How to Lock Safari Private Tabs with Face ID on iPhone

With iOS 16, Apple offered a way tolock the hidden album in the Photos appto shield your private photos from prying eyes. In iOS 17, Apple has extended this privacy feature to its Safari browser with Locked Private Browsing. It means you can finally lock your private tabs in Safari with Face ID or passcode. It is undoubtedly one of thebest features of iOS 17. Notably, Chrome browser already has this feature using which you canlock Incognito tabs on Chromeusing Face ID or passcode. In this hands-on guide, we explain how to lock your Safari private tabs with Face ID.

How to Enable Locked Private Browsing in Safari

How to Enable Locked Private Browsing in Safari

  1. Open theSettingsapp on your iPhone.

  2. Scroll down and tap onSafari.

  3. Under Privacy & Security, toggle on the “Require Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing” feature.

  4. If you haven’t set up Face ID on your iPhone, you will seeRequire Passcode to Unlock Private Browsing.It will allow you to put a password on private browsing in Safari. If you want to use your Face ID, you should set it up first.

  5. Once you have done this, it will lock your Safari private tabs with your Face ID or passcode.

How to Unlock Safari Private Tabs with Face ID

How to Unlock Safari Private Tabs with Face ID

  1. Open Safari and tap on Private.

  2. You will now see a screen sayingPrivate Browsing is Locked.

  3. Hit theUnlockoption.

  4. Now, iOS will show the Face ID scanner.

  5. Once the Face ID is authenticated, you can continue browsing your private tabs or open a new private tab in Safari.

  6. When your iPhone’s display turns off, the Face ID for Private Browsing feature automatically locks your private tabs. To access them, you will have to unlock them again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, with iOS 17, you can now lock private tabs on your iPhone.

If your iPhone supports iOS 17, it will automatically support FaceID for Safari private browsing. For reference, all the iPhone XR and newer models are compatible with the latest iOS 17.

To lock Safari private tabs, go toSettings -> Safariand turn onRequire Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing.

If you want your Safari private tabs to open only when you enter your phone’s passcode or Face ID, head to Settings -> Safari and enableRequire Passcode to Unlock Private Browsing.You will see theRequire Face ID to Unlock Private Browsingoption if you’ve set up Face ID.

Kanika Gogia

Kanika has been a loyal iPhone user since 2014 and loves everything Apple. With a Master’s in Computer Applications, passion for technology, and over five years of experience in writing, she landed at Beebom as an Apple Ecosystem Writer. She specializes in writing How To’s, troubleshooting guides, App features, and roundups for Apple users to help them make the best use of their gadgets. When not writing, she loves to try out new recipes and enjoy some family time.

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