Opera launches Opera One browser on iOS

PRNewswire 13-Aug-2024 8:30 AM

• Popular AI-centric browser Opera One is now available to iOS users
• Opera's flagship browser for iOS offers full screen browsing based on Opera One's unique design
• The update includes revamped search functionality and gesture-driven UI familiar to iOS users
• The release comes after a surge in users after the introduction of the browser choice ballot throughout the European Union

OSLO, Norway, Aug. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Opera is releasing Opera One for iOS today. The AI-powered flagship browser for iPhone features the aesthetics of the award-winning Opera One desktop browser along with a full screen mobile interface and simplified user commands.

"Our research shows mobile phone users are six times more likely to be happy than not, after switching away from their system's default browser," said Jona Bolin, Product Manager at Opera. "So with Opera One for iOS, we want to further raise the bar and deliver a better browsing experience versus what users will find pre-installed."

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Rapidly growing popularity

Opera's pre-DMA survey showed that 91% of Europeans want more choice and transparency when selecting a browser. Reflecting this demand, Opera for iOS has experienced a surge in popularity following the DMA's implementation, highlighted by 63% growth in new users across the EU in the first month that the ballot screen began to appear. The rapid uptake signals an enthusiasm among users to break away from pre-installed options, preferring instead alternative browsers like Opera that focus on speed, security, and innovation. Opera has embraced the opportunities presented by the new regulatory landscape thanks to its robust feature set and forward-thinking design.

Intuitive browser navigation and a new look

Opera has introduced a new navigation style with Bottom Search, which shifts the search bar to the bottom of the screen. Especially useful when on the go, Bottom Search allows users to more easily manipulate their devices with one hand. Opera for iOS users can now switch between three navigation styles – Standard Navigation, Fast Action Button, and Bottom Search – to find the one that best suits their needs.

Opera One for iOS also comes with a revamped search functionality which simplifies and speeds up browsing. When a user starts typing a search query, new search suggestions provide the completion of a word or the best matching next word. Based on a set of predictive chips, these keywords enable faster, easier typing with fewer clicks.

Users also now get a new way to access the search bar through the swipe to search functionality, in which simply swiping down will activate the search bar. The intuitive gesture will be familiar to every iOS user, as it's the same movement employed when searching for apps on an iPhone.

Engineered to maximize screen space and minimize distractions, the new design of Opera One displays those elements of the browser the user is engaging with while hiding the rest. The top bar and new Bottom Search bar, for example, vanish when users start scrolling on a page – as opposed to other mobile browsers for iOS, in which the bottom bar continues to occupy space on the screen.

Furthermore, in Opera One for iOS, the color of the top and status bars adjusts to the hue of the web page visited. The result is a full screen browsing experience in which users are entirely immersed in what's at hand, without any extraneous elements to distract them.

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The new version of Opera for iOS also replaces the old newsfeed with a start page carousel filled with news, live scores, and product tips. Designed to blend into the wallpaper background, the carousel maintains a clean and uncluttered start page.

"This is just step one," said Bolin. "We plan to continue developing our vision of the browsing experience on iOS in the months ahead."

An AI-powered browsing experience

Like all of Opera's flagship products, Opera One for iOS is centered around AI. It features Aria, a free, unlimited built-in browser AI that comes with up-to-date results from the web, plus the ability to assist in a range of tasks such as information retrieval, text or code generation, and product inquiries. Upon embarking on an Aria query, users will be taken to the chat with Aria, which might then lead them to a website. The browser now provides them with an easy way to get back to the AI chat from the newly opened website.

Regularly updated to incorporate new capabilities, Aria now features Voice Input, so that iOS users can speak queries aloud rather than have to type them out – perfect for when on the go. And in the latest version of Opera for iOS, Aria comes with the ability to generate images using Google's Imagen2 image generation model. Users simply need to provide Aria with a prompt, and the browser AI will create an image based on that input. Users can further refine Aria's creation until it's exactly what they want, as well as copy the image to the clipboard, save it, share it – even set it as the device's wallpaper.

Offering a fast and secure browsing experience, Opera for iOS provides a range of user-friendly features built-in, such as a native, built-in ad blocker and free VPN.

This newest release of the Opera for iOS is a first step of a reimagined iOS browsing experience for Opera One – download it from the App Store now!

About Opera

Opera is a web innovator building on more than 25 years of innovation that started with the Opera web browser. While Opera is leveraging its brand and engaged user base in order to grow and develop new products and services for people who seek a better internet experience, Opera's PC and mobile web browsers, content discovery platform Opera News, and apps dedicated to gaming, Web3 and e-commerce are already the trusted choices of hundreds of millions of active and engaged users. Opera is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the OPRA ticker symbol. Download and access Opera's products and services from www.opera.com.

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SOURCE Opera Limited