access to the most-used features, like the most recent tabs.

Opera Flow and cryptojacking protection

Like on Android, Opera Touch comes with Flow on iPhone, allowing users to share content between their mobile devices and PCs effortlessly.

Opera Touch automatically adds your favorite sites to the home screen, and it integrates an ad blocker and cryptojacking protection.

“The new iPhone XS Max has nearly twice the display size of the original iPhone that premiered in 2007. We believe that this shift in size calls for big changes in browser design. With Opera Touch we made it faster and easier to browse the web when on the go. This is especially useful when you’re using a smartphone with a large display,” Opera says.

The company has also released a couple of funny ads for Opera Touch, highlighting the capabilities of the browser and suggesting that the app is so advanced, that even Apple Geniuses use it.

You can download the new Opera Touch for iPhone from the App Store here, while the APK version for Android can be found on Softpedia at this link.

The iPhone browser wars

While the arrival of Opera Touch on iPhone is definitely good news, it also marks another important step in the fight against Safari, the default browser on Apple's mobile phone.

The number of browsers on iOS is growing, and while few people go for less-known alternatives, it's worth knowing that most of the big guys are already here too.

Google Chrome and Firefox already offer iOS versions, and the two browsers are currently being used by millions of users on iPhones. Microsoft itself has joined the battle with its very own Microsoft Edge, originally designed for Windows 10, but now available on Android and iPhone too.

According to third-party data offered by NetMarketShare, Google Chrome was the top browser on mobile devices last month with a 63.76% share, followed by Safari with 24.40%. Firefox is far behind with just 1.28% share.