Apple left the new Safari tab bar design in iPadOS 15 disabled by default, but it's pre-installed when you upgrade to iPadOS 15 or later. If you want to experiment with the new "compact" tab bar design, it's easy to enable it in Settings, and below you'll see how.
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First, open Settings by tapping the gray gear icon.
In Settings, tap “Safari” in the sidebar.
In Safari settings, go to the “Tabs” section and then select “ Compact Tab Bar ” until a check mark appears below it.
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Then, launch Safari and open multiple websites at once. Previously, with “Separate Tab Bar” selected, you would see a dedicated tab bar just below the address toolbar. Now, with the “Compact Tab Bar” option selected, the toolbar at the top of the screen takes up less space. This is because the tab bar has been merged into the address bar.
To view or edit the current URL in the “Compact Tab Bar Mode” feature, press the current tab button and it will expand into an address bar. To open a new search box to type a search term or a new web address, press the plus (“+”) button on the right side of the tab bar.
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If you change your mind and want to revert to the old tab bar style, simply open Settings again and go to Safari and then select “Separate tab bar” in the Tabs section. You can make a similar change on the iPhone if you are not satisfied with Safari's new design in iOS 15.
