safari app privacy

Your Guide to Private Browsing in Safari

Private browsing is often misunderstood, but it can be a helpful feature if you know what’s what.

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What private browsing does in safari, how to use safari private browsing on iphone and ipad, how to use safari private browsing on a mac, how to disable safari private browsing on iphone and ipad, how to disable safari private browsing on a mac, key takeaways.

• Private Browsing in Safari hides browsing history, autofill details, downloads, and locks tabs after inactivity.
• Safari on Mac groups private and non-private tabs, while on iPhone it shows all tabs regardless of mode.
• To use Private Browsing in Safari, identify it by a dark address bar, "Private" indicator, or "Private" next to the site URL.

Most browsers offer a private browsing mode that aims to keep the websites you view off the record. But what exactly does it do in Safari and how do you get the best out of it?

First and foremost, Private Browsing keeps the website pages you visit out of your History . The aim is to prevent someone else from seeing which pages you have visited if they have access to your phone or computer.

In Safari, Private Browsing does a lot more than just hide URLs. It also:

• Prevents recent searches from showing up in your history.
• Stops remembering details you enter in forms for autofill.
• Keeps downloaded items from appearing in your Downloads list.
• Locks private tabs after a period of inactivity.
• Adds tracking and fingerprinting protection.

However, it’s important to note that Private Browsing does not stop you from being tracked altogether. Websites you visit will still be able to use various methods to track you, and will still have access to all data that you send them.

On macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, Safari groups private tabs together, and separates them from non-private tabs. On Mac, each Safari window is either private or non-private, and can have as many tabs as you want.

On iPhone, you can switch between private and non-private modes, each of which shows all tabs belonging to that mode.

You can spot when you’re viewing a private tab with these signs:

• The address bar has a dark background. This may be less noticeable if you’re using Dark Mode .
• On Mac, you’ll see a prominent Private indicator in the title bar.
• On iPhone, you’ll see Private alongside the site URL at the bottom of your screen.

The steps to enter Private Browsing mode are nearly identical on an iPhone and iPad. The only difference is that the tab icon is at the bottom of the screen on iOS and the top on iPadOS.

• Long-press the tab icon (two overlapping pages) on the bottom-right (iPhone) or top-right (iPad) of your screen.
• Tap the New Private Tab menu item.
• If locked, enter your passcode to unlock Private Browsing.

You can enter Private Browsing mode on macOS using either a menu item or a keyboard shortcut:

• Open the File menu and choose New Private Window .
• Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Cmd + n .
• Use the browser as you normally would. Any tabs you open from this window will open in the same window, in private mode.

You may want to prevent users of an iPhone or iPad from using Private Browsing mode at all. To do so:

• Open the Settings app.
• Tap on Screen Time .
• Under RESTRICTIONS , click on Content & Privacy Restrictions .
• If not already enabled, press the toggle next to Content & Privacy Restrictions to enable.
• Tap Content Restrictions .
• Change the Web Content setting to Limit Adult Websites .

The option to enter private mode will now be gone.

On macOS, the wording of certain options differs slightly, but the overall process is near-identical to iOS:

• Open System Settings via the Apple menu.
• Click on Screen Time in the left panel.
• Under the Restrictions section, click on Content & Privacy .
• Click Content Restrictions .
• Change the Access to Web Content setting to Limit Adult Websites .

Private Browsing will now be unavailable in Safari, although any existing private windows will stay open.

Of course, anyone can re-enable Private Browsing using the same process, in reverse. However, you can use Screen Time’s Lock Screen Time Settings option to set a passcode and enforce the setting permanently.

How to use the iPhone’s new App Privacy Report

You can easily see what your apps are accessing.

By Barbara Krasnoff , a reviews editor who manages how-tos. She’s worked as an editor and writer for almost 40 years. Previously, she was a senior reviews editor for Computerworld.

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Information is power, and if you’re an iPhone user, you can now get more information about how often your apps access your data (for example, your location or your microphone). The App Privacy Report, which became available with iOS 15.2 , also lets you know each app’s web activity and what domains they attach to.

The feature is off by default, but if your phone has updated to iOS 15.2, it’s very simple to turn on:

• Go to Settings > Privacy > App Privacy Report (which will be at the bottom of the screen)
• Select “Turn On App Privacy Report”

After that, you can follow the same series of selections to see your report. (You can also use this Shortcut for quicker access right from your home screen or a Siri voice command.)

You won’t immediately see any data — it takes time for your phone to collect the data and assemble the report, but you can start to see results in just a few minutes. The report will let you know the following:

• Which apps accessed your data within the last seven days. If you tap on one of the apps listed, you will be able to see exactly when the last accesses were. You will probably have to drill down a couple of pages.

• App network activity. Tap on the app, and you’ll see which domains were contacted.

• Most contacted domains. Tap on each domain name, and you’ll get a list of which apps contacted that domain and when.

If for any reason you want to turn off the App Privacy Report, just go back to Settings > Privacy > Privacy Report and select “Turn Off App Privacy Report” at the bottom of the page. Be aware, however, that you will lose any existing information that you’ve collected up until then.

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How to Read Your iOS 15 App Privacy Report

It's broadly safe to download a mainstream app from the iOS App Store or Android's Google Play. But thanks to increasingly invasive tracking by Facebook and others, Apple and Google have both recently introduced transparency features into iOS and Android that give you more insight into how often apps access data and sensors, from your camera and microphone to your location and contacts. If you're an iOS user, the App Privacy Report tool likely hit your phone a few weeks ago. Here's how to get the most out of it. 

The first step to using the feature, which launched as part of iOS 15.2, is simply to turn it on in Settings > Privacy > App Privacy Report . From then on, as you use your phone the tool will record details about what your apps are up to for a rolling seven-day period. All the app activity information is stored locally on your phone, and if you turn App Privacy Report off, the data will delete from your device.

Your report is broken down into four sections: Data & Sensor Access , App Network Activity , Website Network Activity , and Most Contacted Domains . 

The data and sensor breakdown at the top shows how many times your apps access sensitive data and sensors—like your camera, microphone, and location—and when they used that access. It's understandable that your map or weather app has been accessing your location, but if you're surprised to find a music app checking where you are, you might opt to revoke permission. Similarly, a calculator probably shouldn't be accessing your microphone. The report also helpfully shows when the app accessed the data or sensor, so you can connect the activity to a legitimate function while you were using the app. A game that accesses your location while you're sleeping, though, could be up to something.

You can now monitor what apps are accessing which sensors.

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The second section shows network activity, meaning which web domains your apps have reached out to in the past seven days. The report makes a distinction between domains the app contacted “directly” and those “contacted by other content.” The former means domains an app contacts to function, like your weather app pulling down the latest temperature data. The latter, though, is what happens when you click on a news article through a social network, say, or when an ad module auto-plays a video. 

The idea is to give you extra insight into when and why your apps are interacting with these domains. The problem, though, is that even with that distinction, most people wouldn't recognize whether the domains and IP addresses that show up on this list are trustworthy in the first place. When the Facebook app contacts “web.facebook.com,” you know you're probably OK, but you might not recognize “bidder.criteo.com” or “video.primis.tech” on the same list.

“The data I’m seeing so far is all just what website domains apps are communicating with, which is of somewhat limited value for the average consumer who wouldn’t know what domains to be concerned about,” says Thomas Reed, director of Mac and mobile platforms at the security firm Malwarebytes. “I personally will be interested to see if any of my apps are communicating with sketchy domains.” 

The content delivery and digital advertising ecosystems are a dense maze of platforms that silently facilitate a lot of app services behind the scenes. That anonymity to the end user is part of the point; you probably don't know which vendors and service providers your favorite restaurant uses either. But this means that it could be challenging to vet every domain you see listed in the App Privacy Report. You can use your instincts, though, like if you see an app you thought was made in the US connecting to lots of foreign domains.

The next section lists “Website Network Activity,” which does the same thing but for sites loaded through in-app browsers, or mobile browsers like Safari and Chrome. For example, if you visit “wired.com” the report will show you which domains it contacted, like “fastly.net” and “googlesyndication.com.” You also get a breakdown of which apps loaded these sites. You might expect to see "wired.com" in your Safari browsing history, for example, but probably not in your period tracker , unless you remember opening an article link through your cycle tracker's in-app browser.

The last section tracks the most contacted domains across all your apps and the websites they loaded.

“Guess what connects to lots of domains? Social, shopping, search—pretty predictable," says Maximilian Zinkus, a cryptographer at Johns Hopkins University. “But I guess if you see anything aside from those types of domains, it’s potentially interesting. Similarly, the most contacted domains for me, and probably many, is a list containing content delivery networks and Google fonts and analytics. Again pretty predictable, so if you see a weird domain on that list, it could be a signal of a spyware app or rogue browser extension.”

Zinkus notes that the report includes a “share” function so you can export the data for more analysis if you so choose. He emphasizes that for the average user, the data and sensor breakdown at the top of the report is probably the easiest and most important to keep an eye on.

“If an app is unexpectedly tracking location, microphone, or other sensors, that’s a huge red flag,” he says. “I would recommend uninstalling and even filing a report with Apple through the App Store if an app really seems to have unexplained access.”

If you're worried about the security and privacy of apps in general and want to reduce your exposure, the most foolproof option is simply to delete as many as possible. 

“My personal report is pretty boring,” Zinkus says, “as I don’t install a ton of apps.”

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iOS 17 Safari Features: Profiles, Locked Private Browser, Shared Passwords, Updated Tracking Prevention and More

With every update to the iOS operating system, Apple adds new features to the built-in apps like Safari. In iOS 17 , Safari gains new privacy functionality, improvements to search, updated Siri integration, and more.

In ‌iOS 17‌, Apple expanded on Tab Groups with a Profile feature that is designed to let you separate your browsing for different use cases. You can create a "Work" profile and a "Personal" profile, for example, so all of your work-related browsing is kept separate from your personal browsing.

• Open up the Settings app.
• Scroll down to Safari.
• Tap on New Profile.
• Select an icon, name, and background color for the profile.
• Choose your settings for Favorites and Tabs.

From there, you can edit profiles by tapping into them in the Settings app. In Safari, tap on the Tabs icon with two overlapping squares, then tap on the middle icon and choose the "Profile" option to change which profile is active.

Locked Private Browsing Window

Private browsing windows are now locked and require secondary authentication to unlock and access. If you hand your unlocked phone over to someone and they attempt to open your Safari private browsing tab, access will be denied without a second Face ID / Touch ID scan or a passcode.

• Open the Settings app.
• Tap on Safari.
• Scroll down to Require ‌Face ID‌ (or ‌Touch ID‌) to Unlock Private Browsing.
• Tap the toggle to turn it off and confirm with a ‌Face ID‌/‌Touch ID‌ scan. When disabled, the toggle will be gray.

Private Search Engine

In iOS 16 you can choose a default search engine to use with Safari, but in ‌iOS 17‌, you can choose separate search engines for standard browsing and private browsing.

• Tap on Private Search Engine.
• Tap on one of the Search Engine options to select it.
• Exit out of the Settings.

Tracking URLs

URLs in ‌iOS 17‌ can be stripped of all tracking information appended to the end of the URL so that websites cannot track your browsing using URL identifiers. This function is enabled automatically for private browsing in ‌iOS 17‌, but it can be turned on for all browsing.

• Tap on Advanced.
• Tap on Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection.
• Toggle on "All Browsing."

Turning this on will ensure that all URLs opened in Safari will strip the additional tracking information that's sometimes pasted on to the end of a URL.

Hide IP Address From Websites

In ‌iOS 17‌, there is an option to hide IP address from both trackers and websites or only trackers when using the iCloud Private Relay feature. With Trackers and Websites selected, IP address will be kept cloaked and websites will not be able to determine your location using that information.

Search Improvements

Search is more responsive in ‌iOS 17‌, so it brings up search results more quickly. It also brings up a wider range of search suggestions for you to choose from.

Listen to Page

‌Siri‌ in ‌iOS 17‌ can read a website to you, which is useful if you come across a long-form article or other content that you want to listen to while you do something else. The feature works as long as Reader View is available on a website.

• Open up Safari.
• Navigate to the content that you want ‌Siri‌ to read.
• Tap on the Aa icon in the address bar.
• Select the Listen to Page option.

From there, ‌Siri‌ will begin to read the content on the page. You can pause by tapping on the Pause Listening option, and resume with the Resume Listening option. If you lock your display, you will get dedicated playback controls.

‌Siri‌ will also read a page if you open up a website to a selected article and ask ‌Siri‌ to "Read this to me."

Shared Passwords and Passkeys

In ‌iOS 17‌ (and iPadOS 17 / macOS Sonoma ) there is an option to securely share passwords and passkeys with friends and family members. With the sharing feature, passwords for shared media accounts, utilities, bills, and more can be provided to multiple people.

This is not strictly a Safari feature, but it does make logging into sites where you use shared login information simpler.

Privacy Settings

Note that privacy-focused settings that include Block All Cookies, Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement, and Check for Apple Pay have been relocated from the "Privacy & Security" section of the Safari settings to the "Advanced" section, which is more hidden.

A rundown on all of the new features in the ‌iOS 17‌ update can be found in our comprehensive iOS 17 roundup .

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How to Turn on Safari Private Browsing on iPhone: A Step-by-Step Guide

Turning on Safari Private Browsing on an iPhone is a simple process. Open the Safari app, tap the tabs button (which looks like two overlapping squares), then tap “Private” to turn on Private Browsing Mode. Now, Safari won’t remember the pages you visit, your search history, or your AutoFill information.

After you complete this action, your browsing activity will not be saved in Safari. This means that websites you visit won’t appear in your history, and information entered in forms won’t be saved for AutoFill.

Introduction

In today’s digital age, privacy is a hot commodity. With every click, tap, and scroll, we leave digital footprints that can tell a story about who we are and what we like to do online. That’s why learning how to turn on Safari Private Browsing on your iPhone is essential. Whether you’re entering sensitive information, researching a surprise gift, or simply want to keep your browsing history to yourself, Private Browsing Mode is your go-to feature.

This function is particularly handy for shared devices or when you want to keep your browsing habits under wraps. So, if you’re an iPhone user looking to browse the web without leaving a trace, you’re in the right place. We’ll show you how to enable this feature in just a few easy steps.

Step by Step Tutorial on How to Turn on Safari Private Browsing on an iPhone

Before we dive into the steps, let’s clarify what we’ll achieve here. By following these simple steps, you’ll enable Private Browsing Mode in Safari, which prevents Safari from keeping track of your browsing history, search records, and AutoFill information.

Step 1: Open the Safari App

Navigate to your iPhone’s home screen and tap on the Safari app to open it.

Opening the Safari app is your gateway to the internet on your iPhone. Make sure you’re connected to the internet before you proceed.

Step 2: Access Your Open Tabs

Look for the tabs button, which resembles two overlapping squares, and tap on it.

This button will show you all your currently open tabs. If you have many tabs open, you may have to swipe left or right to find the “Private” option.

Step 3: Enable Private Browsing

Find the “Private” option at the bottom left of the screen and tap it.

Once you tap “Private,” you’ll notice the color of the browser interface changes, indicating that you’re now in Private Browsing Mode.

Additional Information

Now that you’re all set with Private Browsing Mode on Safari, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, while your browsing activity isn’t saved on your iPhone, your internet service provider or employer can still track it. Also, if you download files while in Private Browsing, they’re saved to your phone and visible in the Downloads folder.

Moreover, not all Safari features are available in this mode; for example, you can’t use Handoff to pass browsing activity between devices. Lastly, remember to close all private tabs before returning to regular browsing to maintain your privacy.

• Open the Safari app on your iPhone.
• Tap the tabs button to view your open tabs.
• Tap “Private” to enter Private Browsing Mode.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does private browsing hide my activity from my employer or internet service provider.

No, Private Browsing only prevents Safari from saving your browsing data on your iPhone. Your activity can still be tracked by your internet service provider or employer.

Will downloads in Private Browsing show up in my regular downloads folder?

Yes, any files you download while in Private Browsing Mode will be saved to your iPhone and visible in the Downloads folder.

Can I use Handoff with Private Browsing?

No, Handoff does not work with Private Browsing tabs, as your browsing activity isn’t saved.

Can websites track me while I’m using Private Browsing?

Some websites may still track your activity using cookies during your Private Browsing session, but they will not be saved once you close the tabs.

How do I turn off Private Browsing?

To exit Private Browsing Mode, open the tabs view, tap “Private” again, and it will switch back to regular browsing.

Turning on Safari Private Browsing on your iPhone is a surefire way to maintain your online privacy. Whether it’s to shop for a surprise, handle sensitive work, or simply because you value your digital privacy, navigating this feature is a breeze. Just remember that while Private Browsing protects your data on your device, it doesn’t make you invisible online. Always exercise caution and use additional privacy tools if needed. Happy private browsing!

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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VPNoverview.com Privacy Anonymous Browsing Everything You Need to Know About Safari Private Browsing

Everything You Need to Know About Safari Private Browsing

Ever wondered what Safari Private Browsing does exactly? Chances are it might not be giving you the level of online privacy you expect. Safari Private Browsing does have some perks, including:

• Stopping Safari from remembering the websites you’ve visited
• Not storing any new usernames, passwords, payments cards, and other information you input into private browsing
• Forgetting any search engine queries you’ve run
• Allowing you to save money by avoiding marketing cookies that might inflate prices

However, this is pretty much all the privacy that you’ll get with Safari Private Browsing. This incognito mode  won’t cloak your IP address, encrypt your internet traffic, or make you safe on public Wi-Fi . Private browsing still leaves you pretty exposed to a lot of the risks that come with connecting to the internet.

For true online anonymity, you’ll need to use a VPN to change your IP address . We’re big fans of ExpressVPN, one of the fastest VPNs in the industry.

Below, you’ll find more information on how to use Safari Private Browsing on all your Apple devices, as well as more details on how this incognito mode does and doesn’t protect your privacy.

If you use a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, then chances are you’ve encountered Safari Private Browsing before. Whether you’re shopping for a partner’s gift or want to snoop on a long-lost colleague’s LinkedIn, there are many reasons why you might want to use private mode in Safari.

In this article, we answer the question, what is Safari Private Browsing ? We’ll also tell you what this handy tool can’t  do to save you any embarrassment or risk to your online security.

What is Safari Private Browsing?

There’s a little more to this method of browsing than meets the eye, but we’ll go into specifics further down in this article. The point is, for a more private experience, you can use Safari’s incognito mode . You’ll be logged out of all accounts, and Safari won’t autofill user logins, passwords, or payment information. When you turn on private browsing, Safari won’t remember :

• Your search engine history
• Webpages you’ve visited
• Browsing activity or history

You should, however, be aware of a major drawback of this tool on Macs: your browsing activity likely isn’t as hidden as you might think. Websites you visit can still see who you are and what you’re doing . You can read more about this in our general incognito mode article .

With Macs, Private Browsing information is logged in a different place, as well: your Terminal archive.

Beware the Mac Terminal archive

On Macs, there’s something called the Terminal archive , and it’s as scary as it sounds — well, for fans of privacy at least. It’s a treasure trove for snoops. The Terminal archive contains all of the websites you visit , whether you’re using Safari Private Browsing or not. This is because your Mac stores static images and other files when you visit a website for the first time. This makes future visits to these sites and page loading much faster, as your Mac pulls the relevant files from the Terminal archive.

This command-line function also lets you make systemic changes to your Mac . For most users, there’ll never be a need to make any changes in the Terminal archive, and you shouldn’t if you don’t know what you’re doing. You could end up breaking something critical in your computer’s operating system if you tinker with the Terminal.

However, it is good to know that, even when you’re using Safari’s Private Browsing mode, your online activity is logged here.

Make your Safari Private Browsing truly private

By now, you might be asking yourself: how do I clear the cache on my Mac? Well, today’s your lucky day.  Below, you’ll find a brief, step-by-step guide to clearing the cache on a Mac . Just make sure not to do anything else while inside the Terminal.

• Open “ Finder ,” then search for “ Terminal ” in the search bar.
• Run the  Terminal  application.
• Paste the following text into the Terminal and hit enter: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

You may have to enter your Admin password to proceed. This is going to flush the DNS cache.

Remember that you shouldn’t do anything else inside of the Terminal application unless you know what you’re doing. It only takes a short command to nuke files or entire directories in this app forever! So, tread carefully.

Why You Should Use Safari Private Browsing on Macs and iOS

We can hypothesize all we want, but you’ve probably got a good idea of why you  use private browsing. According to a 2018 research study , the most common reason people use private browsing is so others that are using a shared device can’t see what they’re doing. This comes down to protecting two things from other users of your device:

• Their personal data
• Their browsing activity

Fortunately, these are two things that Safari Private Mode manages to do wonderfully. Below, you can read more about what else Safari Private Browsing does for you .

Online privacy

• Your browser won’t remember what websites you’ve visited.  Anything you browse while you’re in private browsing mode won’t be remembered by Safari. So, if you start shopping online for gifts or a product that you find embarrassing, you won’t usually have to worry about your friends or family coming across your browsing history.
• Safari won’t suggest usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and so   on.  You’ve probably noticed that Safari can remember usernames, passwords, credit cards, and other information when you use it for the first time. If you tell your Mac, smartphone, or tablet to remember those details, they’ll be automatically filled in the next time you visit the website. With Safari Private Mode enabled, these kinds of details won’t be stored: you won’t be prompted to save or autofill them at all.
• Your search engine queries won’t be remembered . If you’ve been shopping for gifts or trying to self-diagnose, you probably don’t want other users of the computer to see what you’ve searched for . Normally, you’ll see suggested searches popping up in search engines like Google. Based on your past searches and clicks, some links might be colored purple instead of blue, too. In private browsing mode, these won’t appear, nor will any new searches be stored.

How to pay less with Safari Private Browsing

There’s more to private mode options than just online security. You could also save money with Safari Private Browsing, as you won’t be quoted higher prices for products you’ve already viewed. When you visit a website, cookies (small text files) are stored on your computer by your browser.

These kinds of cookies aren’t delicious or rewarding at all. Instead, they allow the site to track you and figure out that you’re interested in, for example, a particular holiday destination. This can result in you seeing higher airfares, hotel booking fees, and more. Just turn on Safari’s Private Browsing to s top cookies from being stored on your browser and avoid hiked prices.

How to Go Incognito on Safari

Safari Private Browsing on a Mac

Using  Safari Private Browsing  on a Mac is simple. If you’re reading this on a Mac, you can skip step one in our step-by-step guide below:

• Open Safari on your Mac.
• Click on “ File ” in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
• Select “ New Private Window .” This will open a new private tab, but you can open as many private tabs in your tab bar as you need.

It’s that simple. Now, any new tab you open within this new private browsing window will be a private browsing tab. Give it a whirl by opening some new private tabs and navigating to a website you frequently log into. You’ll notice that your username and password aren’t suggested for autofill as they usually would be .

Also, you’ll know that you’re in private browsing, as the URL bar will have a gray background rather than the usual white. Just remember to ignore or close your existing browser window if you had any open. If in doubt, check the background color of the URL bar.

Finally, to  turn off private browsing in Safari , simply click the red cross in the corner of the browser window as you usually would.

Safari Private Browsing on an iPhone

Using  Safari’s private browsing mode on an iPhone or iPad is fairly straightforward and could increase your privacy on an iPhone . If you’re running  iOS 14 or earlier , simply follow the steps below:

• Open  Safari on your phone.
• Tap on the “ Tabs ” button. That’s the two small squares in the bottom-right corner of your Safari window on iPhone.
• A new option called “Private” should appear.
• Tap “ Private ” and you’ll be taken to a blank screen confirming that you’re using Private Browsing Mode . You’ll notice that it’s using the same gray color scheme as Safari for Mac.
• Lastly, click on the small “ + ” (plus) icon to launch a private browsing window.

If you’re using  Apple’s latest iPhone update, iOS 15.1.1 , you’ll need to follow a slightly different (and hey, we’ll say it — more confusing) set of steps:

• Tap on the “ Tabs ” button.
• Tap where it says “ X Tab(s) ” – this number will reflect the number of windows you have open.
• Tap “ Private .”
• Now, you’re in Private Browsing mode and can click the small “ + ” (plus) icon to launch a new private window.

Again, turning off private browsing in Safari for iPhones or iPads is simple. Just press the same “ Private ” button that you used to enable the feature. Don’t forget, if you have multiple private tabs open, they won’t close automatically. Swipe each tab closed before you exit private mode if you want to leave no trace.

How to Set Safari Private Browsing as the Default

If you’d rather always browse privately, you can also set Safari Private Browsing as your default, so that it opens automatically whenever you open a new tab or window. Check out the step-by-step instructions below for a Mac :

• Make sure your active application is Safari, then select “ Safari ” from your Mac’s toolbar at the top of your screen. Click on “ Preferences ” next, which can also be accessed using the keyboard shortcut “ Command ” + “ , ” (that’s Command, plus a comma).
• Now, you should see the Privacy window for Safari. Click on the “ General ” tab.
• Next to “Safari opens with”, select “ A new private window ” from the drop-down list.

While you  can’t automatically use Safari Private Browsing by default on mobile , there are some options for minimizing what’s remembered, stored, or recommended. Here’s how you get there:

• Open the “ Settings ” application.
• Scroll down until you see “ Safari ” and tap on that option.

Now, you’ll have the choice to use a number of features. You can:

• Disable search engine suggestions
• Disable Safari suggestions specifically
• Turn off autofill for Safari , either for personal information, payment information, or both
• Disable “ Favorites “, which you can save in your Safari app’s home screen
• Turn off “ Frequently Visited Sites “, which appear below your favorites

In this menu, you can also  prevent cross-site tracking and  block all cookies on the websites that you visit. In the event that you forget to launch Safari Private Browsing, these options should give you at least a little more privacy whenever you go online.

Is Safari Private Browsing Safe?

That last risk is surprisingly common on public Wi-Fi networks  too. Bear in mind that private browsing doesn’t protect you against malware (malicious software) either, nor does it protect your payment information or other personal details . For true online anonymity and to  improve your online security , you should give serious thought to using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) .

How to use a VPN with Safari Private Browsing

Using a VPN along with Safari Private Browsing should give you the online security you’re looking for. In addition to avoiding any logged browsing history or search history , you’ll be much harder to track and enjoy greater online anonymity. You can check out the many advantages of a VPN for more information. Want to get started right away? The following steps will only take a few minutes of your time:

• Choose a VPN provider and create an account. We recommend checking out our list of the best VPNs if this is new ground for you. Alternatively, ExpressVPN is a market-leading VPN provider that we’re always happy to recommend.
• Download and install  the VPN software onto your Mac. You can also download ExpressVPN for mobile on your iPhone. Other premium providers like NordVPN, CyberGhost, and Surfshark all offer really slick mobile apps for iOS, too.
• Log into your account , either in the desktop software or the mobile app.
• Choose a VPN server in a country of your choice. If you’re purely interested in online security, then the location you choose isn’t  too  important (though some will be faster than others). However, if you want to  save money on subscriptions , for example, you should give it some more thought.
• Connect to the VPN server . When you connect, you’ll be  changing your IP address to mirror the VPN server’s IP. It’s safe, legal ( in most countries ), and best of all, it’ll give you far greater online security than simply using Safari Private Browsing alone.

Safari Private Browsing is perfect for hiding those Christmas or birthday purchases from your family before the big day. It’s also a great way to save money on flights, hotels , or other purchases. However, it won’t do much for your online security. If you want  truly private browsing , then use a VPN along with Safari private mode.

Interested in exploring other private browsers? Check out these articles below:

• How Anonymous Is DuckDuckGo?
• Is Vivaldi Browser Safe?
• How to Set Up Firefox as an Anonymous Browser

Do you want to know how to enable private browsing on Safari? Are you wondering how much privacy Safari Private Browsing actually gives you? You’ll find these answers and more in our frequently asked questions below.

To turn on Private Browsing in Safari for Mac, follow these simple steps:

• Make sure Safari is the active application that you’re using.
• Click on  File in the menu bar along the top of the screen.
• Click on  New Private Window to switch to private browsing mode.

To turn on Private Browsing in Safari for iPhone or iPad, the process is much the same:

• Open the  Safari application.
• Tap on the  Tabs icon (the two small squares in the lower-right corner of your screen).
• Tap on  Private to switch to private browsing.
• Click on the small  + (plus) icon to open a new private browsing tab.

Check out our full article for more information on Safari Private Browsing.

No. Safari Private Browsing, like any browser’s private mode, won’t protect you against a lot of online threats. Your IP address will still be visible to many third-party individuals and organizations. For example, your ISP will know what websites you’ve visited, and hackers could determine your location using your IP (though some private modes do limit location tracking). For true online privacy and anonymity, you’re safer using a VPN like ExpressVPN .

With Private Browsing, it’s more difficult for websites to track you, since cookies are cleared the moment you close the browser — but it’s not impossible. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider), employer, school, or college could still see your internet history . That is, unless you use a VPN along with the incognito mode.

Yes. The owner of an internet connection can absolutely check up on your browsing session if they have the right technical knowledge. Some routers can be set up to remember all URLs a device accesses. So, if you’re trying to fly under your parents’ radar, for example, they could potentially bust you using the family router, even if you’re exclusively using private browsing modes.

For true anonymity , you’ll want to use a VPN. With a VPN connection, all of your internet traffic is encrypted, which gives you far better anonymity and privacy than using private browsing on its own.

Chris Bluvshtein Author

Senior journalist.

Chris is a tech journalist with many years’ experience covering online privacy and cybersecurity. He’s also a published author and works as a Product Manager for some of the most innovative software development companies.

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Hi Chris , I’m finding while using private mode in safari my sound is being cut out and I have not been able to find a way to reconnect it. I use it on a iPad with a vpn and trend anti spam for protection as much as it can in private mode. I have not been able to find any reason as to why this is happening.

Hey Wayne, I've done a bit of digging, and I've found something that might be worth a try. It seems that recent versions of Safari have a built-in feature that can prevent audio from playing when you visit a website; it's enabled by default too. Give this a try and let me know if the issue goes away: 1. Open the Safari menu and click preferences 2. Click on the websites tab 3. Look for the setting: "When visiting other websites", which has a drop-down selection beside it 4. Change this setting so that it allows websites with media to play sound. You can alternatively add individual websites to this list if you'd rather have control over which ones can play sound by default.

Hi Chris Just tried your Terminal Commands, I am running macOS Monterey The Terminal Commands Below are not working dscacheutil -cachedump -entries Host dscacheutil -flushcache

You're right. Thank you for pointing it out to us! There is a new terminal command you'll now need instead: "sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder". We've adjusted the article to reflect this. Hope this helps!

Looking for a VPN?

Take a look at our overview of the most trustworthy, fast, and safe VPN services. Extensively tested by our experts.

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Safari  - Privacy and Security in Safari

Safari  -, privacy and security in safari, safari privacy and security in safari.

Safari: Privacy and Security in Safari

Lesson 5: privacy and security in safari.

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Safari privacy and security

Safari has several security features , including security indicators and malware protection . Because of its advanced security features , Safari offers a safe browsing experience. Safari also allows you to control what information you share online, keeping your personal information private.

Watch the video below to learn the basics of privacy and security in Safari.

Website security indicators

Whenever you navigate to an encrypted website, Safari will display a security indicator to the left of the web address in the address bar.

Understanding this indicator can help you stay safe when entering personal information online.

• If no indicator appears, this means the site is not using a secure connection. This is not important for many websites, like a news source or weather forecast, but you should avoid entering sensitive personal information on these pages.

Safari offers a high level of protection from malicious websites, but you should still use your best judgement when browsing online. Review our Internet Safety tutorial to learn more about staying safe online.

Maintaining your privacy in Safari

Safari takes great care to keep your personal information private. It offers many ways to control your privacy, like modifying your privacy settings , deleting your history , and browsing in a private window.

Privacy settings

Safari allows you to control some of the information you share online, which you can modify in your privacy settings . We recommend not changing Safari's default selections, as they allow for the best balance of privacy and security while browsing. However, you can modify them if you want.

To modify your privacy settings:

Deleting browsing history

Like all browsers, Safari keeps a record of every website you visit in your browsing history . You may want to remove some or all of your browsing history for the sake of privacy.

To remove specific sites from history:

• A new History tab will appear with your full browsing history .

To clear all browsing data:

Safari makes it easy to delete some or all of your history. For example, sometimes you might want to remove only your history from the past hour instead of removing your entire history. You might also want to remove all of your saved pages and cookies but keep your saved passwords.

• The selected browsing history will be cleared.

Private browsing

For added privacy, Safari also offers private browsing , which allows you to browse the web without recording your history or storing cookies. This is a great way to keep your browsing history secret when planning a party or buying a gift for someone who shares your computer.

To create a private window:

Private browsing does not make Safari more secure —it only stops Safari from saving history and cookies for that session. Don't use a private window to view any websites you wouldn't feel safe viewing in a regular Safari window.

How to use Locked Private Browsing in Safari

Lock your private windows, so that you can keep them open and private even when you step away from your device.

Browse privately in Safari on your Apple device

When you use Private Browsing, Safari doesn't remember the pages that you visit, your search history, or your AutoFill information. Private Browsing also protects you from tracking by blocking known trackers from loading and by removing tracking used to identify individual users from URLs as you browse.

For additional privacy, your private windows can lock when you're not using them.

When your device is locked or asleep, or if you aren't actively using Safari, your private windows in Safari will lock.

When you unlock or wake up your device, or start using Safari again, just unlock your private window with Touch ID, Face ID, or your device passcode or password.

Locked Private Browsing is available starting in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and in Safari 17 on macOS Monterey, macOS Ventura, and macOS Sonoma. If you don't find the option to lock private windows, update your device to the latest software version.

Turn on Private Browsing on iPhone

Turn on Private Browsing on Mac

Locked Private Browsing is turned on by default in macOS. In iOS and iPadOS, you have the option to turn on Locked Private Browsing when you use Private Browsing for the first time after updating to supported software, or you can turn it on in Settings.

How to turn Locked Private Browsing on or off on iPhone or iPad

Open the Settings app.

Scroll down and tap Safari.

Scroll down to Privacy & Security, then turn on Require Face ID (or Touch ID) to Unlock Private Browsing. Or turn it off, if you don't want your private windows to lock.

How to turn Locked Private Browsing on or off on Mac

Open Safari.

From the Safari menu, choose Settings.

Click Privacy.

Next to Private Browsing, select "Require Touch ID to view locked tabs." Or unselect it, if you don't want your private windows to lock.

When private windows lock

On iPhone or iPad, private windows lock when Safari isn't running in the foreground or when you switch from Private Browsing. They also lock when your device locks.

On Mac, private windows lock when Safari isn't the active window for a period of time. They also lock when you lock your Mac, when it goes to sleep, or when a screensaver starts.

On Mac, you can lock all private windows manually: From the Safari menu bar, choose Window > Lock All Private Windows.

Private windows don't lock if you haven't loaded a web page.

Private windows don't lock if you're playing audio or video.

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Safari Accessing Contacts/ App Privacy Report

• Thread starter IW1206MT
• Start date Dec 26, 2021
• Tags app privacy report contacts safari
• Sort by reaction score
• iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
• iOS and iPadOS

macrumors member

• Dec 26, 2021

Since the release of the App Privacy Report, several forum users have noted that Safari is attempting to access Contacts. There is no explanation of why Safari would need this information, or what it is doing with the information accessed….. Creating a separate thread to focus on this issue. Observations: Safari attempts to access contacts when: -Navigating to duck duck go, google, bing, or a third party site that offers a ‘sign in with’ these services. Using the search bar in safari does not reliably trigger it… but navigating directly to the search site and entering a search does. Once the page has written a cookie to the device (the user does not have to sign in…. Accessing www.google.com is enough….) subsequent visits do not generate another hit to contacts. I assume that eventually the cookie expires and the hit occurs again, though have not tested this. If the site’s cookie is removed, the next visit will generate a hit to contacts. If all cookies are disabled in settings, every visit to the site will cause contacts to be accessed. The following settings changes do not impact the behavior: Safari—>Autofill On/Off Siri—>Show when sharing On/Off (controls suggested contacts showing up in the share sheet) Password autofill On/Off User having an account with the search engine (or not) has no effect. (Safari hits contacts regardless) Private browsing has no effect Looking for suggestions on what info Safari needs from contacts/ observations from the community on the behavior. Essentially, is Safari providing any information to the search engines or other sites without express user permission?  

macrumors newbie

• Jan 14, 2022

I have the Same question. Privacy report shows that safari had accessed contacts. But in Settings > Privacy > Contacts safari is not even on the list.  

macrumors 65816

• Apr 17, 2022

Just discovered this issue and this thread on MR came up when I checked. Safari and Photos access Contacts. How do I turn that off? Separate issue, perhaps, but lots of Google web addresses show up under domains most contacted, too. Yet, I don't use Google, but Duck, Duck, Go.  

• Jun 21, 2022

BUMP! It's now June and it's still going on! iOS 15.5. As the OP found, this happens even when all those settings mentioned are OFF! Apple's Safari should not be rummaging through my Contacts without my permission. The App Privacy Report is a welcome addition, but gives the lie to Apple's much vaunted protection of privacy! No app or web site should be able to rummage one's info or contact a third party domain. I even tested this switching from The Washington Post and New York Times apps to their web pages and ended up with just as much detritus and unwarranted external domain contacting and advertising cookies. It's outrageous, especially for subscribers. Google's ad services (various ones) and Google analytics are the most ubiquitous offenders. Apple needs to shut this down and the tech press needs to do a better job of exposing it.  

• Aug 1, 2022

The "Hide My Email" option seems to depend the "information from contacts" autofill option.  

macrumors 68020

• Aug 6, 2022
• Sep 3, 2022

papbot said: Anything that you use autofill for in Safari accesses your contacts. No mystery. But it’s fun to imagine your phone is spying on you for the Russians or Chinese Click to expand...

I’m curious about this because under Privacy - Contacts - only Hiya, a spam call blocker, can access my Contacts. I’ve turned on the App Privacy Report again to see what gets shown there over the next day. Other than for auto fill using your contact info I haven’t seen any Safari connection to my Contacts.  

I left the Privacy Report on all day, checked the 7 day record and there was no Safari access of my Contacts. So no issues here, only Mail and Messages were shown as accessing Contacts.  

papbot said: I left the Privacy Report on all day, checked the 7 day record and there was no Safari access of my Contacts. So no issues here, only Mail and Messages were shown as accessing Contacts. Click to expand...

I actually did turn that on for the first time a couple days ago, Safari has not accessed my Contacts. I thought it might have been because I turned that on.  

papbot said: I actually did turn that on for the first time a couple days ago, Safari has not accessed my Contacts. I thought it might have been because I turned that on. Click to expand...

Yusamac said: Oh wait, try turning ”private relay” on. That seems to affect it for me. Safari accesss contacts more with Private Relay on. I do not understand why. Click to expand...

• Sep 4, 2022

Yusamac said: That”s interesting…. Go to bing.com and look something up (I typed “hello”) and check again. That has repeatably made safari access contacts for me Click to expand...

macrumors 6502

• Sep 6, 2022
• Jan 11, 2023

All access Contacts: Messages, App Store, Apple Store, TestFlight, Home, Maps, Phone, Camera, Photos, Health, Watch, Calendar, Reminders, Fitness, Safari, Find My. Messages, Phone, Find My: OK, reasonable (Find My _apparently_ accesses Contacts under People -> + -> Share My Location, which lists all Contacts who have iCloud accounts--sidebar, this is the only built-in way I know to get a tidy list of your Contacts who have iCloud accounts!!). That leaves unaccounted Contacts access by: App Store, Apple Store, TestFlight, Home, Maps, Camera, Photos, Health, Watch, Calendar, Reminders, Fitness, Safari. (possibly other built-ins I've uninstalled or somehow incidentally disabled Contacts from accessing; I've not attempted to test this) Clearly, Apple isn't trying to hide anything; they gave us the App Privacy Report tool to know! The most likely scenario is: these apps access Contacts for reason varying between, "subtle yet reasonable", to, "incidental and are best cleaned up". It's up to us to demand the accountability to discern which is which! Finally, this isn't a super important issue in and of itself, yet worthy of SOME attention from Apple for three (3) reasons: 1) de-noise "App Privacy Report" DATA & SENSOR ACCESS so it can do it's job; 2) take the wind from the sails of naysayers; 3) worth auditing for re-design of Contacts API and/or internal usage of it.  

thedr1 said: All access Contacts: Messages, App Store, Apple Store, TestFlight, Home, Maps, Phone, Camera, Photos, Health, Watch, Calendar, Reminders, Fitness, Safari, Find My. Messages, Phone, Find My: OK, reasonable (Find My _apparently_ accesses Contacts under People -> + -> Share My Location, which lists all Contacts who have iCloud accounts--sidebar, this is the only built-in way I know to get a tidy list of your Contacts who have iCloud accounts!!). That leaves unaccounted Contacts access by: App Store, Apple Store, TestFlight, Home, Maps, Camera, Photos, Health, Watch, Calendar, Reminders, Fitness, Safari. (possibly other built-ins I've uninstalled or somehow incidentally disabled Contacts from accessing; I've not attempted to test this) Clearly, Apple isn't trying to hide anything; they gave us the App Privacy Report tool to know! The most likely scenario is: these apps access Contacts for reason varying between, "subtle yet reasonable", to, "incidental and are best cleaned up". It's up to us to demand the accountability to discern which is which! Finally, this isn't a super important issue in and of itself, yet worthy of SOME attention from Apple for three (3) reasons: 1) de-noise "App Privacy Report" DATA & SENSOR ACCESS so it can do it's job; 2) take the wind from the sails of naysayers; 3) worth auditing for re-design of Contacts API and/or internal usage of it. Click to expand...

Tin: Save w/ Coupons in Safari 4+

Discount codes, deals, promos, tin technologies inc..

• 4.6 • 197 Ratings

iPhone Screenshots

Description.

Automatically save money while you shop on your iPhone. Tin is a Safari extension that applies the best coupon codes at checkout, and tracks your package so you never miss a delivery (or a deal)! YOUR SAVINGS SUPERHERO Tin scours the internet to find the best discount codes across 50,000+ retailers and automatically applies the best savings ($$$). This means more money in your pocket, so you can focus on finding that new outfit and let the deals come to you! PAY LESS. SHOP MORE. CLEAR YOUR INBOX Your email inbox is flooded with promotional emails that you don’t open. Tin Savings finds promotion codes buried in your emails so you always pay the lowest price. We save you time & money by keeping your inbox clean & serene. While most shoppers are playing checkers, Tin helps you play chess (checkmate!). Saving money is so so sweet - it's sweeter than honey! ALL-IN-ONE PACKAGE TRACKING From checkout to doorstep, we’ve got you covered. Tin Savings tracks shipments and organizes all of your deliveries in one place. The best part? It’s totally free! Download Tin Savings today, and pay more than you need to again! Tin Savings is an app and mobile Safari extension, all wrapped into one. Simply install the extension in Safari and let Tin Savings do its thing! INSTALL TIN IN SAFARI 1. Tap "aA" button in the Safari menu 2. Tap the "Extension" icon to Manage Extensions 3. Select "Tin" and set it to "ON" 4. Select "Always Allow" 5. Select "Always Allow on Every Website" 6. That’s it! Now you can shop in Safari and let Tin do its thing. When you are ready to checkout, Tin will pop up and automatically apply discount codes to find you the best savings!

Version 0.0.5.5

On to the update! We're always improving the Tin app and Safari extension. Please send any feedback and ideas to [email protected]!

Ratings and Reviews

197 Ratings

Tin: Revolutionizing Savings in the Digital Marketplace

Tin is a pioneering force in the digital retail landscape, discovered amid the cultural currents of TikTok. In just a day, this application has proven to be a transformative asset, seamlessly weaving itself into the fabric of online shopping. The installation process, marked by simplicity, belies the profound impact it has on one's fiscal landscape. Tin functions as an intuitive retail oracle, not merely curating enticing deals and discount codes but, with automated finesse, applying them at checkout. What sets Tin apart extends beyond mere financial dividends, delving into the very architecture of the shopping interface. The amalgamation of its mobile application and extension technology offers a panoramic view of current and past transactions, providing organizational efficacy that transcends the chaos of email inboxes. Comparatively, Tin outshines rivals like Honey by maintaining real-time relevance, avoiding the pitfalls of expired promotions. Beyond the confines of mobile application, Tin's desktop extension emerges as a harmonious augmentation, positioning the platform as an industry trailblazer. In an era of economic prudence and retail efficacy, Tin solidifies its narrative as an indispensable tool for the discerning digital consumer.

Tin just saved me like $100 wow! 👀

I recently tried out Tin, a Safari extension that's pretty much a game-changer for snagging the best online deals with zero hassle. Easy to set up and even easier to use, Tin acts like your personal bargain hunter, silently finding better prices on everything from tech to kitchen gadgets and giving you a heads-up on the savings. It's cool because it also shows the price history, helping you decide if it's the right time to buy. While it's mostly spot-on, it occasionally misses a beat, but that's a small trade-off for how much time and money it's saved me. Whether you're making big purchases or everyday buys, Tin keeps things private and secure, making it a must-have for effortless savings. Honestly, your wallet will thank you for this one.

Superb Shopping App

My friend raved about Tin, so I decided to give it a try. Within just 24 hours, I was blown away by how intuitive and helpful it is! The app is a breeze to set up, and the deals it finds are unreal. On my first shopping spree, I snagged discounts on several items that I've been eyeing for ages, effortlessly saving a hefty sum. Tin's automatic coupon feature at checkout is a game-changer – it feels like I have a personal assistant scouring the internet for the best deals, all for me. From tech gadgets to fashion finds, Tin has consistently delivered savings that make a difference. I can't recommend it enough – it's like having the inside scoop on the best sales every time I shop! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

App Privacy

The developer, Tin Technologies Inc. , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• Contact Info
• User Content
• Search History
• Browsing History
• Identifiers
• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• Developer Website
• App Support
• Privacy Policy

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Apple Privacy Features

We’re committed to protecting your data..

Our products and features include innovative privacy technologies and techniques designed to minimize how much of your data we — or anyone else — can access. And powerful security features help prevent anyone except you from being able to access your information. We are constantly working on new ways to keep your personal information safe.

Safari is a browser that includes state-of-the-art features to help protect your privacy, defending you against cross-site tracking and minimizing the data passed to third parties. And Private Browsing adds even more protections, such as locking your windows when you’re not using them.

Passkeys replace passwords with an easier and safer sign-in method. Your private key is never kept on a web server, so you don’t have to worry about website leaks compromising your accounts. And passkeys never leave your device and are specific to the site you created them for, making it almost impossible for them to be phished. Passkeys are end-to-end encrypted and sync across your Apple devices through iCloud Keychain. On Apple devices, simply use Face ID or Touch ID to sign in. For websites or apps on non-Apple devices, use your saved passkey by scanning the QR code with your iPhone or iPad and using Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate.

Intelligent Tracking Prevention

You may have noticed that when you look at something to buy online, you suddenly start seeing it everywhere else you go on the web. This happens when a third party tracks cookies and other website data to show you ads across various websites.

Intelligent Tracking Prevention uses the latest in machine learning and on-device intelligence to fight this cross-site tracking. It hides your IP address from trackers so what you look at on the web remains your business — not an advertiser’s. And you don’t have to change any settings for these protections because Intelligent Tracking Prevention is on by default.

Privacy Report

Your Privacy Report shows you all the cross-site trackers that are being blocked by Intelligent Tracking Prevention in Safari. You can access your report from the Safari toolbar and the Safari start page.

Password monitoring

Safari checks to see whether your saved Keychain passwords have been compromised in data breaches. It uses secure and private cryptographic techniques to regularly check derivations of your passwords against a publicly available list of breached passwords. If Safari identifies a potentially compromised password, your device will notify you. Your password information is never revealed as part of this process — not even to Apple.

Social widget tracking prevention

Social widgets embedded on websites, such as like buttons, share buttons, and comment fields, can be used to track you even if you don’t click them or use them. Safari blocks this tracking by default, and it prevents social widgets from accessing your identity unless you grant them permission.

Fingerprinting defense

Safari works to prevent advertisers and websites from using the unique combination of characteristics of your device to create a “fingerprint” to track you. These characteristics include the device and browser configuration, and fonts and plug-ins you have installed. To combat fingerprinting, Safari presents a simplified version of the system configuration so more devices look identical to trackers, making it harder to single yours out. This protection is on by default, so there are no extra steps for you to take.

Private Browsing

When you turn on Private Browsing, Safari won’t add the sites you visit to your history, remember your searches, or save any information from forms you fill out online — and advanced tracking and fingerprinting protections go even further to help prevent websites from tracking or identifying your device. Known trackers are completely prevented from loading on pages, and link tracking protection removes tracking added to URLs as you browse. Content blocker support is designed so that it can’t send developers information about what you’re looking at. And private browsing windows automatically lock — requiring your device password to be unlocked — when you’re not using them.

With the Smart Search field in Safari, you can type website names, web addresses, and search queries all in one place. Safari minimizes the amount of data sent to third-party search engines — for example, it won’t share cookies or your precise location, which may happen if you search by other means. Safari also offers the option to set DuckDuckGo as your default search engine, allowing you to search the web without being tracked.

Extension controls

Browser extensions can help you do many things, like saving money on purchases or improving your grammar. However, they can also be used to track you, taking note of what you browse and even what you type. With Safari extension controls, you can grant extensions access to your information just for one day, just for this current website, or always.

Personalized features are created using data on your device. And data that is sent from your device to the Maps service is associated with random identifiers so Apple doesn’t have a profile of your movements and searches.

Personalization

Many helpful features, like finding your parked car, are created using data on your device. This helps minimize the amount of data sent to Apple servers.

End-to-end encryption

Maps keeps your personal data in sync across all your devices using end‑to-end encryption. Your Significant Locations and collections are encrypted end‑to‑end so Apple cannot read them. And when you share your ETA with other Maps users, Apple can’t see your location.

Random identifiers

There is no sign-in when you start using Maps. The data that Maps collects while you use the app — like search terms, navigation routing, and traffic information — is associated with random identifiers, not your Apple ID. These identifiers reset themselves as you use the app to ensure the best possible experience and to improve Maps. When you share ratings or photos with Maps, the information that you share is associated with your Apple ID.

Location fuzzing

Maps goes even further to obscure your location on Apple servers when you search using a process called “fuzzing.” Because your location can give away your identity, Maps converts the precise location where your search originated to a less-exact one within 24 hours. Apple doesn’t retain a history of what you’ve searched for or where you’ve been.

Maps extensions

Maps extensions that are used in ride-booking and reservation apps run in their own sandboxes and share permissions with their parent apps. For ride-booking apps, Maps shares only your starting point and destination with the extension. And when you reserve a table at a restaurant, the extension knows only the point of interest you tapped.

Face recognition and scene and object detection are done completely on your device rather than in the cloud. This allows Apple to provide you with these advanced features without accessing your photos. And apps can access your photos only with your permission.

Lock Hidden and Recently Deleted albums in Photos

The Hidden and Recently Deleted albums in Photos are locked by default. You can unlock them using your device’s authentication method — Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.

Memories and Sharing Suggestions

The Memories and Sharing Suggestions features in the Photos app use on-device intelligence to analyze your photos and organize them by faces, places, and more to help you find them easily. Because this all happens on your device, Apple can provide you with these advanced features without accessing your photos.

iCloud Photos

If you choose to back up your photo library to iCloud Photos, Apple protects your photos on our servers with encryption. Photo data, like location or albums organized by places, can be shared between your devices with iCloud Photos enabled. And if you choose to turn off iCloud Photos, you’ll still be able to use on-device analysis.

Sharing controls

macOS, iOS, and iPadOS let you decide if you want to include the photo’s location, edit history, and depth data when you share a photo — whether you’re sharing it with a friend or with an app.

Third-party app permissions

Photo pickers help you select which photos to share with an app while keeping the rest of your library private. When apps ask for your entire photo library, you’ll be able to see how many photos and videos they can access and a sample of what they can use and share. You’ll also receive occasional reminders so you can check what you’re sharing — and make changes if you like.

If an app requests access to your photos, you can choose which images you’d like to share without granting access to your entire library. Or if an app wants to add a photo to your library, you can allow it to do so without accessing your photos. You can also choose to grant an app general access to your photos.

FaceTime, Messages, and More

Your iMessage and FaceTime conversations are encrypted end-to-end, so they can’t be read while they’re sent between devices. Mail helps hide your activity from unwanted senders.

Mail Privacy Protection helps protect your privacy from prying email senders. It hides your IP address so senders can’t create a profile with your other online activity or see where you are, and they can’t tell if you’ve opened their email.

End-to-end encryption protects your iMessage and FaceTime conversations across all your devices. With watchOS, iOS, and iPadOS, your messages are encrypted on your device so they can’t be accessed without your passcode. iMessage and FaceTime are designed so that there’s no way for Apple to read your messages when they’re in transit between devices. You can choose to automatically delete your messages from your device after 30 days or a year or keep them on your device indefinitely.

Apple doesn’t store your FaceTime and Group FaceTime calls on our servers. And during transit, these calls are protected with end‑to‑end encryption. Anyone can now join you in one-on-one and Group FaceTime calls from their browsers instantly with the same privacy protections. No Apple device or login required.

And starting with iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, you can send friends and family a link to connect on FaceTime — even if they’re using Windows or Android. 1 It’s still end-to-end encrypted, so your call is as private and secure as any other FaceTime call.

Live Voicemail

When someone leaves a phone message, Live Voicemail shows a live transcription as soon as the caller starts to speak. When Silence Unknown Callers is turned on, calls from unknown numbers will go directly to Live Voicemail without ringing. Calls identified as spam by carriers won’t appear as Live Voicemail, and will instead be instantly declined. Thanks to the power of the Neural Engine, Live Voicemail processing occurs entirely on your device, and isn’t shared with Apple.

NameDrop is a feature in AirDrop that lets you hold your iPhone near another iPhone to share contact information with only your intended recipients. You can also choose the specific contact information you want to share — and just as important, which information you don’t want to share.

iMessage apps

iMessage apps — which let you share stickers, songs, and more without leaving Messages — do not have access to participants’ actual contact information or conversations. iOS and iPadOS provide each app with a random identifier for each participant, which is reset when the app is uninstalled.

Link Tracking Protection

When you share links in Messages, the extra information that some websites add to their URLs will be removed to prevent them from tracking you or the person you shared the link with.

iCloud Backup

iMessage and SMS messages are backed up on iCloud for your convenience, but you can turn iCloud Backup off whenever you want. And Apple never stores the content of FaceTime calls on any servers.

SharePlay allows you to share experiences from Apple or third-party apps in FaceTime calls. The content that apps exchange over SharePlay is end-to-end encrypted, just like other FaceTime calls.

Siri is designed to do as much learning as possible offline, right on your device. Searches and requests are associated with a random identifier — a long string of letters and numbers — not your Apple ID.

On-device suggestions

When you ask Siri to read or search for information on your device, such as in Messages and Notes, and when Siri provides suggestions, like through widgets and Siri Search, all your personal information is kept on your device rather than being sent to Apple servers. Siri Suggestions in the QuickType keyboard are made possible by an Apple-developed neural network language process that also runs directly on your device.

Although Apple attempts to do as much as possible on your device, when you use certain features — like making a voice request to Siri or searching in Spotlight or Safari — real-time input is needed from Apple servers. When we do send information to a server, we protect your privacy by using random identifiers, not your Apple ID. Information like your location may be sent to Apple to improve the accuracy of responses, and we allow you to disable Location Services at any time.

On-device processing

The audio of your requests is processed entirely on your device unless you choose to share it with Apple. The Apple Neural Engine enables speech recognition models with the same high quality as server-based speech recognition. 2

Siri and Dictation

The longer you use Siri and Dictation, the better they understand you and improve. To help Siri and Dictation recognize your pronunciation and provide better responses, certain information such as names of your contacts or music, books, and podcasts you enjoy is sent to Apple servers using encrypted protocols. Siri and Dictation do not associate this information with your Apple ID, but rather with a random, device-generated identifier. You can reset that identifier at any time by turning Siri and Dictation off and back on, effectively restarting your relationship with them. When you turn Siri and Dictation off, your Siri data associated with the Siri identifier is deleted. The learning process starts over when you turn Siri back on. On-device dictation helps protect your privacy further by performing all processing completely offline.

Improving Siri and Dictation

By default, Apple does not retain audio recordings of Siri and Dictation interactions. Computer-generated transcripts are used to improve Siri and Dictation. You can opt in to help Siri improve by allowing Apple to store and review audio of your Siri and Dictation interactions, and you can opt out at any time. These audio samples are associated with a random identifier instead of your Apple ID. In addition, you can delete all the Siri and Dictation requests, including audio recordings and computer-generated transcripts, associated with the random identifier from Apple’s servers at any time. Note that requests more than six months old and the small sample of requests that have been reviewed may not be deleted, as they are no longer associated with the random identifier.

Suggestions in Spotlight and Safari

When you use Safari or Spotlight in iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, your searches are sent to Apple servers along with contextual information like your location or actions taken in the search session to provide you with the most relevant suggestions. This information is associated with a random identifier, not your Apple ID, so that searches and locations are not connected to you personally. For suggestions in Spotlight and Safari, a new random identifier is generated every 15 minutes, and your precise location is never shared with the server. Instead, an approximate location from your device is sent using location fuzzing. You can choose to disable suggestions in Spotlight and Safari. If you choose to disable location-based suggestions, Apple will still use your IP address to determine a general location to make suggestions more relevant.

Wallet helps keep your ID cards, keys, credit and debit cards, transit cards, boarding passes, tickets, and more secure.

Adding cards

When you add a credit, debit, prepaid, or transit card (where available) to Apple Pay, information that you enter on your device is encrypted and sent to Apple servers. Apple decrypts the data, determines your card’s payment network, and reencrypts the data with a key that only your payment network (or any providers authorized by your card issuer for provisioning and token services) can unlock.

After your card is approved, your bank, your bank’s authorized service provider, or your card issuer creates a device-specific Device Account Number, encrypts it, and sends it along with other data to Apple. The Device Account Number can’t be decrypted by Apple and is stored in the Secure Element on your device.

Keys and ID

Corporate passes and home, hotel, and car keys can all be added to one convenient location in Wallet. You can add your driver’s license or state ID to Wallet on your iPhone and a paired Apple Watch and present it securely at TSA checkpoints. Your passes, keys, and ID are protected and stored in the Secure Element on your device, just like your cards. 3

Apple doesn’t know what you buy, including where you bought it or for how much, when you pay with a credit or debit card.

Unique Device Account Number

When you add a credit, debit, or prepaid card to Apple Pay through the Wallet app, your device securely sends your card information, along with other information about your account and device, to your card issuer. Your actual card numbers are never stored on the device or on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is created, which is encrypted in a way that Apple can’t decrypt, and stored in the Secure Element on your device. The Device Account Number in the Secure Element is walled off from your operating system and is not stored on Apple Pay servers or backed up to iCloud. Your Apple Pay purchase history is yours, and isn’t used by Apple to serve you ads.

In-store merchant transactions

In stores, payments are processed by using the Device Account Number and a transaction-specific, dynamic security code. Neither Apple nor your device shares actual credit or debit card numbers with merchants. If you use a rewards card, Apple requires any personally identifiable information — like your email address or phone number — to be encrypted when it’s sent. No rewards information is ever shared without your permission.

In-app and website purchases

When you make payments in an app or on a website, Apple receives your encrypted transaction information and reencrypts it with a developer-specific key before it’s sent to the developer. When you make payments on a Mac with Touch ID or the Touch Bar, the payment is processed in the Secure Element, a certified chip designed to store your payment information safely. On other Mac computers, your Mac and any iOS or iPadOS device signed in to the same iCloud account communicate over an encrypted channel either locally or via Apple servers. Apple requires all apps and websites using Apple Pay to have a privacy policy you can view, so you know how your data is being used.

When you use Apple Cash in apps and on the web, your actual Apple Cash account number isn’t shared with the merchant. And Apple created Apple Payments Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, to protect your privacy by storing how much you sent, to whom, and your balance separately from the rest of Apple.

The unique security and privacy architecture created for Apple Card prevents Apple from knowing where you shopped, what you bought, or how much you paid.

On-device transaction history

Apple Card provides useful features like your transaction history and spending summaries right in the Wallet app on your iPhone using on-device intelligence. So that data doesn’t need to be sent to Apple servers.

Issuing bank

The issuing bank for Apple Card, Goldman Sachs, will never sell your data to third parties for marketing or advertising.

Apple’s health products are designed to help keep your data secure and protect your privacy. You have control over which information is placed in the Health app and which apps can access your data through it.

Encrypted data

You decide what information is placed in the Health app as well as who can access your data. When your phone is locked with a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID, all your health and fitness data in the Health app — other than your Medical ID — is encrypted. Any Health data backed up to iCloud is encrypted both in transit and on our servers. And if you use a recent version of watchOS and iOS and turn on two-factor authentication and a passcode, your health and activity data will be backed up in a way that Apple can’t read.

Activity sharing and deletion

You can choose to share your Activity data from your Apple Watch with other users. If you later decide to stop sharing, then the other user’s iPhone will delete historical data stored in the Fitness app. You also have the ability to temporarily hide your activity.

Health sharing

Share your health data with people important to you or those who are caring for you. Choose which data and trends to share, including heart health, activity, labs, vitals, Medical ID, cycle tracking, and more.

HealthKit allows developers to create health and fitness apps that can share data with the Health app or with each other. As a user, you have control over which elements of your HealthKit information are shared with which apps. Apple requires every app in the App Store to provide a privacy policy for you to review, including apps that work with HealthKit. Apps that work with HealthKit are prohibited from using or disclosing HealthKit data to third parties for advertising or other data mining purposes, and apps can only share data for the purpose of improving your health, fitness, or health research with your permission. When you choose to share that data with trusted apps, it goes directly from HealthKit to the third-party app and does not traverse Apple’s network.

ResearchKit and CareKit

ResearchKit and CareKit are open source software frameworks that take advantage of the capabilities of iPhone. ResearchKit enables developers to create apps that let medical researchers gather robust and meaningful data for studies. And CareKit is a platform for developers to create apps that help individuals take a more active role in their own well-being.

With ResearchKit, you choose which studies you want to join, and you control the information you provide to individual research apps. Apps using ResearchKit or CareKit can pull data from the Health app only with your consent. Any apps built using ResearchKit for health-related human subject research must obtain consent from the participants and must provide information about confidentiality rights and the sharing and handling of data.

These apps must also be approved by an independent ethics review board before the study can begin. For certain ResearchKit studies, Apple may be listed as a researcher, receiving data from participants who consent to share their data with researchers, so we can participate with the larger research community in exploring how our technology could improve the way people manage their health. This data is received in a way that does not directly identify the participants to Apple.

Apple Research app

Apple’s research platform makes it simple to bring together researchers with people eager to help advance medical discovery. You can sign up for a study (or studies) right from your iPhone. If you meet the criteria for a given study, then with your consent you can join. Any data collected through the Apple Research app will be encrypted if you have a passcode set on your device. Once shared, the data is stored securely within Apple in a system designed to meet the technical safeguard requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Apple will not have access to any contact information or other data that directly identifies you through the Research app. And you can withdraw from any study at any time, ending any future data collection.

Improve Health & Activity and Improve Wheelchair Mode

Improve Health & Activity and Improve Wheelchair Mode send data from iPhone and Apple Watch to Apple so we can increase the effectiveness of our health and fitness features. This includes data that is shown in the Health, Activity, and Fitness apps, movement measurements, which other fitness apps you have installed, your approximate location, and how long you have been using Apple Watch. The data is not used for any other purpose and does not include personally identifiable information.

Location Services

Location Services privacy controls are a powerful way to manage which apps have access to your location.

App location permissions

Location permissions help you control the location data that you pass to apps using fine-grained controls. You can choose to grant an app access to your location once or anytime you use it.

Approximate location

Starting with iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7, you can choose whether apps can see your approximate location — within an area of about 10 square miles — rather than your exact location. So you can use apps to find nearby restaurants or check the local weather without providing more information than you need to.

Background tracking notifications

Receive notifications when an app is using your location in the background, so you can decide whether to update your permission. Background tracking notifications include a map that shows you the places where an app used your location in the background.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth location privacy enhancements

Starting in iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, API changes limit the kinds of apps that can see the names of Wi-Fi networks you connect to, which makes it harder for apps to determine your location without your consent. To protect you against apps using Bluetooth to determine your location without your consent, iOS and iPadOS include controls so that an app must ask before accessing Bluetooth for any other purpose than playing audio. And Bluetooth settings allow you to change whether an app has access at any time.

Location controls for shared photos

macOS, iOS, and iPadOS let you decide if you want to include the location when you share a photo, whether you’re sharing it with a friend or with an app.

Sign in with Apple

Sign in to apps and websites quickly and easily without having your activity tracked or profiled by Apple.

Sign in using your Apple ID

Sign in with Apple lets you sign in to apps and websites using the Apple ID you already have. When you use Sign in with Apple, the most information websites and apps can ask for is your name and email address. And Apple won’t track or profile you when you use Sign in with Apple.

Hide your email

If you don’t want to share your email address with a particular app or website, you can choose to hide it. You can also choose to have Apple create a unique email address that forwards to your real address.

Two-factor authentication

Sign in with Apple requires your Apple ID to be protected with two-factor authentication, so that access to accounts in your favorite apps is more secure.

Upgrade to Sign in with Apple

Developers can offer you the option to upgrade existing app accounts using Sign in with Apple. You can quickly and easily sign in to your accounts using Face ID or Touch ID and take advantage of Apple’s two-factor authentication for improved privacy and security, without having to set up a new account.

News and Entertainment

Our news and entertainment services use information about what you read, listen to, and watch to help personalize your experience. But Apple doesn’t build a comprehensive profile of your activity across services.

Random identifier in Apple News

The more news articles you read, the more personalized the Apple News app becomes. Information Apple collects about articles you read is used to improve Apple News. This information is linked to an Apple News–specific identifier and is not linked to other services. You can reset your Apple News identifier at any time by clearing your history in Saved Stories. Recommendations for channels, topics, and content are created on your device. By default, Apple News uses iCloud to sync the channels and topics you follow, your reading history, and your reading preferences across your devices.

On-device suggestions in Apple News

Siri suggests stories, channels, and topics you may like based on on-device information pulled from the apps you use and the websites you visit in Safari. And when you search in Apple News, your query is combined with information about recently used and popular apps on your device to provide you with relevant search results.

Apple News subscriptions

If you buy a third-party subscription in Apple News, you can choose whether to share your personal information with the publisher. If you have enabled notifications for an Apple News channel, Apple stores that information to notify you about breaking events, including from your subscription publications.

Apple Music

Apple Music doesn’t contain advertisements from other companies. To help personalized features like Listen Now, Autoplay, personal mixes, and new release notifications reflect your musical tastes, Apple collects some information about your activity when you play or browse music. This is detailed during setup in “About Apple Music & Privacy.” Apple Music is obligated to share some aggregated data with partners, like record labels, for purposes such as royalty payments to artists, but it only does so with industry‑leading privacy protections.

Apple Music does not share data with partners using any user or device identifiers. And if you don’t want to keep your music collection on our servers, you can opt out of iCloud Music Library. iOS and iPadOS put you in control of which apps can access your Music account and associated details. The opt‑in Apple Music Friends feature lets you share your favorite music — and decide which friends can see the music in your profile. Apple Music only has access to the contacts you choose to add to Apple Music Friends specifically, not your entire contact list.

To offer personalized recommendations and improve your Apple TV experience, Apple collects information about your purchases, downloads, and activity in the Apple TV app, including what you watch on the Apple TV app, connected apps, and your location. You can choose to share what you watch in connected apps to bring all your content together, and you have control over the viewing history used by Apple to provide you with personalized recommendations. You can delete the viewing history Apple holds from connected apps entirely, or choose to delete it app by app.

Apple Arcade

Apple Arcade games do not collect any personal data about you or track any information about how you play without your permission. Games in Apple Arcade contain no in-game advertising and no third‑party tracking.

Every app in the App Store is required to follow strict guidelines on protecting your privacy and to provide a self-reported summary of how it uses your data. And apps must ask for your permission before accessing things like your photos or location.

App guidelines

On the App Store, Apple requires app developers to adhere to specific guidelines designed to protect user privacy and security. Apple also requires them to provide a privacy policy that you can review. When Apple becomes aware of an app that violates our guidelines, the developer must address the issue or the app will be removed from the App Store. Apps go through a review process before becoming available on the App Store.

Privacy Nutrition Labels

Developers are required to self‑report how they are using your data –– such as usage data, contact information, or location –– and whether that data is used to track you. You can view each self-reported Privacy Nutrition Label on the app’s product page on the App Store at any time, including before you choose to download. This is part of ongoing work to increase transparency and control over your data, and Apple will continue to update this feature and work with developers to ensure that users can make informed choices.

App permissions

Once an app is installed on your device, you are prompted for permission the first time it tries to access information such as your location or photos. You can make changes to the permissions you’ve granted. And iOS 11 or later and iPadOS give you the control to provide your location to any app only while you’re using it. Apple also makes sure that there are certain types of data on your device that apps simply can’t access, and that there is no way for an app to ask for complete access to all your data.

When you use an App Clip, developers can only ask for a limited set of data. When an App Clip requires access to your location, camera, or other sensitive data, it will require the same consent as a full app. You can also choose to grant permission to all App Clips. App Clips aren’t allowed to ask your permission to track you across other companies’ apps and websites –– only full apps can do that.

App tracking

An app tracking section in Settings lets you easily see which of your apps have been given permission to track you, so you can change your preferences and disable apps from asking in the future. iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 or later require developers to get your permission before tracking your activity across other companies’ apps and websites for ads or data brokers.

What you store in iCloud is protected with industry‑leading encryption, privacy, and security. Developers do not have access to your Apple ID.

Data encryption

iCloud secures your information — like photos, contacts, and notes — by encrypting it when it’s in transit, storing it in an encrypted format, and safeguarding your encryption keys in Apple data centers. Both Apple and third‑party data centers may be used to store and process your data. When processing data stored in a third‑party data center, encryption keys are accessed only by Apple software running on secure servers, and only while conducting the necessary processing. For additional security, you can enable Advanced Data Protection, which uses end‑to‑end encryption to ensure that iCloud data in many categories can be decrypted only on your trusted devices, protecting your information even in the case of a data breach in the cloud.

Two-factor authentication is an extra layer of security for your Apple ID. It’s designed to help ensure that you’re the only person who can access your account, even if someone else knows your password. It’s easy to set up and easy to use.

iCloud sharing

With iCloud sharing, the identities of participants are not made available to anyone who has not been invited to and accepted a private share. The names of your shared files and the first and last name associated with your Apple ID are available to anyone who has access to the sharing link, including Apple. In iOS 11 or later, iPadOS, and macOS High Sierra or later, end‑to‑end encryption in iCloud syncs certain types of personal data, such as your Health data, across all your devices in such a way that Apple cannot read or access it.

CloudKit is a way for third-party developers to use iCloud storage in their own apps. CloudKit helps keep your preferences, settings, and app data up to date across your devices. Developers use CloudKit to make it easier for you to use their apps because you don’t have to sign in separately. By default, developers don’t have access to your Apple ID, just a unique identifier. If you give your permission, developers can use your email to let others find you in their app. You’re always in control of these permissions and can turn them on or off at any time. Your data associated with CloudKit isn’t shared with developers unless you choose to share or post publicly.

Account Recovery Contacts

Choose one or more people you trust to become an Account Recovery Contact to help you reset your password and regain access to your account. Apple does not know who your trusted contacts are, only whether you have any.

Digital Legacy program

The Digital Legacy program lets you designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your account and personal information in the event of your death. Apple does not know who your Legacy Contacts are, only whether you have any.

iCloud+ includes great features to help protect your privacy when browsing the internet and using email.

Hide My Email

Hide My Email allows you to create unique, random email addresses that forward to your personal inbox so you can send and receive email without having to share your real email address.

iCloud Private Relay

iCloud Private Relay is an internet privacy service that uses an innovative multihop architecture in which users’ requests are sent through two separate internet relays operated by different entities. This way, no single party — including Apple — can view or collect the details of users’ browsing activity. 4

All the rigorous privacy measures built into your iPhone and apps carry over to CarPlay. And iOS privacy updates apply to CarPlay, too.

Data minimization

When you use CarPlay, every app you see is powered from your iPhone rather than by the car. This means that Apple gives only limited metadata to the car to make the experience seamless, and only when that metadata is essential to delivering the service. For example, song information may be shared to display the current song you’re listening to, and the contact or call time for your current call may be displayed on an instrument cluster or head‑up display to help you see helpful information.

Third-party apps

Third-party audio, messaging, voice dialing, and navigation apps work in CarPlay, as well as apps that automakers create for their own cars. Because they run on your iPhone, all the protections that apply to third-party apps in iOS apply to CarPlay, too. And Apple always requires third-party apps to provide a privacy policy for you to review.

The Home app uses encryption to protect the information you transmit to HomePod and all your HomeKit- or Matter-enabled smart home accessories. Apps that use HomeKit or Matter are subject to requirements as part of our developer agreement.

Data related to your home is encrypted and stored in a way that Apple can't read it. It’s also encrypted in transit between your Apple device and the devices you’re controlling in your home, even when you control your accessories from a remote location. Recordings from security cameras that use HomeKit Secure Video are analyzed privately on your Apple devices at home and then sent securely to iCloud through end-to-end encryption.

Location protections

When apps perform automatic actions based on your location, such as turning on house lights, these actions are initiated by the Apple Home ecosystem, which makes your location invisible to the app. You can also disable use of your location at any time.

App protections

Apps that use HomeKit or Matter are restricted by our developer guidelines to using data solely for home configuration or automation services.

Requests made using Siri, including those to control your smart home accessories, are associated with a random identifier — not your Apple ID. So your identity is protected.

HomeKit Secure Video

In iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 or later, HomeKit Secure Video ensures that activity detected by your security cameras is analyzed and encrypted by your Apple devices at home before being securely stored in iCloud.

Apple’s Matter implementation includes innovative privacy and security features designed to put you in control of your smart home experience and to enhance interoperability between apps and ecosystems.

When pairing a new Matter accessory, iOS and iPadOS maintain the highest levels of privacy and security, ensuring that you are always aware of which accessories join your home and that you are in full control of your smart home network. Just as with your location information, contacts, calendar, and photos, apps must request access to add an accessory to your home.

HomeKit-enabled routers

HomeKit-enabled routers let you see and manage your other accessories’ internet traffic, both within your home and through the internet.

Children and Families

Features like Communication Safety, Screen Time, Family Sharing, and Apple-designed education apps help keep kids safe and give parents and teachers control over what children can access and share.

Children’s safety

Communication Safety adds protections for children who may receive or attempt to send photos or videos containing nudity. Parents can manage Communication Safety through their Family Sharing plan.

Content containing nudity will be blurred and the child will be warned, presented with helpful resources, and reassured that it is OK if they do not want to view the photo or video. Similar protections are available if a child attempts to send photos or videos that contain nudity. In both cases, children are given the option to message someone they trust for help. The warnings work across the Messages app, FaceTime video messages, and AirDrop, and when using the Phone app to receive a Contact Poster and the Photos picker to choose content to send.

All image and video processing for Communication Safety occurs on the device, meaning neither Apple nor any third party gets access to the content. Photos and videos are analyzed to determine if they contain nudity. End-to-end encryption is maintained, and no indication of the detection of nudity leaves the device. Apple does not get access to the messages, and no notifications are sent to the parent or anyone else.

Family Sharing

With Family Sharing, parents have visibility into their children’s activity and content on their Apple devices, and children can have their own Apple IDs with the consent of the family organizer. In addition to Communication Safety features that help parents protect children from accessing or sharing content containing nudity, Apple has developed tools such as Ask to Buy. This feature allows parents to approve app downloads or in‑app purchases to give them control over their children’s purchases using their Apple ID.

Screen Time

You can use Screen Time to better understand and make choices about how much time your children spend using apps and websites. Activity Reports give you a detailed look at all their app usage, notifications, and device pickups — and only you, your children, and those you choose to share it with can view this information. You can also set the amount of time your kids can spend each day on specific apps and websites.

Education apps

Apple doesn’t sell student information, and we don’t share it with third parties to use for marketing or advertising. Apple doesn’t collect, use, or disclose student information from Apple School Manager, the Schoolwork app, the Classroom app, iTunes U, or Managed Apple IDs other than to provide relevant educational services. And Apple does not track students or build profiles based on their email or web browsing. Parents can decide if they want their child to participate, and students have access to their own data on their devices.

Student Privacy Pledge

To provide the best privacy protections for students and teachers, all relevant agreements and processes are aligned with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In addition, Apple has signed the Student Privacy Pledge, further underscoring our commitment to protecting the information students, parents, and teachers share in schools.

Kids apps and the App Store

Apple has guidelines that are designed to protect user privacy and security for all apps. For apps in the Kids category, we require additional safeguards to help protect children’s data and prevent improper advertising. We believe that when parents download an app for their children from the Kids category, they should have visibility into how their children’s device usage may be transmitted and confidence that their children won’t be subjected to inappropriate advertisements.

Privacy protections are built in.

Privacy is a foundational part of the design process. We incorporate these protections throughout Apple products, apps, and services.

At Apple, we believe in collecting only the personal data required to deliver what you need. Whenever possible, Apple processes and analyzes personal data on your device. In instances where specific personal information is necessary, we minimize the amount we use to provide the intended service — like your location when searching in Maps. Apple does not maintain a comprehensive user data profile of your activity across all our products and services to serve you targeted advertising.

On-device intelligence

Apple uses machine learning to enhance your experience — and your privacy — by using on-device processing so other people don’t see your data. We’ve used it for on-device image and scene recognition in Photos, predictive text in keyboards, and more. For example, the A13 Bionic and later chips and the Neural Engine in iPhone can recognize patterns, make predictions, and learn from experience, similar to the way you do. So your device can create personalized experiences without having to analyze personal information on Apple servers. Developers can use our frameworks, such as Create ML and Core ML, to create powerful new app experiences that don’t require your data to leave your device. That means apps can analyze user sentiment, classify scenes, translate text, recognize handwriting, predict text, tag music, and more without putting your privacy at risk.

Transparency and control

When Apple does collect personal data, we’re clear and transparent about it. We make sure you know how your personal information is being used, and how to opt out anytime you like. Data and privacy information screens help you understand how Apple will use your personal information before you sign in or start using new features. We also provide a set of dedicated privacy management tools on our Data and Privacy page. For example, in iOS 14 or later you can choose to grant an app access to just the images you want. And you’ll receive a notification when an app is using your location in the background, so you can decide whether to update your permission.

Protecting your identity

Apple has developed technologies to help obscure your identity when data must go to Apple servers. Sometimes we use random identifiers so your data is not associated with your Apple ID. We have also pioneered using Differential Privacy to understand patterns of behavior while protecting an individual user’s privacy. If you choose to send Apple analytics about your device usage, the collected information does not identify you personally. When it’s collected, personal data is either not logged at all, removed from reports before they’re sent to Apple, or protected by techniques such as Differential Privacy. Techniques like these help us deliver and improve services while protecting your privacy.

Data security

Without security protections, there is no privacy. Every Apple device combines hardware, software, and services designed to work together for maximum security and a transparent user experience. Custom hardware — such as the Secure Enclave in iPhone, iPad, and Mac — powers critical security features like data encryption. Software protections work to help keep the operating system and third-party apps safe. Services provide a mechanism for secure and timely software updates; power a safer app ecosystem, secure communications, and payments; and provide a safer experience on the web. Apple devices help protect not only the device and its data at rest, but the entire ecosystem, including what you do locally, on networks, and with key web services.

Learn more about privacy at Apple.

• Go to privacy overview
• Control what you share
• See how apps from Apple handle your data

Our values lead the way.

Accessibility.

Our built-in accessibility features are designed to work the way you do.

Environment

Our commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 drives everything we do.

Racial Equity and Justice Initiative

We’re addressing systemic racism by expanding opportunities for communities of color globally.

We empower students and educators to learn, create, and define their own success.

Supply Chain

We prioritize providing safe, respectful, and supportive workplaces for everyone.

Inclusion and Diversity

We’re holding ourselves accountable for creating a culture where everyone belongs.