Most users of iPhone and iPad They don't usually pay attention to how your default browser works. Unless they encounter a problem. And therefore, we have for you an easy-to-use and privacy-focused guide. And all this to teach you how to configure Safari on iOS.
Also, this is more like a cheat sheet, so as not to get into technical details and get bored. So, we have this fairly straightforward and very simple guide.
How to configure Safari on iOS
First, you cannot manage Safari settings from the same browser. iOS is a bit weird when it comes to that. Instead, you must go to the "Settings" application, to configure the browser. You can find Safari in the sidebar on your left.
Similarly, there are a lot of options that you can modify here. Therefore, we will mention the most important that you may want to modify.
Siri and Search
Do you use Siri? If your answer is no, you must deactivate everything under this option. This is a personal decision. Now, if you use Siri, you should show suggestions, learn how to use Safari and if you should take information or suggestions in the search results.
Default search engine
There are no prizes for guessing what is the default here. Of course, Google. However, you have three more options to choose from; Between: Yahoo, Bing and DuckDuckGo, focused on privacy.
Search Suggestions
In this regard, you may know that this is automatically completed in desktop browsers. It can help you save a few seconds, otherwise you would have wasted writing the rest of the search phrase. However, this can be complicated, since you can receive suggestions that may not be entirely relevant to what you are looking for.
Safari suggestions
This option is similar to search suggestions and obtains information from sources such as Wikipedia. The information is displayed inside the address bar, and it can be useful at times. Likewise, it is powered by Safari, in case you wonder.
Quick website search
If you want to see a Wikipedia page of a particular topic, but you have to write a lot. You just have to write something like: "iOS Wiki", and it should load the corresponding page.
Pre-load Top Hit
Similarly, this is like a lottery, and it depends on what you are looking for. Load the most popular result for the term you searched for. Similarly, it is recommended to deactivate it. Simply because it may be inaccurate and because you need to connect to the site in question.
Autocomplete
You can also use Safari to automatically complete your name, credit card information. This to make a quick payment on websites.
Frequently visited sites
In fact, and as the name suggests, this function lists the most frequently accessed websites. It can be useful, if you like to visit the same sites every day. For example, news, weather, sports, among others.
You can also manage your favorites (marked websites) separately, and also the behavior of the tabs. These are fairly basic options that explain themselves.
Important Safari settings on iOS
In this sense, Apple Safari is quite good on iOS and has some very useful options to keep you safe on the internet.
Block pop-up windows
Although iOS is generally considered safe against malware, you don't want website pop-ups to bother or distract you. You must leave this option activated and you will not notice a single pop-up window. It is quite good.
Fraudulent website warning
In the same way, this is a crucial feature, and it is one of the many pre-enabled options in Safari. It helps prevent sites from scams and known scams from loading in the browser. And, therefore, stops phishing attacks on its way.
Avoid cross-site tracking
First, this option will prevent websites you know as annoying from tracking your browsing history on other websites. This is perhaps the most important of all the features.
downloads
If you have a lot of space in your iCloud account, you can let your downloads be saved to the cloud drive. Otherwise, you can store them locally in the storage of your device.
Content Blockers
These are your ad blockers, and yes, iOS has some. In this way, AdGuard is a good option if you use YouTube, Reddit, Facebook, etc. And if you do it from your browser directly, instead of their respective applications.
Camera, microphone, location
These are personal options and can be set to "Deny" or "Allow" for all websites, or set to always ask you. If you want to have control of all this, you just have to select the option: ask each time.
Request desktop website (enable for iPad)
In fact, this is not related to security, but to improve your user experience. Also, in iPadOS, this option is enabled for iPads, because the screen is large and reduces the theme of the desktop. From almost every website to adapt perfectly to the screen. Similarly, on iPhones, it is not recommended to enable this option, since the screen is not large enough.
Finally, there is the "Advanced" section, where there are some options, which may be useful for developers. Especially for the experimental ones. Also, the rest of the options here are not really meant to be manipulated by normal users.