There are apps that come pre-installed on the iPhone, and safari is one of them. This means Apple will not allow users to delete those system apps that come out of the box on the iPhones, but Apple has gotten a little more flexible with this in recent versions of iOS.
Hey! Safari cannot be removed completely from the iPhone. Sometimes it’s hidden or moved to another screen of the device or folder, or even accidentally disabled through the restriction the Settings.
Here are some common ways for iPhone users to put Safari back in just a few minutes without harming the device. Try them to see if they work for you.
Search for Safari App on your iPhone
One of the quickest ways to find the Safari app is to use Search on your iPhone.
Try the steps below;
- Swipe down from the middle of your iPhone’s home screen for a search bar to appear.
- Input the “Safari” keyword in the search field. As the search results get updated in real-time, you get suggestions as you type in the field.
- For more results, tap on the “Show More”. If the Safari app is hidden in any folder, the folder name will appear.
Disable Restrictions on Safari
If Safari disappeared from the iPhone, you might have restricted it in the Settings. You can easily recover it through the following simple steps. Launch the Settings of your device and choose Screen Time.
- Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions and enter the passcode if asked.
- If this function is turned on, then tap on Allowed Apps. In the whole list of apps displayed, locate Safari and make sure it is set to “ON” to remove all the restrictions imposed on Safari.
After those steps, Safari will be back on the Home screen again.
This operation, however, cannot be finished if you have forgotten the Screen Time Passcode.
In this case, the only option is to restore your iPhone to its factory default settings using iTunes.
Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your computer and launch iTunes.
Step 2: Click on the iPhone icon, then tap on Summary in the left sidebar menu.
Step 3: In this section, hit the button “Restore iPhone”. After that, you will find the Safari icon back on your iPhone.
Restart your iPhone/iPad
When you have done everything to get the Safari app icon back to your home screen and if still, it does not reappear, then restart your iPhone and check.
For iPhone X and later: Press and hold either volume button and the side button until the power off slider appears. Slide to turn off.
For iPhone SE (2nd generation), 8, 7, or 6: Press and hold the side button until the power off slider appears. Slide to turn off.
For iPhone iPhone SE (1st generation), 5, or earlier: Press and hold the top button until the power off slider appears. Slide to turn off.
Reinstall Safari on iPhone
- This is done in the app store. Just type Safari in the search bar of the App Store.
- This will display the GET command button. Tap on it to reinstall the Safari app.
- After the download and installation process is complete, go back to the HOME screen window and check if it now appears there.
Reset Homescreen Layout on iPhone
- This method brings back all the system apps that might have been hidden or moved to other locations.
- On the settings, tap on the General Option app.
- Scroll down and look for the reset option under that same General menu.
- You will be greeted by various reset options once you tap on the reset menu.
- Now, tap on the Reset Home Screen Layout command button.
- A warning box will appear, press Reset Home Screen and the home screen will go back to default. The Safari web browser will be back on the home screen too.
Tip: If you have indeed found Safari, but facing issues with it, you can try the below steps to reset it data.
Reset Safari
To reset, you can either do it through the Safari app itself or through the Settings app, which will let you clear both your browsing history and cookies.
Reset from inside Safari
- At the bottom of an open Safari page, tap the book icon.
- At the top of the menu that opens, tap the clock icon to open your history.
- Tap Clear at the bottom of the page. A prompt menu will open to warn you that you’ll clear your history, cookies, and other data over a selected time period.
- Tap All time to reset your browser.
Reset from Settings
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down and tap on Safari.
- In the next screen, tap on Clear History and Website Data.
- In the prompt that comes next, tap on Clear History and Data.