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Looking to keep your browsing activity private on your iPhone? Private browsing mode in Safari and Incognito mode in Google Chrome are built-in features that help prevent your device from saving your browsing history, cookies, and form data. Whether you want to browse sensitive topics, shop for surprises, or simply protect your privacy, this step-by-step guide will show you how to enable and use private browsing on your iPhone using Safari and Chrome.
Private browsing, known as Private Browsing in Safari and Incognito in Chrome, opens a session that doesn’t save your browsing history, search records, cookies, or form data once you’ve closed your tabs. These modes are perfect when you want to:
Safari's incognito mode on iPhone is a built-in feature that helps protect your privacy while browsing the internet.
1. Tap the Safari app on your Home screen.
2. Tap the Tabs button (two overlapping squares, usually at the bottom right).
3. At the bottom, tap Private to get into Private Browsing.
4. Tap the + button to open a new private tab. Then you can browse privately.
You'll know you're in Private Browsing mode by the darker (or black) interface at the top and a privacy notice.
For quick access to private tabs in Safari, you can use a shortcut method: Simply press and hold the tabs icon until a menu appears. From there, select New Private Tab to quickly switch to private browsing mode.
If you want to exit Private Browsing, tap the Tabs button again, then tap your usual tab group, such as Tabs or a custom group.
Learn more about using Private Browsing in Safari.
If you prefer to use Google, you can follow this to turn on Incognito tabs.
1. Launch Chrome from your Home screen or App Library.
2. Tap the Tabs button (square with a number, bottom or top right).
3. Tap the mask icon (Incognito or Private Tabs).
4. Tap + to open a new Incognito tab.
5. The Incognito screen has a dark background and shows a hat and glasses icon, letting you know you’re browsing privately.
You can tap the Tabs button and switch back to your normal tabs easily.
Find out more about browsing in Incognito Mode on iPhone and iPad.
To further enhance your private browsing experience on iPhone, consider these operations in Settings:
• Use Face ID to protect your private tabs. Go to Settings > Apps> Safari to enable Require Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing in the PRIVACY & SECURITY area.
• Set your browser to auto-delete tabs after a certain period. Same steps to locate Safari in Settings, tap Close Tabs, and select a time frame.
• Lock Incognito tabs when closing Chrome. Open Google Chrome, tap the three dots at the bottom>Settings> Privacy & security, then turn on the Lock Incognito tabs when you close Chrome. It will call the Face ID feature to protect your privacy, which is similar to Safari.
Whether you're using Safari or Google Chrome, you can find a reliable way to keep your browsing private. Switch to Private Browsing or Incognito whenever you want web activity to be left off your history on major browsers.
