Regarding my digital life, I have nothing to hide. But then again, there are things that I don’t have any dissemination either. And what I looked for on the web is one of those things that I would prefer to keep my eyes only.
Unfortunately, an addition to the iPhone version of Safari in iOS 18.4 makes it a little more difficult to do. Safari now lists all the recent research that you have done in the mobile web browser, so that anyone looking at your screen can see what has bitten your interest, for good or for evil.
This happens when you open a new tab in Safari and press the search bar to enter a URL or a search term. A list of recent research appears and stays there until you start to type something. The list also appears when you access the search bar and press the X button to the right to erase the current url.
There is a method behind this madness because you can press any entry on your recent research list to return to this particular result. I guess the idea is to save you time if you want to come back to the place where your search has started looking for more links and information.
But it is also a potential confidentiality nightmare. Even the most banal research terms may seem dark to someone who can see this list of recent research in Safari. And that could leave you in a position where you have to make some explanations to a potentially skeptical audience.
Let me give you what I hope will meet a fairly benign example. I was talking to my daughter of a photo that I saw in a press article on the first of the film “Snow White” where Rachel Zegler greeted a line of young girls wearing Snow White costumes. My daughter wanted to see him by herself, so I launched Safari and hit “Rachel Zegler while meeting Snow White Girls” in the search bar. You will be happy to know that we have found the photo and a more stimulating video clip of the movie star welcoming these children.
I am decidedly less happy to see the expression “Rachel Zegler meeting girls from Snow White” sitting there in my list of recent research without context. The simple fact of reading these words makes me think that I should be on a surveillance list somewhere.
It seems that other beta iOS 18.4 testers share my concern about the maintenance of eye search results. Because the recently published iOS 18.4 Beta 4 has a way to deactivate this functionality.
Here’s how to access this parameter.
1. Go to the Safari settings.
(Image: © Future)
In the parameters application, Press the apps menuand on the page that followed, Find safari. The applications are listed are alphabetically, so you can scroll down to find the application, press the letter “S” in the menu on the right side of the screen or use the search bar to jump on safari. Press Safari To access the settings of this application.
2. Turn off the recent research function
(Image: © Future)
On the safari screen, head to the marked search settings section and find the Show recent searches option. Drag.
Now, everything you’ve sought will remain between you and your mowing browser history.
Are you looking for more iOS 18 advice? I recently talked about the ambient music function that Apple added to iOS 18.4 and how you can control it. We also have advice on how to use notes in iOS 18 and how to customize the photo application to your liking.
