What's New in Safari Technology Preview 242?
Welcome to our detailed Q&A breakdown of the latest Safari Technology Preview build 242. This release arrives for both macOS Tahoe and macOS Sequoia, bringing a host of improvements to WebKit. Whether you're a web developer, tester, or just curious about cutting-edge browser features, we've got you covered. Below, we answer the most pressing questions about accessibility fixes, CSS enhancements, HTML parser updates, form behavior tweaks, and more. Let's dive in.
How Can I Download or Update to Safari Technology Preview 242?
If you haven't installed the preview yet, head to the Apple Developer website to download the installer for macOS Tahoe or macOS Sequoia. Already have it? Go to System Settings > General > Software Update—the update will appear there. This release includes WebKit changes from commit 310187 to 310599 (inclusive). Keep your browser up to date to test the latest web standards and bug fixes.
What Accessibility Issues Were Fixed?
Two key accessibility improvements land in this build. First, VoiceOver no longer reads text inside images that have role="presentation", which previously caused unnecessary announcements. Second, macOS accessibility support is now properly implemented for custom <select> elements using the appearance: base-select CSS property. This ensures screen readers can interact with custom-styled dropdown menus just like native ones. These fixes make the browser more inclusive for users relying on assistive technologies.
What New CSS Features Are Included?
Two notable additions to CSS support appear in this release. The attr() function from CSS Values Level 5 is now supported, allowing you to retrieve attribute values from elements and use them in CSS properties. Additionally, the oblique-only value for font-synthesis-style (as defined in CSS Fonts Level 4) is now available. This gives designers finer control over font style synthesis, ensuring oblique fonts can be synthesized without affecting italic styles.
What CSS Bugs Were Squashed?
Several frustrating CSS issues have been resolved. The @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) query now correctly matches inside iframes when the iframe’s color-scheme is set to dark. Table cell minimum width calculations are no longer incorrectly applied outside quirks mode. Checkbox outlines now display properly without misalignment. Anchor-positioned elements attached to children of sticky containers now stick as expected. Pseudo-elements are sorted correctly in tree order when used with anchor elements. Ligatures no longer cause non-zero layout width for text with font-size: 0. The :in-range and :out-of-range pseudo-classes update when the readonly attribute changes. Lastly, view-timeline-inset serialization correctly coalesces identical values.
Any Changes to Form Behavior?
Yes, one specific form issue has been fixed. For <select multiple> elements, the onchange event sometimes didn't fire when the mouse button was released far outside the element. This has been resolved, ensuring that changes are reliably detected even when users drag their cursor outside the list after selecting an option. This makes multi-select lists behave more consistently across different user interactions.
What HTML and Parser Improvements Ship?
New HTML features include support for the closedby attribute on <dialog> elements, which lets you specify how a modal dialog can be closed (e.g., by pressing Escape or clicking outside). Additionally, the HTML parser fast path has received three critical fixes: it now correctly processes escaped attribute values longer than one character, properly detects nested <li> elements, and uses the adjusted current node for MathML and SVG integration point checks. These changes improve parsing accuracy and performance when dealing with complex markup.
What Image-Related Bug Was Fixed?
One image handling issue made the cut. When inserting an image with a srcset attribute (used for responsive images), the browser previously encountered a problem that could lead to incorrect resource selection or rendering. This has been fixed, ensuring that srcset images are properly processed when added dynamically. This is particularly valuable for developers working with responsive layouts or lazy-loading image galleries.
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