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If You Have A Million iPhone Browser Tabs Open RN, This New iOS Feature Is For You

by Caroline Burke
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Originally Published: 
Young Asian Woman Browsing Smartphone, Sitting at Window
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The latest Apple software update, iOS 13, is expected to come out this fall, and with that arrival will come a host of tweaks — some obvious and some subtle. For example, you'll be able to automatically close browser tabs with iOS 13, thanks to one new feature in particular. It might not sound like a big deal, but it could really make a difference when it comes to keeping your phone decluttered.

To be clear, iOS 13 is not available yet, and might not be for another couple months. But once it is available to the general public, your ability to control the lifespan of your browser tabs will improve. Per Business Insider, you'll now be able to automatically close tabs in your Safari app after a given period of time: a day, a week, or a month. You'll also still have the option of only closing those tabs manually, too.

And according to Business Insider's description, turning on that automatic shut-down for Safari tabs seems super easy. You simply go to "Settings," then click on the "Safari" option, and select "Close Tabs" under "Tabs." You'll be able to choose the details (i.e. whether you want them to close after a day, a week, or a month) from there. That screen will also be where you select the option to manually shut down your tabs, too, if you should ever change your mind.

Unfortunately, iOS 13 will not offer that option for the Google Chrome app. However, there's a number of new features that might make up for that. For example, the "Find My iPhone" feature will be merged with "Find My Friends," and will even allow you to track devices after they've died. Cue the hallelujah chorus. According to MacRumors, this has to do with taking advantage of bluetooth and nearby iOS devices.

Per MacRumors, Siri will also have a new voice in iOS 13, one which will apparently sound more human and natural. This is great news, since Siri might be chatting in your ear a bit more often, come the Fall: there'll be a new feature that allows Siri to read your text messages aloud to you through your AirPods, even if you're not physically holding your phone.

And if you do have your phone on you, you'll soon have the option of operating it completely through voice control. Literally, anything you need to do on your phone, you'll be able to do through a voice command, as seen in the video below.

And if you live in an especially noisy place and have been worried about your hearing, there's an update to the Health app that you're really going to enjoy. There will soon be a new feature for "hearing health" that keeps track of the environmental noise around you. So urbanites, rejoice. Your phone is keeping an eye out for your ears. It's also watching out for your eyes, with a new and improved systemwide Dark Mode options, which should work with all apps and will help you to see more easily in the dark without straining your eyes.

Of course, all of these features will only be available if you have the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, or anything more recent than that. If you have an iPhone 6 or older, you're going to have to figure out when to buy your next phone, because that model won't be compatible.

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