How to turn private browsing on and off in Safari on iPhone and iPad, unlock private tabs with Face ID, switch it in Chrome, and lock the feature off for kids.
To turn private browsing off in Safari on your iPhone or iPad, open the tab menu and switch from the Private group back to your normal tabs. Private browsing stays on until you switch away from it, so moving to a standard tab group ends the private session.
Apple changed the layout in recent versions of iOS, so the buttons are not where older guides say they are. Here is how it works now, plus how to lock private browsing off entirely if you are setting up a phone for a child.
turning private browsing on and off in Safari
Open Safari and tap the two overlapping squares in the bottom right corner, which is the tab button. You will see a label showing your current tab group, at the bottom on an iPhone or at the top on an iPad. Tap it to open the list, then choose Private to switch private browsing on, or tap a normal group like Start Page to switch it off. Any private tabs you had stay open in the background until you close them, but your normal tabs come straight back.
On iOS 17 and later, Safari can also lock your private tabs. When you switch back to the Private group, you may see a Face ID prompt or an Unlock button before the tabs appear. That is a privacy feature, not a fault. If you would rather it did not lock, go to Settings, tap Apps then Safari, and turn off Require Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing.
private browsing in Chrome on iPhone
If you use Chrome instead, tap the three dots at the bottom, then New Incognito Tab to start. To leave, tap the tab switcher, tap the incognito icon at the top, and close those tabs or switch back to your normal ones. The steps match Chrome on other devices, which we cover in our guide to turning incognito mode on and off.
how parents can lock private browsing off
You can remove private browsing completely using Screen Time. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, then Content and Privacy Restrictions, and turn that on. Tap Content Restrictions, then Web Content, and choose Limit Adult Websites. This hides the Private option in Safari, so only standard tabs are left. Set a Screen Time passcode first so the setting cannot be switched back.
what private browsing does not hide
Private browsing stops Safari from saving your history, cookies, and searches on the device. It does not hide your activity from your internet provider, your mobile carrier, your school, or the websites you visit. They can still see your IP address and the pages you open. If you want to know how far it really goes, read whether incognito mode keeps you anonymous.
To keep the network itself from seeing which sites you load, you need a VPN, not just private mode. Private browsing clears things on your iPhone, while AI VPN encrypts your connection so your provider and any wifi you join cannot read your traffic.
