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Safari Tab Groups does not synchronise the tab back/forward history across devices, only the tab's current open website

I've just noticed when using Safari Tab Groups that it does not synchronise the back/forward history across devices, only the current open website for a tab within the group.


I'm not sure if this is how it's designed or if this is a bug I've noticed.


I first noticed this when I moved a tab which had tab history from an open Safari window on my Mac into a tab group and when I viewed that tab group on my iPhone, the tab did not have any tab history visible.


I then tested Mac Safari by closing the tab group's window on my Mac and then opening a new Safari window then opening the tab group again and at least on the Mac (or likely on the same Mac I dare say), the tab history is restored for each tab.

If I effectively do this same process on the iPhone by moving the current Safari view from the open tab group back to the regular ungrouped tabs and then back again to the tab group, the tab history that was at least showing on the iPhone side (different to that of the Mac's) does restore to how it was.


I can only conclude that for some reason the individual tab back/forward history does synchronise but is set to only restore per device rather than synchronise across devices :(


I may indeed be a special case in how I like to use Safari tabs and I would like Tab Groups to function but it seems to me that there should be a setting to toggle between per device tab history or across device tab history.


No doubt per device history could be beneficial in certain use-cases but I honestly thought since the current open website syncs across devices, why shouldn't the forward/back history since it is meant to be 'tab groups', not 'open website groups'.


Could somebody from Apple please enlighten me more as to the intended use-case of Tab Groups if not for how I envisioned them working?

Also could you please pass this on up the chain as a feature request please (the toggle of how tab history synchronises per device or across devices)?

Thank you


MBP 14" 2021 M1 Pro - macOS Monterey 12.7.4 - Safari 17.4.1 (17618.1.15.111.8, 17618)

iPhone 15 Pro Max - iOS 17.1.1

Posted on Apr 22, 2024 1:49 AM

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Safari Tab Groups does not synchronise the tab back/forward history across devices, only the tab's current open website

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