Safari gets better with every iPhone update. And iOS 16 brings a host of new features and updates. Now you have new password protection, tab group settings, tons of sync options, performance improvements, and useful tools for interacting with photos online.
In addition, there are new web extension APIs and web technologies. In this way, developers can create additional types of Safari extensions and improve the look and feel of websites. Without further ado, let’s move on to the best Safari for iPhone tips and tricks.
1. Share Tab Group for Collaboration
- On the current web page, tap the tabs icon.
- Then, in the upper right corner, click the Share icon. If it doesn’t appear, scroll to the top of the tabs.
- Finally, click “Messages”on the sharing sheet to share the tab group with the desired contact.
Currently, you can only invite people using the Messages app.
2. Change the background of your tab group
iOS 16 lets you customize the start page of your tab group so you can change the layout of Safari. Similar to adding favorites to the start page, you can also set your own background using this iPhone Safari trick.
- Go to the start page and click “Edit”by scrolling down.
- Now enable the background image if it is disabled and choose a wallpaper.
- You can also click the plus sign (+) and use images from the gallery.
3. Check recently closed tabs for each tab group.
- From an existing tab group, navigate to the Safari start page.
- Scroll down and select Edit.
- Now turn on Recently Closed Tabs. This will add a closed tabs section for that group.
4. Add Tab Groups to Focus Mode
Focus Mode is more updated and improved in iOS 16. It has a new feature called “Filters”. Using it, you can restrict and restrict other tabs and only see a specific group of Safari tabs.
- Open “Settings”and click “Focus”.
- Now choose a focus mode. Here I chose Do Not Disturb.
- Then scroll down and click the plus (+) on Add Filter.
- After that, select Safari from the application filters.
- In the next window, click “Select”next to the tab group.
- It will show a list of your tab groups. Choose the one you want to use in focus mode.
- Finally, click “Add”in the top right corner.
Along with these settings, you can also pin tabs to tab groups and add favorites to the start page of each tab group. To learn more about such Tab Group hacks, check out our full guide.
5. “Find on page”function
Safari’s Find on Page feature comes in handy when you need to find a website. Apple updated this tool in iOS 16.
- Open a web page and press and hold a word or select a phrase.
- You should now see a context menu with a new “Find Selection”option. Clicking on it will highlight the phrase on the page and indicate how often it has been used.
6. Translation of images for websites
Image translation in Safari isn’t new, but the results haven’t always been right. But Apple fixed the issue with Live Text.
- Tap and hold on the image you want to translate.
- Then click “Show Text”and select “Translate”. This will just change the text in the picture, not open the translation action page.
7. New language support for translating Safari web pages.
In addition to translating images, you can translate a web page in Safari. The iOS 16 update added new language support for Safari translation. So now you can translate websites with Arabic, Dutch, Indonesian, Korean, Polish, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese text.
8. Access keys for enhanced security
Passkeys in iOS 16 will act as standard passwords when you sign in to your accounts on websites or apps. Thus, you will be protected from data leakage, phishing and password cracking attempts.
With passkeys, you’ll authenticate with Touch ID or Face ID instead of manually entering a password when you create or sign in to an account. This will generate unique public and private keys associated with your biometric authentication.
Your iCloud Keychain will store the private key, while the public key will be stored on the website’s servers. The best part is that no one, not even Apple, can see the private key. However, it will sync with all your other iCloud devices, making it easy to sign in from anywhere and on any device.
9. Easily copy objects from images
The new Visual Look Up feature in iOS 16 is also available in the Safari app. Thus, you can drag and drop objects directly from any photos on the site. Just click on it and click “Copy Theme”. Thus, you can duplicate any Internet picture and erase its background. Also, paste the clipping, save it or drag it to any place on your iPhone.
10. Change Suggested Strong Passwords
As you already know, Safari generates strong passwords when you create an account on a website. But some websites have certain criteria for creating a password. Don’t worry! I have some tips and tricks to solve this problem. iOS 16 lets you create strong passwords as needed.
- When you start creating an account on any website, you will see a pop-up window. There, click “More Options”.
- A menu will now appear where you can choose your password or change a strong password. If you choose to create your own password or manually edit the suggested one, you can do so in the password field on the site.
11. Get push notifications from websites
Finally, this Mac feature is coming to the iPhone. Whenever you visit a website, it will ask you if you want to receive push notifications from that website. It’s not available right now, but I think Apple will roll out this feature in iOS 16 updates in 2023.
12. Sync Safari Extensions
Let’s say you’ve added the Grammarly extension to Safari. But when using Safari on Mac, you need to install the extension again. The good news is that iOS 16 now supports syncing Safari extensions across your Apple devices.
- Open settings. Go to Safari → Extensions.
- Then turn on “Share across devices”. (Even though it’s already enabled by default)
Also, here you can see all installed extensions on your iPhone. In addition, the section “On other devices”lists extensions that are not on your device. So you can just download them as you must have apps for these extensions on your iPhone.
13. Sync website settings across all your Apple devices.
Just like syncing extensions, you can sync your website settings across devices. Therefore, you only need to configure settings once, such as Page Zoom, Work Site Request, Reader, Content Blockers, Camera, Microphone, and Location.
- Go to Settings → Safari.
- Then scroll down and turn on “Share across devices”in the “Settings for websites”section.
14. New shortcut actions
In iOS 16, Apple added new shortcut actions to Safari. See the list below:
- Find bookmarks
- Open bookmark
- open view
- Install Safari Focus filter
- Find Reading List Items
- Open Reading List Item
- Create a tab group
- Find tab groups
- Open tab group
- close tab
- Create a new private tab
- Create new tab
- Find tabs
- Open tab
15. Skip CAPTCHAs when browsing
- Open Settings → tap your name (Apple ID).
- In the next window, select “Password and Security”.
- Scroll down the page and turn on auto-check in Safari’s advanced settings.
16. Haptic touch (Safari app icon)
Just press and hold the Safari icon to quickly access frequently used content like your reading list and bookmarks, and even open a new tab right from your iPhone’s home screen.
It’s pretty good and I like this neat implementation. So, give it a try to get to the action faster. (highlight)
17. Take a peek
Next in line is the ability to preview a page and get some useful options without leaving the page.
Just press and hold on a URL to get a preview of the page. You can then swipe up to reveal options such as Open in Background, Add to Reading List, Copy, and Share.
18. Paste and Go and Paste and Find
To be honest, this tip sounds pretty simple, but I don’t think everyone knows it. And that’s why I included it in this review. Once you’ve copied the URL to your clipboard, simply touch and hold on the address bar and then click Paste and Go.
Similarly, you can use this same trick to find something faster. After copying any text, touch and hold the address bar. Then click “Insert”and “Search”. Here you go!
19. Enter Top Level Domains Easily
Next, I’d like to show you a quick way to enter top-level domains into the search bar. Just touch and hold the tiny “.”period button on the bottom row of the keyboard, and then select one of several top-level domain extensions such as. com. net and. org, depending on your location.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, as the standard QuickType keyboard has a lot of tricks up its sleeve.
To learn more about such cool keyboard tips, check out our how-to guide.
20. Return to top of page
While reading the article, you scrolled to the end. How would you quickly return to the top of the page? Scrolling up? It’s not productive at all.
A smarter way to do this is to double-tap the status bar at the top of the screen. It works reliably and makes web browsing smoother. Really.
21. Set a reminder to view a page at a specific time.
Did you know that Siri can help you set a reminder to check a web page at a specific time?
Just call Siri and say something like “Remind me to check this page at 21:00 today.”Siri will confirm that it will complete the task.
You will now receive a reminder at the set time to check this article. Click on it and you will be taken to the Reminders app. Then click the Safari icon to visit this page. I often use this feature to browse my favorite articles at my convenience. And I would recommend using it because it is very user friendly.
22. Quick access to history forward / backward
While browsing the web, you have gone a few pages deep. Now you may want to quickly access all previous history. What will you usually do? Keep pressing the back button.
No, this is not the best way to do it. Just press and hold the back button. Now you will see all your past stories. Similarly, you can press and hold the Forward button to view all of your stories ahead. So, the next time you want to go back and forth while browsing the web, don’t forget to use this neat trick.
23. Play video in the background
If you enjoy listening to audio while browsing the web, this tip is for you.
Assuming the video is playing in Safari, press the Home button or swipe up on the Home bar. Now the video will stop. Open the player menu and press the play button. The video will start playing in the background again.
Keep in mind; YouTube does not officially support this feature. However, there are some tricks to overcome this hurdle. To learn how they work, check out our how-to guide.
24. Download a desktop site
Not all sites are ideally optimized for mobile devices. To be honest, I have come across many websites that look cramped on mobile devices. Luckily, there is an option to request a desktop version of the site.
To do this, simply tap the AA icon in the address bar and select Request Desktop Site.
Boom! Safari will instantly present you with the desktop version of the site. In the same way, you can return to the mobile site again.
25. Change your default search engine
Google is set as the default search engine in Safari. However, you can change it to your liking. All you have to do is:
- Launch the Settings app and click Safari.
- Then click on search engine. You now have multiple options such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and DuckDuckGo. So, choose the one you want to use and you are ready to go!
26. Reorder tabs
Especially during extensive research, I like to keep the tabs in the correct order, which makes it a little easier to access specific ones. To reorder tabs:
- Open Safari and click the tabs icon.
- You will now see all open tabs. Just touch and hold a specific icon and drag it up, down, or wherever you like.
Use this simple gesture to keep all your tabs perfectly organized.
27. Search for Specific Tabs in Safari
The next tip I’ll cover is searching for specific tabs. Save it in case you have multiple tabs open and want to quickly navigate to certain ones.
For this:
- Click the tabs icon and then scroll up to open the search tab bar.
- Then enter the name of the tab you are looking for. For example, type iGeeksBlog and it will show all related tabs. It’s pretty neat!
I don’t think most of you are aware of this secret trick to close all found tabs. To be honest, I didn’t know about this hack until I stumbled across it a few days ago.
Just press and hold the “Cancel”button and you will see the option to close all tabs corresponding to the site. Just tap it and all the tabs corresponding to that particular site will disappear!
28. Close all tabs at once
Alternatively, you can also click once on the tabs icon. Then press and hold the Done button. Finally, click “Close All Tabs”and they will be gone!
29. Reopen recently closed tabs
Sometimes after closing all the tabs, I realized that I needed to check some specific ones. And that’s where this advice comes in.
To reopen recently closed tabs, tap the tabs icon, and then press and hold the plus (+) button. You will now see a list of all the tabs you have recently closed.
Next, choose the one you want to use. Super convenient, right?
30. Open the Incognito Tab
Safari comes with incognito mode so you can search the web with more privacy. The best part about this is that when you enter this mode, the web browser does not save any of your data.
To invoke this mode:
- Press and hold the tabs icon.
- Now select “Private”or “New Private Tab”. It will redirect you to the start page in private browsing mode.
There is another way to become incognito. On the tab browsing screen, tap the name of the tab group. Then select “Private”and confirm by clicking “Finish”. If you want to turn off private browsing mode, just repeat the same steps I just mentioned. And the normal web browsing mode will return.
Moving on, don’t forget to clear your cookies and history from time to time to prevent the app from getting cluttered. And it can also prevent others from guessing what content you are viewing these days!
To clear it, go to Settings app → Safari. Then scroll and double-tap Clear History and Website Data.
32. Manage all your saved passwords
Believe me, password management on iOS has never been so painless and convenient.
To manage your passwords:
- Open the Settings app and tap on “Passwords”.
- Next, you need to log in. Once this is done, you will see all your accounts.
- Click on the one you want to manage. Click “Edit”in the top right corner.
- Then make the necessary changes and click “Finish”to confirm.
33. View saved passwords with Siri
Siri makes it incredibly easy to view saved passwords. Let’s say I want to access Facebook account passwords. I’ll call Siri and say something like “Show me my Facebook passwords.”
Now I need to authenticate my device. This will give me access to my Facebook account and saved password. I’m telling you, it’s very convenient.
34. Autocomplete passwords
Every time you want to log in to any website account, you don’t have to enter the password manually. To use this feature, make sure the password autofill toggle is turned on in your password settings.
Going forward, the first time you sign in to your account, you’ll have the option to save it to your iCloud Keychain. This way, when you enter your login credentials, the keyboard will automatically display the password for your saved account. Click on it and all the details will be filled in instantly.
35. Enter Verification Codes Quickly
In the latest version of iOS, entering verification codes has become very easy thanks to two-factor authentication.
All you have to do is just click on the text field and click on the incoming verification code to automatically fill in the verification box. It’s really very convenient.
36. Change Default Password Autofill Provider
While Apple’s iCloud Keychain works flawlessly, using third-party apps is great. To change the default password autofill provider, make sure you’ve already installed your favorite password manager and, ideally, set it up.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on “Passwords”.
- Now authenticate and select “Password Options”.
- You will then see compatible third-party password managers installed on your device under “Allow padding from”. Choose your preferred option and follow the instructions to authenticate it and you’re done!
37. Convert Web Page to PDF
While browsing the web, whenever I stumble upon an article, I like to save it to my dedicated collection. That’s when the option to convert a web page to PDF comes along.
Let’s say I want to convert a web page to PDF.
- Click the Share button and select Print from the share sheet.
- Then click the Share button again next to print options at the top.
- Finally, I’ll choose Save to Files.
Alternatively, you can annotate a file with the Markup tool and save it in the Files app. This is a pretty intuitive iOS feature.
38. 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:
- Press and hold the book icon.
- Select “Add to Reading List”from the menu.
If you’d like to save it for offline reading, click Save Automatically.
39. Make the Most of Reading Mode
Last but not least, Safari comes with a helpful reading mode that enhances the reading experience.
- Tap the AA icon in the address bar.
- Then select Website Settings from the context menu.
- Finally, enable Automatically use Reader.
Therefore, whenever you view this website, it removes everything unnecessary to make it easier for you to read the article. That’s not all; you can click on the text button and choose from several fonts and themes to further enhance your reading experience.
Stay tuned for more helpful tips like this…
So, here’s how you can get the most out of Safari on your iOS device. These tips can certainly cut down on lag and speed up your web browsing. Am I missing some cool tricks? If so, don’t leave until you spill the beans downstairs.