Technically speaking, you cannot uninstall system apps such as Safari browsers from your iPhone or iPad. In the Phone Settings menu, we can restrict the app activity by selecting Content & Privacy Restriction. To disable Safari, you just need to enable the toggle in the Restriction menu under General Settings.
The Apple ecosystem uses Safari as its default browser. In spite of the fact that it does its job quite well and encompasses a variety of useful functionalities, it is not the only one out there.
You can choose from a variety of browsers, including privacy-centric Firefox and highly customizable Opera.
There’s a handy way out if you want to switch to another browser but don’t want to uninstall Safari entirely. In order to prevent any interference from this app (or any of its processes), you could hide it.
Thanks to the iPhone’s Content and Privacy restriction, it is possible to do all of this. Furthermore, this feature can be useful for parents as well, besides the uses as mentioned above. It could be utilized by parents who wish to restrict their children’s access to the internet.
The Content & Privacy Restriction feature in iOS allows you to disable an app and stop all its running processes.
You can follow this video to delete Safari on your iPhone or iPod touch
If you have an iPhone/iPad running iOS/12 or iPadOS, you can block the Safari browser by following these steps:
- Go to your Settings app on your phone.
- Screen Time can be found in the options menu.
- Click the Turn on Screen Time button.
- Click the Continue command button after reading the instructions.
- On the next screen, click Use Screen Time Password.
Now you need to enter a four-digit passcode. You will have to confirm the passcode by typing it again. Remember the passcode in case you need it in the future.
- Click on the Content and Privacy Restriction menu.
- You now need to enable Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Click on the Allowed Apps section of the menu.
- Turn off the Safari app by scrolling to it and clicking the toggle.
Disable Safari on iOS 11 and earlier
If you are using an iPhone running iOS 11 or an earlier version, follow the steps below to turn off Safari.
- Go to your device’s Settings menu.
- Select the Restrictions tab in the General section
3. Choose Enable Restrictions from the drop-down menu
4. Enter a passcode, and then confirm it.
5. In the ALLOW section, uncheck the box next to Safari.
Safari will be restricted, but other apps will be allowed. From your iOS device, you can check that Safari has been disabled.
Is it possible to disable Safari on my child’s iPad?
Apple doesn’t allow us to delete the Safari app from iOS devices – the app is removed from the Home Screen but remains in the App Library. You have to follow the steps as mentioned earlier, and you can easily disable the safari app on your child’s iPad.
Final thoughts
You learned how to disable Safari on your iPhone or iPad from this guide. Steps are available for iOS/iPad 11 or lower and iOS 12 and above.
If you wish to switch back to Safari and revert this decision, you can go to the Content & Privacy Restriction, verify your identity with your passcode, and enable the toggle next to Safari.
Especially for children, unrestricted access to the online world is never a good idea. The parents will be able to put a stop to the online browsing activities of their children with this feature.
