OSLO, Norway, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Opera (NASDAQ: OPRA) is announcing a major rebranding of its award-winning browser Opera Touch on iOS, which now changes its name to Opera. This rebranding marks a new milestone for the Norwegian browser maker. The company is unifying its brand and products across all platforms to offer users a seamless browsing experience on all their devices.

"Since the introduction of iOS 14 last year, when Apple announced users could change their default browser, we have seen tremendous interest in our flagship browser for iOS, particularly from users in North America and Europe." said Jona Bolin, Product Manager for Opera for iOS. "Today, more users worldwide are choosing Opera as their mobile browser for their state-of-the-art iOS devices."  

The rebranding of Opera Touch to Opera is part of the browser's launch's third-anniversary celebration. Back then, Opera launched Opera Touch with the vision of providing a beautiful browser with a minimalist design and an innovative user interface. The unique aesthetics and functionality of Opera Touch won both the prestigious Red Dot Design Award 2018 and the iF Design Award in 2019.

The modern design makes it the best-looking browser for iOS devices.

Featuring a new look on iOS, Opera introduces a modern UI, keeping its minimalist design and the powerful features that Apple users love. Users will initially notice a shift on their devices' app icon where red becomes the new purple.

The revamp of the user interface in Opera also unveils a neater and flatter design that gives the browser a more refined appearance than before. The new-look replaces the diagonal background pattern, initially introduced into Opera Touch, with flat surfaces and removing shadows on bubbles and other elements. New icons have been added in the bottom bar and the Fast Action button.

Upgrading users will foremost notice a change of colors in the user interface. New themes have been introduced with intense and impactful accent colors. The purple that was originally introduced when the browser was launched is now gone. The light, dark and private mode themes have all changed. Every page, background, text, or element is affected to create a brand new impression and beautiful look.

The fast action button has less transparency than before, brightening the page overlay to bring the content upfront, improving the website's readability and visibility.

"We plan to keep adding additional UI changes in the upcoming months. These additions will improve usability and aesthetics to give our users a more enjoyable browsing experience on their beautiful iOS devices. This is something unique that no other browser available on the App Store currently offers." said Bolin.

A perfect companion for personal computers

The Opera browser for iOS is a perfect companion for those who use Opera on their personal computers or laptops. When users click the Flow icon on the sidebar, a QR code appears, which can be scanned with the Opera browser on their iOS device. This connection securely links the users computer and mobile device so they can share links, notes, images, files and other information seamlessly with no logins needed.

Opera also comes with a built-in crypto wallet that allows users to send and receive crypto, make blockchain transactions, and browse the decentralized web. Users can sync their crypto-wallet between devices to check their balance and transactions on their smartphones or personal computers.

"Cryptocurrencies are hot, and since the beginning of the year, there has been a high demand for crypto-wallets. However, some people still haven't taken this step because they don't know where to start," said Bolin. "The Opera wallet supports the Ethereum platform, one of the most widely used currencies. Once users top up their Ether in the Opera wallet, they can start making transactions and get virtual collectibles to store in their wallet."

As always, the Opera browser for iOS comes with a set of features that offer enhanced protection for privacy and security. These features include an ad-blocker, a cookie dialog blocker, and cryptocurrency mining protection, which safeguards against hackers hijacking the CPU to mine cryptocurrency.

High interest in Opera since the launch of iOS 14

In September 2020, Apple announced the introduction of iOS 14. Since then, users have finally been able to change their default browsers from Safari. This began a significant growth opportunity for Opera's flagship browser on iOS to be adopted by more people in Europe and North America.

The mobile browser has also become the fastest-growing mobile browser for Opera, with a 65% YoY growth on its user base as of February 2021. With this opportunity, Opera plans to continue expanding its user base of more than 380 million users worldwide, with 200 million of them choosing Opera products on smartphones.

The new version Opera for iOS will be available for download on the App Store starting at 15:00 CET for new users. Existing users will get a gradual rollout to the latest version of the app.

About Opera

Opera is a leading global internet brand with an engaged and growing base of over 380 million MAUs. Building on over 20 years of innovation, starting with our browser products, we are increasingly leveraging our brand as well as our massive and highly active user base in order to expand our offerings and our business. Today, we offer users across Europe, Africa and Asia a range of products and services that include our PC and mobile browsers as well as our AI-powered news reader, Opera News, and our app-based fintech solutions.

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SOURCE Opera Limited

Alejandro Viquez, alejandro.viquez@opera.com