One of the novelties that will come from the hand of the next version of Safari, is the compatibility with web extensions from other browsers, a functionality that will allow to expand the number of extensions currently available for Safari, one of its weakest points.
However, it appears that the developers they are not betting on this new functionality, or at least that is what Apple implies in the last publication that it has posted on the developer portal where it remembers how simple and fast it is to create extensions for Safari.
Any extension that is compatible with Chrome, Firefox or Edge can be ported to be compatible with Safari 14 using the WebExtensions API. In addition, in the beta of Xcode 12 there is also a specific tool to perform this conversion.
Users must run macOS 10.14.6 or 10.15.6 with Safari 14 installed to be able to use the extensions. Support for extensions is natively included in macOS Big Sur. The Safari update will arrive in the next few weeks, so extension developers who want to convert their applications have less and less time.
New Safari features with Big Sur
Another novelty that will come from the hand of the next version of Safari is the compatibility, finally, with the VP9 codec, the codec that Google uses in 4K quality YouTube videos. It seems that Apple has finally realized that it was limiting your users' options and has decided to include support for this codec not only in Safari for macOS, but also in iOS, iPadOS, and even tvOS.
At the moment there is no expected date for the launch of macOS Big Sur, as well as Safari 14, but most likely both come hand in hand, between September and October.
