CloudyTabs is a new utility for Mac owners who prefer to use Chrome or Firefox for their browser, but don't want to give up one of iCloud's useful features -- iCloud Tabs. Created by developer Josh Parnham, the open source app resides in your menu bar and lets you open your iCloud tabs in any web browser you choose. (Via MacStories)

cloudy-tabs
iCloud Tabs was rolled out in OS X Mountain Lion and works with any iCloud-enabled iOS device running iOS 6 or higher. The iCloud service syncs your open tabs across your iOS and OS X devices, allowing you to access your iOS browser tabs from Safari on the Mac. It also works in the opposite direction by displaying open Safari for Mac tabs on your iOS device.

iCloud Tabs is a convenient feature for Mac Safari users, but it is not compatible with Chrome or Firefox for the Mac. If you use an alternative web browser, you need a third-party tool like CloudyTabs to view your open iOS tabs. CloudyTabs compiles the existing iCloud Tab information from OS X and does not require you to enter in your iCloud credentials.

Just like the official iCloud version, CloudyTabs breaks down your open tabs by device, allowing you to see what you have open on your iPad, iPhone and other Macs. Tapping on a tab in the menu bar app will open the URL in your selected browser. You can open tabs individually or choose to open all tabs from a chosen device.

Unlike iCloud Tabs which shares between iOS and OS X, CloudyTabs only works in one direction (iOS to Mac) and does not share your open Chrome or Firefox tabs on your iOS device. If you need bidirectional sharing, you must use iCloud Tabs with Safari on the Mac or switch to Chrome, which can share bookmarks between Chrome for the Mac and Chrome for iOS [Direct Link].

CloudyTabs is open source and available for free to download from Github.

Top Rated Comments

Watabou Avatar
144 months ago
Icon looks too similar to cloudapp. In fact, the shape is the same, they just removed the black foreground color. It feels weird that I have two cloud icons on my menu bar.

Very useful app though.

It says it can't run on my system (10.8.5) and that it needs 10.9...
Right click on the app icon, select Package Contents. Then go to CloudyTabs -> Contents. Open up the Info.plist file in a text editor (textedit is fine), change the 10.9 string to 10.8
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darkslide29 Avatar
144 months ago
Can someone explain the mechanics of how this works without using my iCloud credentials? Are my tabs visible publicly through some iCloud API?

Edit: Looks like it just inspects a .plist file on your Mac that iCloud handles if you've already signed in on your system. I'm surprised Apple didn't encrypt it to make sure you're locked into using Safari.

Oh just you wait until the next OS X security update. ;)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iRockMan1 Avatar
144 months ago
I'd kill for a way to be able to open my Firefox tabs in mobile Safari. I can't think of one instance where I've wanted to open an iOS tab on my Mac, but I often stumble across articles while browsing on my Mac and want to kick back and read them on my iPad.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SR71 Avatar
144 months ago
YES. I've wanted this for so long. Thank you, dev!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
silvetti Avatar
144 months ago
I actually want this for Windows so I can use at work :(

PS - Also my... FIRST! first.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Saturday March 1, 2025 11:00 am PST by
iOS 19 is still around three months away from being unveiled, but there are plenty of rumors about the upcoming update. Below, we recap iOS 19 rumors so far. Redesigned Camera App A leak earlier this year allegedly revealed a redesigned Camera app coming with iOS 19. On his YouTube channel Front Page Tech in January, Jon Prosser shared a video showing what the new Camera app will...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Latest iPhone 17 Series CAD Images in Line With Redesign Rumors

Friday February 28, 2025 2:51 am PST by
Apple is expected to embrace a new camera system design for some models in its upcoming iPhone 17 series, and the latest purported CAD images don't deviate from what we have been hearing lately about Apple's new lineup. If you do not like the sound of an iPhone with a Google Pixel-style camera bar, look away now. Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson shared the following images in a post on X...
apple intelligence black

These New Apple Intelligence Features Are Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday February 28, 2025 3:17 pm PST by
iOS 18.4 was supposed to bring new Apple Intelligence Siri features, but Apple ended up needing to pull those capabilities from the update to continue testing. There are fewer new Apple Intelligence additions now, but there are still some new features that will make the update worth installing when it comes out in April. Priority Notifications Apple introduced Priority Notifications back at ...
iphone 16e usb c feature

Apple Provides Reason for iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 28, 2025 4:39 am PST by
Apple has offered a reason why the iPhone 16e doesn't include MagSafe, one of the more notable omissions from its latest entry-level smartphone. According to Apple representatives who spoke to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, MagSafe is not included in the iPhone 16e because "most people in the iPhone 16e's target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging...
Apple MacBook Air 2 up hero 240304 feature

New MacBook Air Announcement Reportedly 'Imminent' — Here's When

Sunday March 2, 2025 5:40 am PST by
With the iPhone 16e now in the hands of customers, Apple reportedly plans to move on to its next product announcement in the coming days. Apple plans to announce new MacBook Air models with the M4 chip "as early as this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "I expect the M4 MacBook Air to be introduced as early as this week," said Gurman, in a post shared on X today. "Inventory has ...
Apple AirPort Routers

Apple's Discontinued Line of AirPort Wi-Fi Routers Could Return in an Unexpected Way

Saturday March 1, 2025 10:00 am PST by
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Apple offered a line of Wi-Fi routers that it referred to as AirPort base stations. There was a standard AirPort Express, a higher-end AirPort Extreme with more advanced networking features, and an AirPort Time Capsule that doubled as an external storage drive for backing up a Mac with Time Machine. Apple discontinued the AirPort line in 2018, but the company...
apple c1

How Fast is Apple's First-Ever 5G Modem? The Results Are Surprising

Friday February 28, 2025 10:08 am PST by
iPhone 16e reviews are now out, and Apple's custom-designed C1 modem has been put to the test. The results so far are quite surprising, as the C1's speeds are not as slow compared to Qualcomm modems as originally expected. While the C1 does not support ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., it appears to offer comparable 5G performance to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X71 modem found in the iPhone 16,...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...