Browse the web privately in Safari on iPhone (original) (raw)

You can use Private Browsing to open private tabs that don’t appear in History on iPhone or in the list of tabs on your other devices. Tabs in Private Browsing aren’t shared with your other Apple devices, even if you’re signed in to the same Apple Account.

If you have a passcode set on your iPhone, Private Browsing locks when it’s not in use. Private Browsing may not lock immediately.

  1. Go to the Safari app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the More button, then tap All Tabs.
    If your Tabs layout is Bottom or Top, tap the Tabs button. See Change the layout in Safari.
  3. Swipe right on the tab bar at the bottom of the screen until Private Browsing opens, then tap Unlock.
    To exit Private Browsing, tap the More button, tap All Tabs, then swipe left to open a Tab Group from the menu at the bottom of your screen. If your Tabs layout is Bottom or Top, tap the Tabs button, then swipe left. The websites you have open in Private Browsing stay open, and Private Browsing locks.

To allow Private Browsing to be locked, go to Settings > Apps > Safari, then turn on Require Passcode to Unlock Private Browsing, Require Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing (supported models), or Require Touch ID to Unlock Private Browsing (supported models).

Note: Any Safari extensions you have installed that have access to browsing data are automatically turned off in Private Browsing. To turn on an extension in Private Browsing, see Change Safari extension settings.