Safari 5.1 compatibility with Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat

Compatibility Advisory Regarding Adobe Reader plug-in and Acrobat plug-in with Safari 5.1

Overview 

Adobe Reader plug-in and Acrobat plug-ins before version 10.1.3 are incompatible with the Safari 5.1 browser that shipped with Mac OS X 10.7 and for 10.6. The Adobe Reader and Acrobat stand-alone applications are unaffected and Safari 5.1 renders PDF documents natively. However, the Adobe Reader and Acrobat browser plug-ins before 10.1.3 don't function as expected in LiveCycle and Acrobat workflows that require either plug-in to render PDF documents in Safari 5.1.

Affected customers 

Any Adobe Reader, Acrobat, and LiveCycle customers who require the Adobe Reader or Acrobat plug-in to render PDF documents in a browser when only Safari 5.1 is present. 

Workarounds 

Options include the following: 

  • Continue to use Safari 5.0.x and Mac OS X 10.6.
  • Upgrade to Adobe Reader or Acrobat version 10.1.3 or later.
  • Save the PDF file from Safari to the computer, and then open it directly in Adobe Reader or Acrobat.  
  • Use desktop virtualization technology such as Citrix to allow applications to run in a controlled environment where the Safari browser isn't upgraded to version 5.1.

Additional information and FAQ

Can customers use a different web browser like Chrome or Opera?

Acrobat Reader plug-in and Acrobat plug-in are dependent on the WebKit WebPlugin API and capabilities that are unique to Safari. Other browsers like Chrome or Opera do not have the required functionality to run the plug-ins properly. As of the release of Reader 10.1.3, Firefox running in 32-bit mode is now supported on Mac OS.

What is the impact on LiveCycle Workspace?

Because LiveCycle Workspace operates in the browser, PDF Forms in Workspace don't function in Safari 5.1 using Adobe Reader or Acrobat versions earlier than 10.1.3.

What is the impact on Adobe Solutions Accelerators?

Interactive Statements

In the primary use case for Interactive Statements, PDFs are delivered via email and can be opened with the stand-alone Adobe Reader or Acrobat. The secondary use case, where the statement is generated and displayed on a website, requires Adobe Reader or Acrobat to operate in-browser and doesn't function using Adobe Reader or Acrobat versions before 10.1.3.

Correspondence Management

Internal employees (the Case worker/Claims adjustor and the business user personas) require Adobe Reader and Acrobat to function in-browser and don't function with Safari 5.1 using Adobe Reader or Acrobat versions before 10.1.3. External user use cases do not require that the Adobe Reader or Acrobat operate in-browser, so they aren't affected by the Safari 5.1 browser.

Managed Review & Approval (MRA) and Integrated Content Review (ICR)