Apple is known for taking the privacy of its users very seriously and is constantly working to make iOS more secure every year. With iOS 15, Apple’s native browser Safari received a major overhaul with a new design and new features.

These features include seamless swiping between tabs, tab groups, and more. Also, the tech giant has moved the address bar to the bottom of the screen for easier one-handed access. As a result, the process of private browsing on iPhone has changed slightly.

private browsing on iphone
IMAGE: Kelly Sikkema (Unsplash)

Private browsing on iPhone is very similar to the incognito mode on Android devices. You can easily browse the web without being tracked in private mode, meaning your browsing history, search records, and cookies stay confidential.

Why is this necessary? Well, this option is very handy when you are sitting in your favorite cafe and working on a public, unsecured network. So, if you use the private tab in iOS 15, no one can hack or gain access to your search history.

How to Enable Private Browsing on iPhone

Now that we have taken a detailed look at private browsing on the iPhone, let us see how you can seamlessly enable the private tab on iOS 15.

Method 1: Private Browsing on iPhone Using Safari Shortcut

  1. Launch Safari on your iPhone running iOS 15.
  2. Here, simply long-press on the two-square icon in the bottom right corner of your screen.
    switching tab safari
  3. Once done, select the New Private Tab option from the drop-down list.
    private tab safari
  4. Now you can securely browse the web on your iPhone running iOS 15.

Method 2: Long Press Not Working? Use the Standard Method Instead

If the long-press shortcut for private browsing on iPhone is not working for some reason, you can try to go down the traditional route instead. Let us look at the bus going down that route(Pun intended).

  1. Launch Safari on your iPhone running iOS 15.
  2. Here, click on the two-square icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.
  3. Now, in the bottom center of the screen, you will see the current number of open tabs, tap on it and select Private from the drop-down list.
  4. You can now effortlessly enjoy your private browsing session.

Incognito Mode iPhone? It Has Never Been Simpler

Apple has made private browsing on iPhone ever so simpler requiring just a couple of steps enabling you to safely browse the web at your home, cafe, or anywhere in the world.

Let us know in the comments below if you found this article helpful and successfully entered private browsing mode on your iPhone running iOS 15.

FAQs on Using Private Tab on iPhone

No, Apple cannot see your private history, and you do not need to worry as the tech giant takes the privacy of its users very seriously. In fact, no one can track your private browsing history on iPhone since all trackers and cookies are temporarily disabled.

No, Private mode on iPhone isn't completely private as it still continues to log things like IP addresses and other device-related data. Your ISP will continue to see the traffic like normal browsing. It is possible for websites you visit to track your device and behavior on their sites.

Also, someone monitoring the traffic on the network you're connected to could see which pages you visit. In most cases, this occurs at work or on a work-issued device.

 

 

Users can quickly exit private mode on iPhone by simply closing the active private tab. Alternatively, click on the two-square icon in the bottom right corner of your screen and tap on private in the bottom center of the screen. Here, select the tab option above private, and you are good to go.

By default, the address bar on Safari is white, meaning you are in the normal browsing mode. However, as soon as you enter the private browsing mode on iPhone, the address bar quickly changes to black. Once the address bar turns black, it means you have entered private mode on iPhone.

As the name suggests, the private mode is all about secure browsing with no cookies or browsing history. Hence, you cannot see private browsing history once you have closed all the private safari tabs on iPhone.

With iOS 15, Apple added a new feature known as safari tab groups. Basically, the features groups multiple tabs together helping you to switch and manage all the tabs with ease. If you are interested in learning more about the Safari tab group feature, we have already covered a detailed article on it, you can read it here.

Well, in most cases, iOS 15 is secure enough to block any viruses and prevent them from damaging iPhones. However, we recommend avoiding downloading stuff from unknown websites as there have been reports of iPhones getting bricked by them.

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