Opera One: AI-Powered Browser Launches on iOS

Opera One brings browser AI show to iOS

iPhone version of mobile browser sees surge of interest in wake of EU competition rules Browser maker Opera has released an iOS version of Opera One, a variant of its AI-infused desktop browser that complies with the strictures of Apple's mobile ecosystem. It runs atop Apple's WebKit rendering engine, per Apple's platform requirements, and thus shares some similarities with all the other iOS browsers that can only use WebKit. In theory, browser makers can now offer an iOS browser without WebKit using Apple's Browser Engine Entitlement under the EU's Digital Markets Act, though we're unaware of any major browser vendor that has met the demanding conditions and managed to do so yet. According to Opera, the DMA has been helpful, leading to something of a user windfall, thanks to its requirement that Apple present iPhone users with a browser choice screen rather than just assuming they want to use Apple's own Safari browser. "Opera's pre-DMA survey showed that 91 percent of Europeans want more choice and transparency when selecting a browser," the company said in a statement. "Reflecting this demand, Opera for iOS has experienced a surge in popularity following the DMA's implementation, highlighted by 63 percent growth in new users across the EU in the first month that the ballot screen began to appear." Other browser vendors like Brave, Firefox, and Vivaldi have noted similar user uplift, thanks to regulatory intervention. Opera One for iOS features a revised navigation style that puts the search bar at the bottom of the screen, which the company claims facilitates one-handed mobile usage. The search experience has also been adjusted to include predictive search suggestions while typing a query, in order to complete queries faster with less input. And accessing the search bar has been made easier - it can now be called up with a swipe. In place of the old newsfeed is a start page carousel with news, live scores, and product tips - a curious thing for the company to mention given that Opera One for iOS also features a native, built-in ad blocker. Like its desktop-focused sibling, Opera One for iOS offers access to AI services. Aria is described as "a free, unlimited built-in browser AI" that offers "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." Aria supports voice input, so queries can be spoken rather than typed. And it has been connected to Google's Imagen2 image generation model, so Opera One users can create images based on prompts. An Opera spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request to clarify how much of Aria's processing for iOS occurs on-device and how much gets processed in the cloud. Opera One for desktop supports around 150 local LLMs, in addition to cloud-based models. The inclusion of AI as a marquee browser feature may have seemed forward-looking in 2023 when Opera began the machine learning injections, but that's less obvious today. Recent research suggests that the inclusion of the term "artificial intelligence" in a product description increased feelings of mistrust. ®

Opera One AI-Powered browser for iOS now available for download

Opera has launched its Opera One browser for iOS, following its earlier announcement. This new browser for iPhone combines the award-winning design of the Opera One desktop version with a mobile interface and streamlined user commands. According to Opera's pre-DMA survey, 91% of Europeans desire more choice and transparency in browser selection. Reflecting this trend, Opera for iOS saw a 63% increase in new users across the EU in the month following the implementation of the DMA, as noted in their release. Opera describes this release as the start of a "reimagined iOS browsing experience." Navigation: The Bottom Search feature moves the search bar to the bottom of the screen, facilitating one-handed use. Users can choose from three navigation styles: Standard Navigation, Fast Action Button, and Bottom Search. Search Functionality: New search suggestions appear as users type, completing words or suggesting the next word for quicker typing. The swipe-to-search feature allows users to access the search bar by swiping down, similar to searching for apps on iOS. Design: The browser maximizes screen space by hiding the top bar and Bottom Search bar when scrolling. The color of the top and status bars adjusts to match the web page, providing a distraction-free experience. Start Page: The newsfeed is replaced with a start page carousel that blends with the wallpaper and includes news, live scores, and product tips. Ad Blocker and VPN: The browser includes a native ad blocker and a free VPN for a secure browsing experience. Opera One for iOS features Aria, a built-in AI that offers web results, text or code generation, and other tasks. Aria now supports voice input and can generate images using Google's Imagen2 model. Users can refine and manage these images easily. Opera One is available for download from the App Store. Speaking about the launch, Jona Bolin, Product Manager at Opera, stated:

Opera : launches Opera One browser on iOS

Oslo, Norway - 13 August 2024 - 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." 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. 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. 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." 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.