How to block websites on iPhone or iPad
We’ll go over how to quickly disable and restrict Safari and other web browsers on an iPhone or iPad in this article.
Even though using a smartphone for web browsing is a must, there may be situations in which you would prefer to block it. For example, you don’t want to introduce your children to the Internet just yet.
What to know about
Before you get to the blocking part, we would like to inform you about a few other iOS features you can use instead.
- If your goal is to keep your child or others away from Safari and locked into just one specific app, you can use the built-in Guided Access feature. It will not allow the user to exit the chosen app.
- In case you’re worried about your child accessing mature content, you can easily limit all adult sites on their iPhone or iPad. You can even pick and choose and block specific sites like CNN.com, FoxNews.com, Facebook.com, or anything else you’d like.
- If your child spends too much time inside Safari or other apps, you can set a daily time limit, after which that app(s) will be blocked for the rest of the day.
- Lastly, if you’re worried about privacy, we have a tutorial that lists over a dozen tips to increase privacy in Safari.
However, if you think it would be better to restrict web browsing, here are the steps for that.
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Block Safari on iPhone or iPad
Obviously, you have to do these procedures on the device that you wish to block websites on. But you can also stop it on your iPhone by selecting your child’s name in the Screen Time pane if you want to block it on their device. Recall to create a Screen Time passcode if you haven’t done so already.
- Open the Settings app and tap Screen Time.
- Tap Content and Privacy Restrictions. To block web browsing on your child’s device, tap their name under the Family heading, and then select Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Turn on the switch for Content & Privacy Restrictions and tap Allowed Apps.
- Enter the device’s Screen Time passcode if asked. If you’re blocking it for your child’s iPhone or iPad, enter their device’s Screen Time passcode.
- Turn off the switch for Safari and exit the Settings app.
You will discover that the Safari browser icon is gone from the iPhone or iPad Dock, Home Screen, App Library, and even Spotlight Search after around ten seconds or after you restart the device. Spotlight may present Safari as an App Store recommendation, but clicking Open will only display the message “Restrictions Enabled” and do no further work. Consequently, this device is unable to access or utilize Safari.
Block Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Brave, and all other iOS browsers
After you restrict Safari on your child’s device, most of their web browsing is limited. However, if the kid is old enough, they can go to the App Store and download other browsers like Chrome or Firefox.
Do the following if you’d like to block them as well:
- Delete other browser apps currently installed on the iPhone or iPad.
- Follow the quick steps to block the installation of all apps on that device. This will remove the App Store from that iPhone or iPad, thus blocking the installation of all apps!
Note: Even after you block Safari and other browsers, the person can tap a link inside apps like Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc., which will open inside the in-app web browser. However, the tiny Safari icon there will be grayed out.
If you change your mind in the future, follow the steps mentioned above to allow Safari and the installation of new apps.