Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Google's iOS Chrome app is finally on par with Safari

By

Google Chrome Battery
Your Design/Shutterstock
While the Chrome browser is a favorite for many, iOS users have struggled with it due to its sluggishness and constant crashes. However, Google updated the app in January with much needed performance enhancements. The new version will likely please Chrome fans using the iPhone and iPad.

Chrome 48 for iOS now uses the same rendering engine as the Safari browser on iOS, which is WKWebView. We won’t get into the techno babble as to what exactly WKWebView is, but what we will tell you is that it brings stability and speed to the Chrome browser on iOS. In fact, Google claims that Chrome on iOS crashes 70 percent less than before, which is a major improvement.

Chrome_Ver_48_For_iOS_Crashes
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In addition, Chrome is much faster and more responsive in this version, since it has an improved JavaScript execution. Google tested both browsers on iOS with various benchmark tools and found the new version of Chrome to be as fast as Safari. However, users on iOS 8 and below might find that Safari performs better.

Chrome_Ver_48_For_iOS_Speed
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Even though Apple introduced WKWebView when it revealed iOS 8, Google continued to use the older UIWebKit framework up until now. Unfortunately, the transition to WKWebView “brought significant challenges,” because it didn’t offer a simple way to manage cookies, and SSL handling was plagued with problems. However, Apple fixed these issues with iOS 9, enabling Google to make the necessary changes to Chrome.

Recommended Videos

This news comes in right as Safari users are reporting that Apple’s Web browser keeps crashing during searches. Although a fix was already issued, the timing is impeccable, since some users might try out Chrome from sheer frustration.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

You can download the new version of Chrome for iPhone and iPad from the App Store now.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Robert Nazarian
Robert Nazarian
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Robert Nazarian became a technology enthusiast when his parents bought him a Radio Shack TRS-80 Color. Now his biggest…
We may have been wrong about Apple’s first folding iPhone
Foldable iPhone mockup.

Apple could unveil its first foldable iPhone in 2026. Until now, many believed that this phone would resemble the clamshell design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip rather than the larger Galaxy Z Fold.

However, Ross Young, an expert in the display industry, suggests that if Apple announces a foldable iPhone in two years, it will likely be more similar to the Galaxy Z Fold instead of the Galaxy Z Flip. On X, Young was asked, “So if Apple finally joins the party in 2026, will it be a Flip, a Fold, or both?” His answer was “Fold.”

Read more
The iPhone 17 Pro may get a new type of display. Here’s what we know
iPhone 16 Pro Max in Desert Titanium camera module.

The iPhone 17 Pro has been the subject of quite a few leaks lately, and keeping up with the information is about to give us whiplash. First, we heard a rumor that suggests Apple might return to aluminum for the frame, and then another that said the first rumor was wrong. Now, there's more corroborating evidence, suggesting the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will retain their titanium frames  — as well as get a new type of display tech.

The two handsets will supposedly come with Low-Dielectric TEE, a type of display technology that is more power efficient and durable, and provides generally better overall performance, according to tipster Jukanlosreve. The leaker also corrects an earlier statement, stating that Low-Dielectric TEE is not the same as LTPO+.

Read more
5 phones you should buy instead of the iPhone 16 Pro
Someone holding the iPhone 16 Pro.

If you’re in the market for a new phone, whether it’s for yourself or a loved one, you may be considering the iPhone 16 Pro from Apple. After all, it just came out, and it’s packed with the latest and greatest from the fruit company. That means an A18 Pro chip for fast performance, an upgraded 5x telephoto camera, the new Camera Control button, Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18, and more.

But what if we told you there are some better options out there? And some offer even better features or are a better value? Here are five alternatives to consider before you buy the iPhone 16 Pro.
iPhone 16

Read more