12 Awesome Safari Features You Should Be Using on iPhone
Apple's mobile browser is packed with features. They make it easy to track and read online content, protect your privacy, and keep things organized. Here is a list of the best features that every iPhone owner should know.
In this section:
iCloud Private Relay
Apple launched the iCloud Private Relay beta in 2021, as a way to anonymize web traffic in the Safari browser. You can use iCloud Private Relay if you pay for any tier of iCloud (called an iCloud+ subscription) or if you use Apple One.
Private Relay is not a VPN and you cannot use both a VPN and iCloud Private Relay. The service works by sending web requests over two hops: the first (operated by Apple) can see your IP address but encrypts your request and DNS records, while the second (operated by a third party) assigns a random IP address and decrypts your website. request.
The idea is that neither Apple nor the third party can connect the dots and know who is visiting a specific website. The service has had some hiccups with unclear error messages, unplanned downtime, and some carriers not liking the service. But it works as advertised most of the time, so it's worth enabling if you're concerned about privacy.
Turn iCloud Private Relay on (or off) by launching the Settings app and tapping your name at the top of the screen. From there, navigate to iCloud > iCloud Private Relay and enable the service.
Safari Extensions
Safari gained the ability to use extensions with the arrival of iOS 15. This allows you to greatly extend the capabilities of Apple's browser with third-party add-ons, although you have to go through Apple's channels. to do it.
You can find Safari extensions in the App Store. Launch the App Store app, then tap "Apps" at the bottom of the screen. Scroll down the page and find the "Safari Extensions" category under Top Categories (tap "See All" if it's not visible). From there, you can install extensions like you would any other app.
Many apps come with Safari extensions (just like Apple Watch apps and home screen widgets). You can turn them on or off under Settings > Safari > Extensions. This includes content blockers (to block online ads and trackers) as well as regular extensions that extend basic browser functionality.
We've put together a list of our favorite Safari extensions for iPhone and iPad, which let you do things like enable picture-in-picture video anywhere, disable Google AMP web pages, and bring dark mode to websites. which do not explicitly support this.
Advanced privacy features
Safari has a few privacy settings that you may already have turned on, but it's worth making sure they're turned on if you're concerned about online privacy. Head to Settings > Safari and scroll down to the “Privacy and Security” section.
You can enable "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking" to prevent advertisers and their cookies from tracking you across the web. This, in theory, prevents advertisers from building a profile of you based on the websites you visit. Safari was the first consumer browser to block third-party cookies by default.
You can also turn on "Hide IP address" if you use iCloud Private Relay to prevent trackers and websites from seeing this information. This feature attempts to thwart attempts by advertisers to profile you based on your IP address.
You can also disable 'Privacy-preserving ad measurement' (which is enabled by default) to further limit tracking. While the feature might seem like something you should leave out, it's a way to share information with advertisers about your interactions in a "private" way.
Reader mode
You can enable reader mode on most websites by pressing and holding the "AA" button to the left of a website's URL in Safari's address bar. You can also tap that button and then choose "Show Player" if you prefer to do it with two clicks. When you do this, Safari will remove everything but the content from the web page and present it to you in a customizable format.
This is very good for several reasons. For starters, it eliminates irritating ads (including those that refresh while you're trying to read, moving content up and down the page). It also removes formatting or website styles that can make it harder to read, like weird font choices and distracting colors.
You can customize Reader by tapping the 'AA' icon in the URL bar and choosing a font, background color and text size using the small and large 'A' buttons. To exit the player, choose "Hide Player" from this menu or long press the "AA" button again. By choosing a dark background, you can read websites in the dark without being blinded, a must-have for long night reads in bed.
It's an accessibility feature as much as a convenience, and Safari will remember your reader settings until the next time you use it.
The “Website Settings” menu
If you press the “AA” button in the website URL bar (when visiting a website), you will see a “Website Settings” option. Tap it and you can force Reader every time using "Use Reader automatically" or always request the desktop version of a website using the "Request desktop website" toggle.
These are useful if you find yourself always using Reader (to circumvent annoying ads) or avoiding a particular mobile website due to its limited functionality. Reader should only intervenes on pages that make sense, for example, the home page of a website that has no content beyond titles should work normally while tapping on an article to trigger the mode Reader for you.
You can also anticipate prompts for camera, microphone, and location access by systematically granting or denying access to those permissions to a particular website. Safari will remember your settings for each website. To make changes to these settings, go to Settings > Safari and scroll down to the “Websites Settings” section.
Reading list
Sometimes you may visit a website or receive a link to an interesting article that you just don't have time to read right now. It could even be a product website you want to explore or a video hosted somewhere online. This is where Reading List comes in, allowing you to save websites for later.
You can access the "Add to Reading List" option through the long-press menus that appear when you tap and hold a link. This can be in Safari on a webpage, in a Messages window, and through the share sheet in apps like Twitter. You can also use the Share button in Safari to access this option when the webpage is open.
You'll find all of these links accessible in Safari by tapping the "Bookmarks" button in the bar at the bottom of the screen, then tapping the Reading List tab (it looks like a pair of glasses). If you have a Mac or iPad, your playlist will sync between devices.
Tab groups (and shortcuts)
Keeping tabs organized can be a real drag if you're not using Safari's grouping features. This lets you create labeled groups for tabs so you can recall and close browsing sessions on demand.
To set up your groups, launch Safari, then tap the view tabs button in the bottom-right corner of the screen to view all of your tabs. From there, tap the label at the bottom of the screen, it will say something like "10 tabs" (depending on how many tabs you have open).
You can now create a new empty tab group or create a new tab group with all tabs open. Your primary browsing session is at the top of this list, just above the "Private" label. Add a tab to a group by long-pressing the tab view button in the lower right corner of Safari. You can also move tabs in bulk to a new or existing tab group.
Private browsing (and shortcuts)
Private browsing has many uses, the most obvious being to not leave a record of the websites you've visited in your history, cookies, or website data. But the feature is also useful for starting new sessions with websites that may have profiled you, such as when you're limited to five free articles on a news website and hit your limit.
You can access a private browsing session under the tab view button in the lower right corner of Safari. You can also quickly switch to and from your "Private" session by long-pressing this button. From your home screen, long-press Safari, then choose "New Private Tab" to go directly to a new tab in your "Private" session.
“Add to Home Screen” Web Apps
Do you use websites as a web application? Some services, like Xbox Cloud Gaming, need to be launched in a browser window, and Safari's "Add to Home" option provides the most elegant way to do this. Many websites work as if they were standalone apps, taking up space in iPhone multitasking and lacking the Safari user interface.
Others function as simple bookmarks that you can launch from your home screen, which may not be to everyone's taste, but can still be handy.
Autofill and Apple Pay
You can speed up your checkout process by configuring your autofill settings under Settings > Safari > Autofill. Here you can name your personal contact entry in your address book to pull information such as your address and other contact details, making it easier to complete purchases.
You can also use this menu to save your credit card information via the “Saved Credit Cards” option. Here you can add a new card, as well as get rid of any old ones that may have expired or been cancelled.
Finally, there's Apple Pay which will appear on supported websites. This lets you check out in record time, by letting you designate a delivery address, shipping option, and contact details, all from one tidy pop-up window. Head to Settings > Wallet & Apple Pay to add your card and get started.
And finally… DuckDuckGo
Being able to change your default search engine might not seem like a killer feature, but there are all kinds of reasons to switch to DuckDuckGo. Not only does the search engine respect your privacy far more than Google, but it also allows you to use "bangs" to limit your search to certain services (or even jump directly to Google if you need to).
You can change your iPhone's default search engine to DuckDuckGo under Settings > Safari > Search Engine.
More Safari Tips
Safari is full of features that can make your life easier. With an iPhone or iPad running a modern version of Safari, you can download files, force your browser to ignore apps, store and access passwords, and block pop-ups.
