How to turn off Safari without breaking links on your iPhone

You can disable Safari but still open links on your iPhone. Start with the replacement: install a replacement browser and set it as the default first, then turn Safari off in Screen Time.

If you do not download a replacement browser, iOS will not allow you to disable Safari!

Can you delete Safari from iPhone?

It depends on your region. Apple allows Safari deletion on iPhone in the European Union and Japan, after installing an alternative browser and setting it as the default. See Apple's regional deletion requirements. This guide uses Screen Time to disable Safari instead.

Disabling Safari restricts access to the app without uninstalling it. iOS requires a replacement browser to be installed before you can turn Safari off.

How to disable Safari but still open links

Here's the full setup, in the order that keeps links working.

1. Pick a replacement browser

Decide what you want links to open in. If you're disabling Safari to reduce browsing, don't install something that does everything Safari does. What browser to use when Safari is disabled goes through the choices.

The short version: Chrome, Firefox, and the rest give you a URL bar and a search engine, so you're back where you started. A link only browser opens the link you tapped without an address bar or general web search. Links within the page still work. There's only one, Anti Browser, which invented the category.

2. Install it and set it as the default browser

1. Install the browser from the App Store.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Browser and choose it. On iOS before 18.2: Settings > scroll to the browser's name > Default Browser App.

3. Turn off Safari in Screen Time

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Screen Time.
3. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
4. Enable Content & Privacy Restrictions.
5. Tap Allowed Apps & Features.
6. Turn Safari off.

Safari's icon disappears. Links still work, because they now go to your default browser.

4. Set a Screen Time passcode

A Screen Time passcode keeps these settings out of reach of a bad five minutes.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Screen Time.
3. Scroll down and tap Lock Screen Time Settings.
4. Have a friend or family member set a code, or use the code generator in Anti Browser. Anti stores the generated code in its vault in case you ever need it.

What happens to links when Safari is disabled?

Links sent to your default browser open in the browser you chose. An app may instead open a link in its own web view. QR codes for menus, tickets, and parking work the same way; how to open QR codes without Safari covers testing the ones you rely on.

Two things can still surprise you:

• In-app browser sheets. Some apps open links in a built-in web view rather than your default browser. If a link fails there, look for an "Open in Browser" or share option to send it to your default browser.
• Restricted web content. If you also set Web Content to Allowed Websites Only, links to sites outside the list will be blocked in any browser that honors that setting. That's a feature, but check it if something unexpectedly fails.

What if you already disabled Safari and links are broken?

Check that your installed replacement is selected as the default browser, then check web content restrictions and whether the problem happens in just one app. The full troubleshooting steps are in links won't open after disabling Safari.

Where Anti Browser fits

Anti Browser is the only link only browser, and it was made for this setup. It opens links sent from other apps and has no URL bar, no general web search, and no tabs. You can set it as your default browser, so the steps above work exactly as written. Once Safari is off, Anti handles links sent to your default browser. You can read the page and follow its links without an address bar or general web search field.

On iPhone, Anti Browser includes the full Block Downloads, Block Safari, Delete, and Lock guide during onboarding, along with the Screen Time code generator and vault. The instructions above focus on replacing Safari. For a full dumbphone setup, install Anti first, then follow the four-step guide so downloads are blocked before you delete distracting apps.