42 Safari tips and tricks for iPhone (iOS 18)

With iOS 18, Apple has introduced new features to Safari, making it even better for users. For instance, new features like Highlights, a revamped Reader view, Distraction Control, and others have made Safari more efficient and customizable. So, to help you make the most out of it, I will share the best Safari tips and tricks for iPhone.

1. Safari Highlights

One of the most remarkable features of iOS 18 is Safari Highlights. It provides you with the key information, such as phone numbers, addresses, links, etc., from any web page you visit. So you can quickly glance at the key details without going through the content.

For instance, you are surfing an article on the best pizza cafe in your town. If Safari Highlights is available for the page, you will see a sparkle icon on the menu icon. Selecting it will pull up the address of the location, their business hours, ratings, phone number, etc.

The Highlights change according to the webpage you visit. For webpages mentioning TV shows or music, you will get links to open the media on Apple TV or Apple Music. Thus, Safari Highlights reduces the time spent searching for key information.

To enable Safari Highlights on your iPhone:

1. Go to Settings and select Apps at the bottom.
2. Here, tap Safari.
3. Scroll down to Privacy & Security section and toggle on Highlights.
   
   

After you enable the feature, you can find Highlights for websites in U.S. English only as of writing.

2. Access redesigned Reader mode

In iOS 18, the Reader mode received a significant overhaul, making it more user-friendly and visually appealing. You can customize the font size, style, and background color to suit your reading preferences and lighting conditions.

Simply open a webpage on Safari. If Reader mode is available, you will see a page icon beside the address bar. Tap the page menu icon and select Show Reader. This will remove the excess elements from the page so you can focus on the content.

To customize the view, tap the Reader icon beside the address bar again. You can change the font style from the dropdown and select your preferred background color. Moreover, you can increase or decrease the font size by tapping the A icon in the middle.

3. Summarize webpages

As we are talking about the redesigned Reader mode, you can now get a table of content and a summary of the webpage in Reader on iOS 18. Apple Intelligence analyzes the content and provides you with the key details as a summary.

However, your device must support Apple Intelligence and be updated with iOS 18.1 beta to access the feature. Now, let’s see how to access it:

1. Visit a webpage and turn on Reader mode, as mentioned above.
2. Tap on the Summarize button at the top.
   
   
3. Wait for a few seconds, and you will see a short summary and table of contents.

4. Safari Distraction Control

If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by too many elements on a webpage, Safari Distraction Control is here to help. This feature in iOS 18 allows you to remove static items, such as cookie preferences, sign-in prompts, etc., to limit distractions.

1. On a webpage, tap the page menu icon next to the address bar.
2. Select Hide Distracting Items.
   
   
3. Tap on the web element you want to hide and hit the Hide button.
4. Repeat the process to hide other items.
5. Once satisfied, tap Done.
   
   

5. Updated Quick Access options

Apple made changes to the Safari tools menu. You will see the most useful ones, such as translator, Reader Mode, privacy protections, and font size, on the page menu. Other tools are tucked in the More section. To access that, tap the page menu icon next to the address bar at the bottom right corner and tap the three–dot button in the bottom right corner.

Here, you will find the Show IP Address, Request Desktop Website, Hide Toolbar, etc. which were available in the page menu previously. Moreover, Apple has included some more features in the toolbar such as Print, Add to Favorites, Add Bookmark, Add to Quick Note, Add to Reading List, Move to Tab Group, Pin Tab, etc. for quick access.

6. Create Safari profiles

Safari Profiles lets you organize your browsing activity with convenience. I have created different profiles on Safari and separate browsing environments for different purposes, such as work, college, and personal. Each profile has its own set of extensions, Tab Groups, bookmarks, and history.

So, this Safari browser feature can boost your speed and performance as you don’t need to switch between work and personal accounts each time. Sounds cool, right? Go through our detailed guide to create Safari profiles on iPhone.

7. Quick search results

To save your time, Safari shows quick search results using Smart Search field. It is faster and more responsive than before and shows more relevant and understandable search recommendations.

For example, I wanted to keep up with the ongoing NBA match, so I searched for NBA live scores. Safari displayed a scorecard instantly; thus, I didn’t even have to do a search and visit any website. If you search for “cake,” it will show you the nearest bakery with the option to call and map directions.

If you are not getting the Quick search results, check your Safari settings:

1. Open Settings → Apps → Safari.
2. Tap Quick Website Search → Toggle on Quick Website Search.
   
   

8. Advanced Private Browsing

The locking Private tabs feature is my best Safari trick for iPhone. Private Browsing prevents trackers on sites and deletes your browsing history.

Safari locks your private tabs when you are not using them, so you can move around while keeping those tabs open. If anyone tries to access them, they must enter your passcode. Also, now Private Browsing removes the trackers from the URLs you visit. Therefore, tracking and identifying your device is quite impossible now.

You can also opt for this advanced tracking protection when you are browsing. For that,

1. Go to Settings → Apps → Safari → Advanced.
2. Tap Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection.
3. Choose All Browsing.
   
   

9. Autofill verification codes 

Another efficient, hidden trick inside Apple’s Safari browser on iOS 18. Now, Safari will get your verification codes from Mail. This is such a relief, as it was never fun to get verification codes by email.

You no longer have to close Safari to search for the verification code email and return it. The verification codes will be readily accessed on the keyboard, and you may automatically fill them in.

10. Sharing passwords with Family Passwords

Taking security and convenience to the next level, Apple has introduced an essential Safari feature for your iPhone: Family Password sharing. You can create a group of trusted contacts and share your iCloud Keychains passwords. The group members can access your passwords, add theirs and edit them.

You can also remove any contact from the group or modify the password. Therefore, you don’t need to share the passwords verbally or AirDrop them. Learn this interesting feature from our guide on how to use Family Passwords on iPhone.

11. Listen to a web page

Don’t want to read through long articles and blogs? Now, you can listen to web pages that have Reader support.

1. Open a website in Safari. 
2. Tap the page menu icon next to the address bar.
3. Select Listen to Page. 
4. It will start with an audio reader and won’t stop locking your iPhone. To stop this, tap the page menu icon again and tap Pause Listening. You may also stop the reader or Airplay it from your Lock Screen widget.
   
   
   

12. Share Tab Group to collaborate

Tab groups are very convenient for organizing browsing activities. Now, you can also share a tab group with your friends and colleagues to keep up your research.

1. From the current web page, tap the tabs icon.
2. Then, on the top right, hit the share icon. 
   If it isn’t visible, go to the top of the tabs. 
3. Finally, tap Messages from the share sheet to share a Tab Group with your desired contact.
   
   

For the time being, you can only invite people using the Messages app. 

13. Change the background of your Tab Group

Apple allows you to customize the start page of your Tabs Group so you can change the layout of Safari. Similar to adding Favourites to the start page, you may also set a custom background using this iPhone Safari trick. 

1. Go to the start page and tap Edit by scrolling down. 
2. Toggle on Background Image if it’s disabled and choose a wallpaper. 
3. You can also tap the plus sign (+) and use images from the gallery.
   
   

14. Check recently closed tabs for each Tab Group

1. From the existing Tab Group, go to the start page of Safari.
2. Scroll down and choose Edit.
3. Toggle on Recently Closed Tabs. It will add a section of closed tabs for that group. 
   
   

15. Add Tab Groups or Safari profiles to your Focus mode

Focus mode is more upgraded and enhanced on the iPhone. It has added a new feature called Filters. Using it, you can limit and restrict other tabs and only see a certain group of Safari tabs. You may also opt for your personalized Safari Profile in Focus mode.

1. Open Settings → Tap Focus.
2. Choose a Focus mode. Here, I have chosen Do Not Disturb.
3. Then scroll down and tap plus (+) on Add Filter. 
   
   
4. After that, select Safari from the App Filters.
5. Select Tab Group and tap Choose.
   You may also add any of your Safari profile to the Focus Filter.
   
   
6. It will show the list of your Tab Groups. Select the one you want to use during Focus mode. 
7. Finally, tap Add at the top right.
   
   
   

Along with these settings, you can also pin tabs in Tab Groups and add Favorites to each Tab Group’s start page. Refer to our complete guide on Tab groups to learn more about such hacks.

16. Use the Find in Page feature

Safari’s Find on Page function comes in handy when searching a website.

1. Open a webpage and long press on a word or select a phrase.
2. Now, you can see a context menu with a new Find Selection option. Tapping on it will highlight the phrase across the page and tell you how often it has been used.
   
   

17. Image translation for websites

Translating images in Safari is not new, but the results weren’t always correct. However, Apple has fixed the issue with Live Text. 

1. Long-press on the image you want to translate.  
2. Then tap Show Text and then choose Translate. It will just change the text on the picture rather than bring up an action page with the translation.
   
   

18. New language support for Safari webpage translation

Besides image translation, you may translate a webpage in Safari. The new iOS update has added new language support for Safari translation. So, you can now translate websites using Arabic, Dutch, Indonesian, Korean, Polish, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese text. 

19. Passkeys for enhanced security 

Passkeys on iPhone will take the role of standard passwords when logging into your accounts across websites or apps. Therefore, you will be safeguarded against data breaches, phishing scams, and password-cracking attempts. 

With Passkeys, you will authenticate using Touch ID or Face ID instead of manually typing a password when creating or logging in to an account. As a result, it will create unique public and private keys linked to your biometric authentication. 

Your iCloud Keychain will save the private key while the public key is kept on the website’s servers. The best part is no one, even Apple, cannot see the private key. However, it will sync to all your other iCloud devices, making it simple for you to log in from any location and device.

20. Easily copy subjects from images

The new Visual Look Up feature is also accessible in the Safari app. So, you can drag objects directly out of any photos on the website. Just long-press on it and tap Copy Subject. So, you may duplicate any internet picture and erase its background. Besides, paste the cutout, save it, or drop it anywhere on your iPhone.

21. Edit suggested strong passwords

As you already know, Safari generates strong passwords while creating an account on a website. However, some websites have certain criteria for creating a password. Don’t worry! I have some tips and tricks to solve this issue. Apple now allows the creation of strong passwords as required.

1. When you start creating an account on any website, a pop-up window will appear. Tap Other Options. 
2. Now a menu will appear where you can choose your password or Edit Strong Password. If you choose to make your own password or manually edit the suggested one, you’ll be able to do that in the site’s password field. 
   
   

22. Safari extensions synchronization

Suppose you have added a Grammarly extension to Safari. But when using Safari on Mac, you need to install the extension again. The good news is that Apple now supports Safari extension synchronization across all your devices. 

1. Open Settings → Apps → Safari → Extensions.
2. Then toggle on Share Across Devices. (Though it is already switched on by default)
   
   

Additionally, here you can see all your installed extensions on your iPhone. Besides, the On Other Devices section lists extensions that aren’t on your device. So, you can simply download them as you must have the apps for those extensions on your iPhone.

23. Sync website settings on all your Apple devices

Like extension synchronization, you can sync your website settings across devices. Therefore, you only need to configure your choices like Page Zoom, Request Desktop Site, Reader, Content Blockers, Camera, Microphone, and Location once. 

1. Go to Settings → App → Safari.
2. Then scroll down and toggle on Share Across Devices under Settings for Websites section. 
   
   

24. Skip CAPTCHAs when browsing

1. Open Settings → tap your name (Apple ID).
2. From the next window, choose Password & Security.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and toggle on Automatic Verification under Safari Advanced settings.
   
   

25. Haptic touch (Safari app icon)

Just touch and hold the Safari icon to quickly access commonly used apps like a reading list and bookmarks and even open a new tab right from your iPhone’s home screen.

It’s pretty good, and I kind of like this neat implementation. So, give it a shot to get into the action faster. (Punch line)

26. Take a sneak peek

Next in line is the option to take a page’s preview and get multiple useful options without leaving that page.

Touch and hold a URL to preview a page. Then, swipe up to reveal options like Open In Background, Add to Reading List, Copy, and Share.

27. Easily type Top-Level domains

Next, I’d like to show you a quick way to enter top-level domains in the search bar. Simply touch and hold the tiny “.” period button in the bottom row of the keyboard, and then choose from several top-level domain extensions, such as .com, .net, and .org, based on your location.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as the stock QuickType keyboard has many tricks up its sleeve.

28. Jump back to the top of the page

While reading an article, you’ve scrolled all the way to the bottom. How would you quickly jump back to the top of the page? By scrolling up? That’s not productive at all.

The smarter way to do this is by double-tapping the status bar at the top of the screen. It works reliably and makes web browsing a bit smooth sailing.

29. Set a reminder to look at a page at a specific time

Did you know that Siri could help you set a reminder to check out a webpage at a specific time?

Just invoke Siri and say something like, “Remind me to look at this page today at 9 P.M.” Siri will confirm that it will do the assigned task.

You will receive a reminder to check out that article at the set time. Tap on it, and you will be taken to the Reminders app. Then, hit the Safari icon to visit that page. I often use this feature to catch up with my favorite articles at a convenient time. I recommend it because it’s very user-friendly.

30. Quickly access forward/backward history

While browsing the web, you’ve gone several pages deep. Now, you might want to quickly access all the backward history. What will you normally do? Keep tapping on the backward button.

No, that’s not the better way to go about it. Simply touch and hold the back button. Now, you will see all of your backward histories. Similarly, you can touch and hold the forward button to view all of your forward histories. So, the next time you want to go back and forth while browsing the web, do not forget to use this nifty trick.

31. Play a video in the background

If you like listening to audio while browsing the web, this tip is for you.

Assuming a video is playing in Safari, press the Home button or swipe up from the Home bar. The video will pause. Bring up the player menu and hit the play button. The video will start playing again in the background.

Keep in mind that YouTube doesn’t officially support this feature. However, if you’ve enabled the YouTube Picture-in-picture mode, you can enjoy playing videos in the background.

32. Load the desktop site 

Not all sites are perfectly optimized for mobile devices. To be honest, I have come across many websites that look cramped on mobile devices. Thankfully, there is an option to request the desktop version of a site.

Simply tap the page menu icon next to the address bar, tap the three-dot button in the bottom-right corner and choose Request Desktop Website. 

Boom! Safari will instantly present you with the desktop version of the site. You can again revert back to the mobile site in the same way. 

33. Change the default Safari search engine

Google is set as the default search engine in Safari.

However, you can choose to change it as and when you want. To lean how it is done, you can refer to our article on how to change Safari search engine on iPhone.

34. Rearrange tabs

Especially during extensive research, I like to keep tabs in the right order, making it a bit easier to access the specific ones. To rearrange tabs:

1. Open Safari and hit the tabs icon. 
2. Now, you will see all of your open tabs. Simply touch and hold a specific one and drag it at the top, bottom, or anywhere you want.

Use this simple gesture to keep all of your tabs perfectly organized.

35. Search specific tabs on Safari

The next tip I’m going to discuss is searching specific tabs. Use it when you have several open tabs and want to jump quickly to specific ones.

1. Hit the tabs icon and then scroll up to reveal the Search Tabs bar. 
2. Next, type in the name of the tab you are looking for. For instance, enter iGeeksBlog, and it will show all the related tabs. That’s pretty neat!
   
   

I don’t think most of you would be aware of this secret trick that lets you close all the searched tabs. I was unaware of this hack until I stumbled upon it a few days back.

Just touch and hold the Cancel button, and you will see an option to close all the tabs matching a site. Simply tap it, and all the tabs matching that particular site will be gone!

36. Close all tabs at once

After spending plenty of time browsing the web, you might want to close out all of your open tabs so that prying eyes can’t figure out what you are up to. Simply touch and hold the tabs icon. Then, tap Close All Tabs, and boom! All the open tabs will be gone.

Alternatively, you can also hit the tabs icon once. Then long-press the Done button. Finally, tap Close All Tabs, and they will disappear!

37. Reopen Recently Closed Tabs

At times, after closing all the tabs, I realized I needed to check out some specific ones. That’s when this tip came onto the scene.

To reopen recently closed tabs, hit the tabs icon and then touch and hold the plus (+) button. Now, you will see the list of all the tabs you had recently closed.

Next, select the one you want to use. Super handy, isn’t it?

38. Open Incognito tab

Safari comes with an incognito mode that lets you search the web in greater privacy. The best part is that when you enter this mode, the web browser doesn’t store any of your data.

1. Long press the tabs icon. 
2. Now choose Private or New Private Tab. It will redirect you to the start page in private browsing mode.
   
   

There’s another way to go incognito. From the Tabs View screen, tap on your Tabs Group name. Then select Private and confirm by tapping Done. When you want to disable the private browsing mode, simply repeat the same steps I’ve just mentioned. And the general web browsing mode will be back.

39. Clear cookies and history

Moving on, make sure to clear out cookies and history from time to time to prevent the app from being cluttered. And it can also prevent others from guessing what sort of stuff you are browsing these days!

To clean it up, open the Settings app → Apps → Safari, scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data twice.

Now, all of your browsing data will be wiped out for good.

40. Autofill Passwords in Safari

You don’t need to manually enter the password whenever you want to log in to any website account. To take advantage of this feature, ensure that the Autofill Passwords switch is ON inside the Passwords setting.

Going forward, the first time you log in to an account, you can save it to the iCloud Keychain. So, when you enter your login credentials, the keyboard will automatically pop up the password for your saved account. Tap on it, and all the details will be instantly filled in.

41. Convert a webpage into a PDF

While browsing the web, whenever I stumble upon an article, I like to save it to my special collection. That’s when the option to convert a webpage into PDF comes into the picture.

Let’s say I want to convert a webpage into a PDF.

1. Tap the Share button and choose Print in the share sheet. 
2. Then again, tap the Share button beside the Print Options at the top.
   
   
3. Finally, I will choose to Save to Files. 
   
   

Also, you can annotate the file using the Markup tool and save it to the Files app. That’s a pretty intuitive iOS feature.

42. Quickly add any article to your reading list

If you are a voracious reader, this tip is for you. The next time you want to save an article to read later:

1. Touch and hold the book icon.
2. Choose Add to Reading List in the menu.

In case you wish to save it for offline reading, tap Save Automatically.

Stay tuned in for more such handy tips…

So, that’s how you can get the most out of Safari on your iOS device. These tips can surely cut the lag and speed up your web browsing. Have I missed out on some cool tricks? If yes, don’t leave before you spill some beans about them below.