During today's WWDC Keynote, Apple showed off the latest version of macOS Safari that will ship with iOS 14 and macOS 11 Big Sur.

In the developer notes, Apple notes that it has added WebP image support for the first time in Safari.

apple macos bigsur safari improvedtabs 06222020
WebP is a newer image format developed by Google and announced in 2010. It provides lossy and lossless compression with smaller file sizes as compared to JPEG and PNG files. Compared with JPEGs, WebP is said to offer 25-35% smaller file sizes for the same quality. The addition of animation also allows it to also serve as a substitute to animated GIFs.

WebP images are supported in Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge browsers, but has been notably absent from both iOS and macOS Safari. The addition to Safari makes the format more likely to receive widespread adoption.

Tags: Safari, WebP
Related Forums: iOS 14, macOS Big Sur

Top Rated Comments

Jeaz Avatar
57 months ago
But no WebM?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MattakiStar Avatar
57 months ago
I’m sure this format is fine, but I have grown so distrustful of Google, that I really want nothing to do with anything they have touched.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Herbert123 Avatar
57 months ago

Please let us be able to turn it off or at least download a JPG. Until editing tools widely support WebP this is a headache.
Why? All conversion tools, and most image editors (but for Photoshop curiously enough) already support it: PhotoLine, Krita, Affinity (import), Gimp, Sketch, and so on. And for Photoshop users plugins exist to handle the file format.

Besides, JPG wouldn't work for a large portion of webp images anyway: webp supports full transparency, which jpg does not. And webp images may be saved as lossless, which is not possible in JPG either.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gmanist1000 Avatar
57 months ago
Thanks Pied Piper
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brien Avatar
57 months ago
Please let us be able to turn it off or at least download a JPG. Until editing tools widely support WebP this is a headache.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
John.B Avatar
57 months ago
But does it play back 4K YouTube? That’s the only reason I haven’t switched from Chrome.
4K YouTube is coming to TV4K ('https://www.macrumors.com/2020/06/22/tvos-14-youtube-videos-in-4k/'), so I imagine the other image formats are coming as well. We’ll know once people have had time to dissect the betas.

The addition of animation also allows it to also serve as a substitute to animated GIFs.
Can we all agree to pronounce this “web pee”? ?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Thursday October 31, 2024 9:42 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well. ...
best early black friday deals

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Friday November 1, 2024 8:21 am PDT by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 29 in 2024. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
M4 Pro on Blue

M4 Pro Chip Benchmark Results Reveal an Extremely Impressive Performance Feat

Thursday October 31, 2024 7:06 pm PDT by
The first Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the M4 Pro chip surfaced today. Impressively, the results that are available so far show that the highest-end M4 Pro chip is faster than the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Here is a comparison of the results: Mac mini with M4 Pro (14-core CPU): 22,094 multi-core score (average of 11 results) Mac Studio...
Apple iPhone SE 4 5G Modem 1

iPhone SE 4 First to Get Apple-Designed 5G Modem, iPhone 17 Pro to Add Custom Wi-Fi 7 Chip

Friday November 1, 2024 4:04 am PDT by
The iPhone SE 4 that's set to come out early next year is expected to debut Apple's first in-house 5G modem, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. In a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said Apple is expected to roll out its custom-made 5G modem starting with the next-generation...
ios 18 2 chatgpt plus

iOS 18.2 Beta 2 Shows Siri ChatGPT Limit, Offers 'Plus' Upgrade Option

Monday November 4, 2024 10:54 am PST by
With the second beta of iOS 18.2 that's available for developers today, Apple has further fleshed out the ChatGPT integration that's available with Siri. In the Settings app, there's now a section that shows the ChatGPT daily limit, and offers an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan. The beta includes an Advanced Capabilities section with a "Daily Limit" reading that shows up as...
M3 Pro Max vs M4 Pro Max Feature

Here's How Much Faster M4 Pro/Max Are for Graphics vs. M3 Pro/Max

Friday November 1, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple's new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are impressively fast in terms of CPU performance, topping the M2 Ultra, but what about graphics performance? The first Geekbench 6 results for GPU performance are now available for the M4 Pro and M4 Max, and the Metal scores reveal some impressive year-over-year gains. Based on the Metal scores that are available so far, the M4 Pro and M4 Max are up to...
imac video apple feature

What to Expect From Apple This November

Friday November 1, 2024 9:40 am PDT by
After a busy October in which Apple announced new Macs and Apple Intelligence launched, the calendar has now turned to November. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple this month as the slower-but-still-busy holiday season approaches. After seeding the first betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 with additional Apple Intelligence features last month, Apple will likely...