Smooth sailing browsing and Safari go head in hand. Aside from being feature-rich, the Apple browser is highly efficient and comes with a host of privacy-centric features to let you browse the web by keeping the prying eyes in check. However, it’s not perfect as the random crashing and sluggishness are often complained about by users. But there is no need to lose sleep over this annoyance as we have lined up the 32 best tips and tricks to fix Safari not working in iOS 18 on iPhone and iPad.
Best Tips & Tricks to Fix Safari Crashing on iPhone and iPad
Before moving ahead, let’s figure out the culprits that are making Safari crash or ill-function.
Why does Safari crash out or refuse to work properly?
Having been on the wrong side of Safari’s tantrums on many occasions, I must say that it’s the sloppy internet connection that comes in the way more often than not. That aside, if it’s been a while since you cleaned up Safari, it’s nothing but the clutter that could be causing trouble. Not to mention, ill-fated extensions, VPN, and hidden restrictions could be equally responsible for the whole chaos.
- Ill-fated extensions
- Sloppy internet connection
- Software glitch
- Greedy VPN
- File clutter
- Restrictions
Note:
- Though this detailed troubleshooting guide has been updated in accordance with iOS 17, you can try out the following tips to fix the problem in the older versions of iOS as well.
1. Turn On/Off Airplane Mode
If Safari is ill-functioning due to a poor internet connection, turning on/off airplane mode could resolve the problem straight away.
- On iPhone and iPad without the Home Button: Swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to bring up the Control Center and then tap on the airplane mode icon to turn it on/off.
- On iPhone and iPad with the Home Button: Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen to access the Control Center -> tap on the airplane mode icon to enable/disable it.
2. Force Kill Safari
Many a time, all you need to do to fix a misfiring Safari is to just force kill it. Whether the app is freezing every now and then or feels slow-moving, it can come in super handy.
- On your iPhone or iPad without the Home Button: Swipe up from the Home Bar to bring up the app switcher -> swipe up Safari’s card to kill it.
- On your iPhone or iPad with the Home Button: Double-press the Home Button to reveal the app switcher and then swipe up Safari’s card to force quit it.
For a smooth sailing experience, I would recommend you force quit all the apps that are running in the background. Then, launch Safari to check if you have shot out the problem.
3. Safari Not Working on Mobile Data? Make Sure Safari Can Use Data on Your Device
If Safari is not working on mobile data, ensure that the app can use mobile data on your device.
- To do it, go to the Settings app -> Cellular/Mobile -> Scroll down to find Safari, and then be sure that the toggle next to it is enabled.
4. Enable Wi-Fi Assist for Smooth Browsing
iOS comes with a feature called “Wi-Fi Assist” which enables your device to automatically use cellular data when Wi-Fi connectivity is poor. You can make the most of this feature to ward off any interference, especially intensive browsing or video streaming.
- Launch the Settings app on your device -> Cellular/Mobile -> scroll down to the bottom of the screen and then turn on the toggle for Wi-Fi assist.
5. Enable Background App Refresh
Background app refresh plays a vital role in keeping an app refreshed so that it can run with the desired smoothness. Though it does gobble up more battery and may also eat into a ton of cellular data, it’s worth activating when you want to get the most out of your apps.
The smartest way to use this power-hungry yet useful feature is to allow only a few apps to refresh in the background. This way you can make the most of this feature without having to bear the brunt of the downsides.
- Head over to the Settings app -> General -> Background App Refresh -> turn on the toggle for Background App Refresh.
- Scroll down to find Safari and then make sure that the switch next to it is turned on.
6. Enable Location Services for Safari
Some websites might require access to location services to work properly.
- Launch the Settings app on your device -> Privacy & Security -> Location Services -> make sure that the toggle for Location Services is turned on.
- Now, find Safari and then select While Using the App.
7. Clear Safari Downloads
It’s recommended to clear Safari downloads on a regular basis. Else, they would not only clog up the storage but also make Safari sluggish.
- To do so, open Safari -> tap on the Aa menu button at the bottom -> tap on Clear at the top right corner of the menu.
8. Dark Mode Not Working in Safari? Force Websites to Enable Dark Mode
Apple introduced the system-wide dark mode way back in iOS 13. Unfortunately, there are many websites like Wikipedia which still don’t support dark mode. But there is no need to worry about it as you can force websites to enable dark mode thanks to some handy third-party extensions like Noir.
9. Disable Downtime and Remove App Limit
During Downtime, only apps that you allow are available to use. With the App Limits, you can set daily time limits for app categories you want to manage on your device.
- To remove the restriction, go to the Settings app -> Screen Time -> Downtime/App Limits.
10. Can’t Find Safari on Your Device? Make Sure the App is Not Hidden
If you don’t want anyone to use Safari without your permission, you can choose to hide it on your device.
- To unhide Safari, go to Settings app -> Screen Time -> Content & Privacy Restrictions -> Allowed Apps.
- Then, enter the Screen Time passcode, and then make sure to turn on the toggle for Safari.
11. Make Sure You Have Not Restricted Some Websites
For enhanced security, you can completely block some websites on your device. If you are unable to access certain websites on your device, make sure to remove the restriction.
- Settings app -> Screen Time -> Content & Privacy Restrictions -> be sure that the toggle for Content & Privacy Restrictions is enabled.
- Then, tap on Content Restrictions -> Web Content -> Unrestricted.
12. Disable Safari Auto-Playing Videos
Auto-playing videos not only consume plenty of data unnecessarily but also slow down Safari. Worse, in some cases, they make life so difficult for Safari that it either takes forever to load a website or seems to become incredibly slow.
- To turn off auto-playing videos, go to Settings app -> Accessibility -> Per-App Settings -> Add App -> Choose Safari.
- Now, tap on Safari -> Scroll down to the bottom of the screen, and choose Auto-Play Video Previews -> choose Off.
13. Switch to the Desktop Site
Although Safari has improved by leaps and bounds over the years, it still can’t deliver a desktop-class browsing experience. Nevertheless, the stock web browser does offer you the flexibility to switch to the desktop site. Well, save this tip for times when you find certain websites cramped out or looking chaotic in the mobile avatar.
- Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad -> tap on the Aa menu button at the bottom -> choose Request Desktop Website. Safari will now refresh to show the desktop site.
- Later, if you want to switch to the mobile site, tap on the Aa menu button -> choose Request Mobile Website.
14. Clear Safari Cache and Website Data
The pileup of the cached data and website data accumulated in Safari over time is also well-known for triggering issues like frequent crashing and sluggishness.
- Navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad -> Safari.
- After that, tap on Clear History and Website Data to clear the cache and data.
- Bear in mind that it will log you out of any websites you are currently signed into. Thus, you will have to re-enter your login credentials.
15. Update Safari Extensions
Has it been a while since you updated Safari extensions? If the answer is in the affirmative, the outdated versions of the extensions could be making life difficult for the browser.
- Head over to the App Store -> tap on your profile at the top right corner of the screen -> scroll down to find extensions and then update them all.
16. Disable Safari Extensions
Should the problem persist, it wouldn’t be wrong to blame a malicious extension for the repeated crashing of Safari.
- On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings -> Safari -> Extensions. After that, turn off all the installed extensions.
- Then, turn them one by one to figure out which extension is creating trouble for the browser.
17. Disable VPN
As stated above, a VPN service could also be responsible for making Safari ill-function. If you have recently installed a VPN app on your iPhone, turn it off as it could very well be at the heart of the issue.
- Navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone -> VPN and turn it off.
18. Delete All Safari Extensions
No solution as yet? Bother not, we are not done yet! Now, we will eliminate all the extensions.
- Touch and hold onto an extension -> Remove App -> Delete App and confirm. Repeat the same steps to delete all the extensions.
19. Remove All Safari Website Data
Removing the entire cluster of Safari website data may resolve issues related to the app’s configuration.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad -> Safari -> Advanced -> Website Data -> Remove All Website Data -> Remove Now.
20. Delete the Entire Safari Reading List
In order to let you easily access and read articles at your own pace even when there is no internet connection, Safari lets you save articles. Make sure to remove the saved articles once you have read them to ensure they do not clog up.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open Safari and then tap on the Reading List icon at the bottom.
- After that, tap on the Edit button at the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Then, select all the articles and hit the Delete button. Do not forget to tap on Done to confirm.
21. Remove Reading List Items from the Safari Start Page
To ensure you don’t have to dig deep to find the reading list items, Safari shows them right on the start page. Again, this is well-thought-out but I would recommend you keep them away as it might be causing issue.
- To get it done, open Safari -> tap on the tabs icon at the bottom right corner of the screen -> “+” button at the bottom left corner of the screen -> tap on the Edit button.
- Now, turn off the toggle for Reading List.
22. Remove Siri Suggestions from the Safari Start page
Safari keeps track of your usage and offers suggestions based on your preference right on the start page. While I do appreciate the helpful suggestions, I prefer to keep them away from the start page to ensure they do not make Safari sluggish.
- To get rid of Siri suggestions, open Safari -> tap on the tabs icon at the bottom right corner of the screen -> tap on the “+” icon at the bottom left corner of the screen -> tap on the Edit button.
- After that, turn off the toggle for Siri Suggestions.
- Besides, you can also disable the toggles for iCloud Tabs, favorites, frequently visited sites, Shared with You, and Privacy Report to keep the clutter at bay.
23. Disable JavaScript
If websites have encountered JavaScript-related issues, they might crash Safari. Keep in mind that certain websites that rely on JavaScript might not function properly.
- Head into the Settings app on your device -> Safari -> Advanced -> JavaScript and then turn off the switch.
24. Close All Unnecessary Tabs
Having too many tabs open unnecessarily not only slows down Safari but also tends to make the browser crash or become unresponsive. Thus, be sure to close all the useless tabs.
- Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad -> Touch and hold the tabs icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Now, select “Close X Tabs” in the popup menu and you are good to go!
- To remove specific tabs, tap on the tabs icon. After that, find the useless tab and hit the “X” button at the top right corner of the tab.
25. Restart Your iPhone
Rebooting may get rid of any temporary glitches that could be hurting Safari and preventing it from running properly or making the browser crash out.
- On iPhone and iPad without the Home Button: Press and hold the power and the volume up/down buttons at once. Then, swipe to power off. After waiting for a few seconds, you need to press and hold the power button until the Apple logo shows on the screen.
- On iPhone and iPad with the Home Button: Press the power button and then swipe to power off the device. Then, press the power button again to reboot the device.
26. Hard Reset Your Device
Hard reset also clears temporary files and minor software glitches that tend to crop up every now and then.
- On iPhone 8 or later and iPad without the Home Button: Press and quickly release the volume up button. Next, you need to press and release the volume down button. Then, immediately hold down the power button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: Press and hold the volume down button and the power button at once until the Apple logo greets you on the screen.
- On iPhone 6s or earlier and iPad with the Home Button: Hold down the power button and the Home Button simultaneously until the Apple logo shows up on the screen.
27. Reset network settings
If your iPhone is faced with a random network-related issue, it may cause Safari to crash and even stop the browser from functioning properly. Therefore, it would be apt to reset all settings. It’s worth pointing out that it will reset all network-related settings such as Wi-Fi, cellular, VPN, and Bluetooth, so be prepared to set them up them after the reset.
- Go to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad -> Reset > Reset Network Settings and confirm the action.
28. Update Software on Your iPhone or iPad
If Safari still crashes out or does not work as expected, go for the software update. There is a high chance that a bug could be hindering the browser from working properly.
- Go to the Settings app -> General -> Software Update and then update the device as usual.
29. Factory Reset Your Device
Factory reset is what experts recommend when confronted with persistent issues or complex problems. So, there is no question of missing out on this one. In case you are unaware, it will get rid of all the custom settings and put them all back to the default state but none of your media and data will be harmed.
- On your iPhone out iPad, navigate to the Settings app -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad -> Reset -> Reset All Settings.
30. Clean Up Your Device
It’s always recommended to wipe out the clutter from time to time in order to prevent the unnecessary files from messing up the precious storage and also triggering many other issues.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad -> General -> iPhone/iPad Store -> have a look at the total available and consumed storage. Besides, also have a close look at the amount of storage each app has taken up.
- After that, delete all the useless files, screenshots, and apps to recover plenty of space.
- Once you have cleaned up the device, reboot it.
- When your device has rebooted, open Safari to figure out if the issue is done and dusted.
31. Restore Your Device As New: Last Resort
Restoring the device as new must be your last resort as it will wipe out your entire device including all your media and data. Considering how effective it has long been in fixing complex problems, you should not give it a miss. But before opting for this radical solution, be sure to fully back up your device as an extra layer of safeguard against data loss.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable -> launch Finder/iTunes -> select your device.
- Next, back up your iPhone.
- Once the backup is done, hit Restore iPhone and confirm.
- After you have successfully restored the device, set it up and restore the latest backup.
32. Why Not Try Out Third-Party Browsers?
If nothing has worked in bringing Safari back on track, why not consider using third-party browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Bing? They are fully featured and come with a wide range of features to deliver a more personalized web browsing experience.
Fixed Safari Not Working on iPhone and iPad..!
There you go! So, that concludes this exhaustive troubleshooting guide about fixing Safari Not Working on iOS and iPadOS. Which one of the above tips has enabled you to put an end to the problem? Feel free to share your invaluable thoughts and also let us know if there is any other effective hack worth mentioning in this guide.
