How to disable or remove Safari on iPhone

Safari is the browser that comes with your iPhone — and all Apple devices, for that matter. But what if Safari isn’t quite your cup of tea? The good news is Apple not only lets you download a different browser for your iPhone but also makes it possible for you to set a different browser as your default. Are you one of those who’ve switched and are now wondering how to disable Safari from your iPhone?

It’s worth noting that Safari is deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem, making its complete removal a bit tricky. But don’t worry; there are workarounds to remove Safari from your iPhone. Let’s dive into what you need to know.

• Can you delete Safari from your iPhone?
• 3 Ways to disable Safari from iPhone
• Why you might want to delete Safari from your iPhone?

Can you delete Safari from your iPhone?

Deleting Safari from your iPhone is almost impossible unless you’re a tech wizard. It’s deeply embedded and not really meant to be removed. This is mainly because Safari is integrated so closely with Apple’s operating system. Plus, Apple uses a security feature called System Integrity Protection (SIP) to keep the system’s core parts safe, including Safari.

If you’re not a tech expert, tweaking these settings could lead to some pretty serious issues, possibly even a non-functioning iPhone.

While you can’t uninstall Safari, you’re not entirely out of options. You can’t delete it, but you can disable and wipe out its data. It’s like putting Safari into a dormant state — it’s still there, but it won’t get in your way.

3 Ways to disable Safari from iPhone

You can do several things to “remove” Safari’s existence from your iPhone.

1. Disable Safari from your iPhone using Screen Time

You can disable Safari, rendering it undiscoverable in the App Library and Home Screen. To do this:

1. Go to Settings → Screen Time.
2. Select Content & Privacy Restrictions.
   If not enabled yet, toggle Content & Privacy Restrictions on.
   
   
3. Select Allowed Apps and toggle Safari off.
   
   

Screen Time has many other uses besides hiding apps on your iPhone. You can also use it to set communication limits for your child and limit their digital exposure.

2. Remove Safari from your iPhone Home Screen

While you can’t permanently remove Safari from your iPhone, you can remove it from your Home screen and leave it buried in the App Library.

Tap and hold anywhere on your Home Screen, tap the Remove (-) icon on the left side of Safari → Remove from Home Screen.

3. Change your iPhone’s default browser

Instead of removing Safari, you may also consider switching your default browser. For instance, you can change it from Safari to Chrome or any other downloaded browser of your choice.

Just go to Settings → Scroll down and tap the browser that you want to set as default → Select Default Browser → Pick the desired browser.

That’s it; this simple step ensures that when you open links or browse the web, your preferred browser takes the lead, pushing Safari into the background.

Why you might want to delete Safari from your iPhone?

There are plenty of reasons why a person would like to delete Safari from their iPhones and switch to a different browser:

• An organization specifies the use of a different browser.
• Other browsers offer better privacy and security.
• Apple has been caught collecting people’s browsing histories, even while using private browsing.
• While Safari being closed-source means it’s more secure and less likely to be compromised by cybercriminals, it also prevents people from checking for vulnerabilities.
• Google pays Apple to feature the search engine giant as Apple’s preferred search engine on all Apple devices. Since Google is known to collect user data for advertising purposes, people might prefer a different browser that uses a different search engine.

If you’re looking for a different browser, here are the best Safari alternatives for your iPhone.

Wrapping up…

While Apple doesn’t make it easy to totally remove Safari from your iPhone, there are several workarounds to keep it hidden and inactive. I’m curious to know—what’s your reason for wanting to ditch Safari? Do you have another browser that better fits your needs? Drop a comment and let us know your browser of choice and why you prefer it over Safari!

Read more:

• Safari vs. Chrome: Which browser is better for iPhone and Mac?