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iOS 11 Safari will turn Google AMP links back into regular ones when sharing

iOS 11 Safari will turn Google AMP links back into regular ones when sharing

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Google AMP

Apple is adding a subtle new feature to Safari in iOS 11 that will automatically strip out Google AMP URLs when a webpage is shared or copy and pasted, as spotted by MacStories editor Federico Viticci.

Google’s AMP is a standard for stripped-down, faster webpages that Google favors in search results. People have many feelings about it. You’ll note The Verge and Vox Media serve a lot of our pages in AMP.

While some AMP links do offer a place to pull the original URL for sharing, if you try and share the direct URL, you’ll end up sending a link to the AMP version of the page, instead of the canonical URL.

What’s more, AMP URLs aren’t standard — an AMP link for say, The Verge, looks different from that of another publisher — so Apple is presumably doing some work under the hood to find these canonical URLs. It’s also worth pointing out that forcing people to share original links is probably better for publishers looking to drive people toward the platforms (and ads) they directly control.

iOS 11 is expected to launch this fall.