In the first beta of iOS 14.5, we found a lot of interesting things: unlocking an iPhone with Face ID using an Apple Watch if the owner of the device is wearing a mask; support for game controllers DualSense and Xbox Wireless Controller; tracking notification on sites and in apps; the ability to choose a third-party streaming service for Siri, and so on.

Users found another innovation, which was not mentioned in the official changelog: if you use “Safe Browsing” in the Safari browser, then all traffic will be passed through the Apple servers in order to preserve the privacy of users. This will prevent Google and other companies from collecting personal information.

Apple’s browser has long had a warning about fraudulent sites, but it works through Google’s Safe Browsing service, which contains a database of potentially malicious sites. Google does not know which site you are visiting, but it may collect IP addresses, and no one knows what happens to them next. Even Google itself, I suppose.

The innovation in iOS 14.5 will be another feature to protect user data. The desktop version of Safari on macOS Big Sur, for example, has a function that blocks trackers from tracking your actions on sites. On each site you can see how many trackers and which ones are trying to track you.