How To Disable Private Browsing on iPhone

If you use Chrome or Firefox on your iPhone, you should know that you cannot disable private browsing on the iPhone or iPad.

If you use Safari’s Private Browsing Mode frequently, you may have noticed that it behaves differently from other browsers. This article will review what occurs when you quit Safari with Private Browsing Mode active and how to disable private browsing on your iPhone.

Apple lets iOS users browse anonymously by utilizing Private tabs in Safari on iOS. When you enable Private Browsing Mode, the Safari app does not record website addresses, preserve your search history, or recall your Autofill information.

What Happens When You Close Safari With the ‘Private’ Tabs Open?

Unlike other browser apps like Chrome or Brave, Safari does not fully close your Private tabs when you exit the program on iOS. This implies that if you shut the Safari app by swiping it off the Recent Apps screen, the open private tabs before quitting the program will reappear the next time you reopen Safari on your iPhone.

This might lead to uncomfortable circumstances if you forget to exit Private mode during your previous browsing session, as reopening Safari brings up all the web pages you may have opened as private tabs.

When you close the Chrome or Brave app while private browsing, all private tabs are permanently closed, and there is no way to recover them. This way, your secret browsing sessions will remain anonymous even if you forget to shut down any active tabs.

Unfortunately, Safari on iOS lacks this capability. So, the only practical method to avoid future embarrassment is to turn off private browsing manually every time you’re done perusing the web anonymously on Safari.

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How To Disable Private Browsing on iPhone

Because Safari does not automatically close private tabs on iOS, you may stop Private Browsing Mode by moving from private to active tabs. This is possible in two ways: switching to open tabs inside Tab Groups or utilizing shortcuts within Safari’s bottom Tab Bar.

Method #1: Via Tab Groups

Tap the Tabs symbol in the bottom right corner to disable Private Browsing Mode in Safari.
When the Tab overview page displays, scroll down to the Private area.
Tab Groups will now appear from the bottom. Select the ‘x’ Tabs directly above the ‘Private’ group. ‘x’ represents the number of tabs open from your previous active session.
Now you will be sent back to the open non-private tabs before switching to private browsing in Safari. Private Browsing Mode will turn off as a result.

Method #2: Via Tab Bar

Switching to a non-private tab from within a Tab Bar is another easy way to stop Private Browsing Mode. Tap and hold the Tabs symbol in the bottom right corner to accomplish this.
Select ‘x’ from the overflow menu that displays—tabs, where ‘x’ represents the number of active tabs in your non-private browsing session.
Safari will disable Private Browsing Mode and display the most recently used non-private tab when you do this.

Above are the 2 different methods for How To Disable Private Browsing on iPhone on the Safari browser.

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How To Close Private Tabs in Safari Quickly

Disabling Safari’s Private Browsing Mode, contrary to popular belief, does not always dismiss any open tabs. When you switch from a simple tab to a ‘private’ tab, all previously loaded tabs in the Private Browsing Mode will reload on the screen. This may put you in an embarrassing situation since re-opening Private Browsing Mode after a few days may result in all of the tabs that you may have left open earlier coming up.
To ensure that your private tabs are no longer visible to anyone in the future, it is critical that you shut down all private tabs. Ensure you’re in Private Browsing Mode in Safari, then press and hold on to the Tabs symbol in the bottom right corner.
Select Close All ‘x’ Tabs from the overflow menu that displays.
A popup will now display on the screen asking if you want to proceed with the specified action. Close All ‘x’ Tabs will appear here.
All the tabs open privately in Safari will be deleted, and the screen will only display the Start Page.
You may still need to disable Private Browsing Mode from here, but you can be confident that none of your open private tabs will reappear.

That’s all there is to disabling Private Browsing Mode in Safari on an iPhone.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is There a Way To Disable Private Browsing on iPhone?

Yes, you can start private Browsing on your iPhone. Private Browsing is a feature that allows you to browse the web without leaving traces behind. This means no history or cookies are saved on your device. It also prevents websites from tracking your activities across multiple devices.

You can enable/disable Private Browsing on iOS through the settings menu. Scroll down until you see the ‘Privacy’ option. Tap on it and then select ‘Clear History’. Now tap on ‘Clear Cookies and Site Data’. If you wish to clear your cache, tap ‘Clear Cache’.

How Do I Turn On Private Browsing in Settings?

You can turn on private browsing on your iPhone setting in 2 different methods. Both methods are simple; check this article for detailed information on How To Disable Private Browsing on iPhones on Safari Browser.