One of the key challenges in modern web design is ensuring a website displays correctly across all browsers and devices. When viewing a website on iPhones or iPads, you might notice that the address bar and status bar do not change to your intended color, even if standard meta tags have been used. This is especially important when you want your site to appear fully cohesive and visually consistent.

Dubai Web, a professional web design company, has extensive experience in optimizing websites for mobile and different browsers. In their projects, special attention is given to user interface and user experience on iOS and Safari. Below, we outline a practical, tested method to resolve this issue.

Initial Meta Tags for Color Customization

To change bar colors in browsers, the following meta tags are commonly used:

<meta name="theme-color" content="#07070f">
<meta name="msapplication-navbutton-color" content="#07070f">
<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes"/>
<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style" content="#07070f">

These tags generally work for Android and Windows browsers and partially for iOS. Typically, the status bar color changes, but the address bar in Safari often remains the default color.

Practical Solution for iOS Safari

After extensive testing on real projects, the following approach has proven effective:

1. Set Background Color on <body>

A common issue is that the <body> background color is not defined. Safari uses the body background color to determine the address bar color. Add the following CSS:

body {
background-color: #07070f;
}

The color should match the one used in your theme-color meta tag or your site’s primary design color.

2. Configure Meta Tag for iOS Status Bar

Include the following meta tags to ensure the Safari status bar matches the body background:

<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes">
<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style" content="black-translucent">

The black-translucent option makes the status bar transparent, allowing the body background color to show through. With this combination, both the status bar and address bar will display the correct color in harmony with your site’s design.

Additional Tips

  • Always set the body color to match your site’s primary color for full visual consistency.
  • Other options for apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style include default and black, but black-translucent usually provides the best results.
  • Consider defining colors in :root and supporting dark mode (color-scheme: dark) to enhance the user experience in night mode.

Summary

While meta tags alone are commonly used to customize address and status bar colors, they are ineffective in Safari iOS without setting a proper body background color. The tested solution is to define both the body color and the apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style meta tag correctly.

Dubai Web, with expertise in professional web design and mobile optimization, consistently applies these details to ensure visually appealing websites that are fully compatible across browsers, including Safari on iOS. Using this approach guarantees a polished and professional appearance on iPhones and iPads, enhancing overall user experience.

For more information on professional web design in Dubai, Dubai Web provides tailored solutions to ensure your website looks perfect on every device.