One of the biggest problems with Safari on iPhone has always been the lack of customization, and the iOS 15 browser updates address that issue. Apple has added a lot of great features, including Safari extensions, tab bar, and tab groups, but the most notable feature is for those obsessed with finding the perfect home screen and lock screen look.
Safari’s updated start page, also known as the new tab screen, lets you choose what’s displayed on it, and you can even customize its background. It first appeared in macOS Mojave and Catalina in September 2020, then two months later in Big Sur, and is now finally available for iPhone and iPad in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, respectively.
The old Safari start page for iPhone, which arrived with iOS 13 in September 2019, has added more favorites sections. These include frequently visited and recently visited sites, as well as Siri Suggestions, the latter of which will display links from your messages, reading list, browsing history, and more. That still exists, only you can hide what you don’t want to see.
Customizing the Safari Start Page
To go to a custom start page in Safari, press and hold the tabs icon in the toolbar and click New Tab. You can also tap the tabs icon and then the plus (+) sign. From there, scroll to the bottom of the new tab screen and click Edit. (Note: You can also customize and view the start page in private browsing mode.)
By clicking “Edit”you will see all the features of the start page that you can change. The most noteworthy feature for those who prefer customization will be the “Background Image”selection, which is similar to changing the wallpaper on the home screen or lock screen. Other settings you can toggle include:
- Use start page on all devices
- Favorites
- Frequently visited
- You have been granted access
- Privacy Statement
- Siri Suggestions
- Reading List
- iCloud Tabs
Sync Safari Start Page on iPhone, iPad, Mac
With Use Start Page Across All Devices turned on, Safari syncs all of your start page settings, including the background image, across your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. Just make sure you:
- You are signed in with the same Apple ID.
- Use the latest software (macOS Big Sur or later, iOS 15 or later, iPadOS 15 or later).
- Turn on two-factor authentication for iCloud.
- Turn on Safari in iCloud settings.
Change the background of the Safari start page
By default, Apple provides nine different wallpaper options. Click one to set it as your background. Alternatively, you can use an image from your iPhone’s Photos app. Tap the plus (+) button, then select recent photos or specific albums. You can also choose the background of the Safari start page from other devices.
Unfortunately, you can’t use any of the default iOS desktop and lock screen wallpapers, but you can save them (links: iOS and macOS wallpapers) to your device and add them from Photos. You can use macOS wallpapers from your computer, which Apple stores in one of the following directories:
/System/Library/Desktop Picture
/System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_DesktopPicture
This wallpaper will be displayed on all your devices if you have sync turned on.
Choosing a Good Safari Start Page Background
Only certain types of images look best on your iPhone. If you want to sync the start page background image across your devices like iPad or Mac, choose a rectangular image with landscape orientation. Safari on iOS will display the middle third of the image. Also, when syncing your background image, use a high quality image so that it displays well on your other devices.
Disable Safari Start Page Background
To turn off the background image and return to the default dark gray background, go back to the Background Image section in the start page settings. From there, tap on the X in the corner of a custom or Apple-created wallpaper.
Safari Start Page Background Automation
Currently, you cannot automate your background with the default Shortcuts app. However, you can install third-party Safari extensions that will take you to a completely new start page. While they don’t change Apple’s default start page, opening a new tab will send you straight to the extension’s custom start page with its own custom settings. Examples include:
Customize other features of the Safari start page
As mentioned above, Safari has other home page features that you can customize, including start page sync, favorites, frequently visited web pages, links you’ve shared, privacy reports, Siri suggestions, your reading list, and tabs with your other devices.
Favorites
With Favorites, Safari’s oldest feature, you’ll see your favorite bookmarks as icons on the start page. To bookmark web pages, tap the Share icon in the Safari toolbar, then tap Add to Favorites. You can also find your favorite webpages using the book icon in the Safari toolbar, Favorites tab, and you can click Edit to organize them and add new folders.
Frequently visited
If you choose to show your “Frequently Visited”sites, the sites you visit frequently will be shown. However, if you’ve recently switched to iOS from Android, restored your iPhone, or cleared your browsing history in Safari, your device will take some time to optimize this setting for your start page.
You have been granted access
Shared with You is an important feature that Apple introduced in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15. On the Safari start page, you’ll see links sent to you through the Messages app.
Privacy Statement
Apple introduced the “Privacy Report”for Safari in September 2020 with iOS 14, and you can now see it on your start page. This feature allows you to see which websites are trying to use ad tracking. It also shows you how many trackers Safari has blocked and what percentage of the websites you visit use trackers.
Reading List
Reading List has been in Safari since iOS 5 was released in October 2011. Although this is an old feature, it is useful for creating a reading list later when you have time. As with bookmarks, you can click the Share icon in the Safari toolbar and then click Add to Reading List. You can also find your list by the book icon in the Safari toolbar, Reading List tab, and you can click Edit to remove or keep offline versions of pages.
iCloud Tabs
Apple introduced “iCloud Tabs”in iOS 13, and this feature allows you to quickly open links that are currently open in Safari on another device. You can now access them from the Safari start page. Previously, you could only access them at the bottom of the tab view.
Changing Safari Start Page Options
Finally, you can change the order in which most of these options appear on the Safari start page. To do this, touch and hold the three bars to the right of the option, then move the selection to where you want it to be.