After exciting new features were released later last year, Opera for iOS just got its first major update in 2025. This time, the iPhone version of its popular browser brings a few important changes. Namely, the updated app supports home screen widgets, and Opera users can now take advantage of the AI assistant Aria without signing in. With that, it’s easier to ask questions aloud with Voice Input, create visuals on the fly for work, or play with Image Generation without needing to log in with any credentials.
Google’s Imagen 3 Fast model powers Aria and can even help you analyze the context of a photo you’ve taken with Image Understanding. Aria also features other popular AI assistant-like features, including the ability to summarize websites, generate text, or answer all sorts of questions.
Users can unlock Aria without an account by updating the app to the latest version. However, Image Generation is capped at five images per day if they’re not signed in. That number is bumped up to 30 images daily if you sign in, in addition to other benefits, like Ari saving your chat history.
Opera for iOS also comes with fully customizable home screen widgets. The widgets allow you to create shortcuts directly on your iPhone’s Home Screen so that you can access the most important features, such as Aria, in a single click.
To set it up, long-press the Opera icon on your Home Screen. You can create widgets that will act as shortcuts to search or Aria, plus options to open a new tab or go into Private Mode. Long pressing the Opera icon also displays a menu with further options. You can open a new or private tab, access search or Ask Aria, and more.
Finally, Opera announced that the iOS browser keeps growing. Between September and November 2024, its flagship browser recorded a 33% increase in new users across the European Union and a 31% rise around the world. This came after the company released its new Opera R2 update and new iOS features.
