Ask HN: Is Google trying to frustrate Safari users?

12 pointsagitator3y ago5 comments

Every time I google something, or go to re-open a closed google tab (gmail or calendar) on Safari, it auto closes a second or two later. It's incredibly irritating. The second time I open the tab, it stays open.

I'm using a 16" M1 max MacBook Pro. I use Safari because It's more power efficient with all the tabs I have open and doesn't constantly hound me to login.

I've been experiencing this for months since I got the laptop and have noticed a pattern of it occurring on Safari, only with google sites. Is this Apple screwing something up? Or is it google trying to make me switch to chrome? Or am I the only one that has this problem?

5 comments

tanelpoder3y ago

The macOS Monterey 12.5 update shows this as one of the fixed items:

* "Fixes an issue in Safari where a tab may revert back to a previous page"

Maybe related?

eddof133y ago

I had something similar specifically with google mail. I use multiple google accounts. I had to be very careful about switching tabs or clicking anything while switching google accounts, or I would find that it would not switch and I'd be stuck back in the account I was already in. I haven't noticed it in a while so perhaps they fixed it.

RobbieGM3y ago

Pages can only close windows they opened, so this is probably a browser bug. It seems unlikely anyway that Google would try to get you to switch browsers through strange intentional glitches rather than clear messages.

AdriaanvRossum3y ago

You are right [1]. Didn’t know that is the case.

[1] https://javascript.plainenglish.io/closing-a-window-with-jav...

Nextgrid3y ago

I think a tab closing could mean it crashed. I'm not sure a page can actually close itself like that.

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