Sharing Tab Groups in iOS 16 Safari

Sharing Tab Groups in iOS 16 expands on last year's iOS update, which added a Tab Groups feature to the mobile Safari app. The iOS 16 update takes the feature to the next level, allowing you to not only group tabs on a related topic, but also share those groups with others.

This isn't just a feature on the iPhone. Shared Tab Groups work across all of Apple's devices, and the feature will also be available in iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura.

Shared Tab Groups has the potential to be a valuable tool for group research projects, study groups, and families looking to share information. Apple intends for you to use the Shared Tab Groups feature to collaborate with other people, and Tab Groups are fairly simple to manage.

How to Distribute Tab Groups in iOS 16 Make a Tab Group in Safari

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make a Tab Group.

1. In Safari, click the tab button in the upper right corner of the address bar.

2. Tap the number of open tabs in the middle of the bar. You can also tap and hold on the number of open tabs to bring up a pop-up menu where you can create your Tab Group.

3. Tap New Empty Tab Group to make a new blank tab group, or tap New Tab Group from X Tabs to group all the tabs you currently have open (where X is the number of tabs you currently have open). I'm going to select New Tab Group from X Tabs because all of the tabs I have open are related to researching a Berlin trip, and that's what I want my Tab Group to be about.

4. Enter a name for the Tab Group and then press Save.

You are now the proud owner of a Tab Group. You can add more tabs to your group, switch to other Tab Groups, or, as of iOS 16, share this Tab Group with someone else. Let us now learn how to do the latter.

How to Share a Tab Group in iOS 16 Safari

Let's begin with a completely different web page.

1. In Safari, click the tab button in the upper right corner of the location bar.

2. Tap and hold on the location bar's centre, where it says "Start Page" or the number of open tabs. Select the Tab Group to share from the resulting pop-up menu. (Skip to Step 3 if you're already in the Tab Group you want to share with.)

3. I have decided on my Berlin Research Tab Group. Just to the right of the name at the top of the screen, there's a Share Sheet Icon. Tap it.

4. Select the people or app with whom you want to share the Tab Group from the following menu. In this case, I chose my wife and am sending her the link via Messages.

5. The icons of anyone with whom you share a Tab Group will appear at the top of the page. To add or remove people, tap their picture and then Manage Shared Tap Group.

The interactive nature of Shared Tab Groups is its best feature. You can tell which tab someone is looking at because their icon is displayed on the tab. Changes and updates to the Tab Group are also visible to all.

You can also text, call, or FaceTime with members of the Shared Tab Group by tapping their picture and then selecting the Message, Audio, or Video icons to start the conversation. It all comes down to making Safari more collaborative.

Shared Tab Groups is just one of the significant changes in iOS 16. We can also show you how to edit or unsend text messages in the Messages app. Follow our tips on how to set up My Sports on the iOS 16 News app to get the latest sports scores and news for your favourite teams, while our guide on how to set up an iCloud Shared Photo Library can help you share important photos with family members.