Incognito Mode On iPhone: How to Turn It On and Is It Enough for Your Privacy? 

How to turn on incognito mode on iPhone in several steps

Turning on private browsing on an iPhone isn’t rocket science and can be done in several simple steps. Let’s see how you can do this on the example of two most prominent browsers for iPhones: Safari and Google Chrome. 

Safari

1. Launch Safari.

2. Find the Tabs button, (two overlapping squares, positioned at the bottom right corner of the screen).

3. Tap the Tabs button. Look for a button at the bottom of the screen indicating the number of tabs open.

4. Swipe the button to the right or tap the grayed-out Private button.

5. To confirm, tap Done located at the bottom right corner to start browsing.

You can check whether private browsing in Safari is active by looking at the search/address bar, which will appear in a dark gray color.

Chrome

1. Launch Google Chrome.

2. Find and tap the three horizontal dots positioned at the bottom right corner of your screen.

3. Select the New Incognito Tab from the menu options.

4. Now you’re incognito! 

Well, turning on private browsing on your iPhone is no-brainer, but how to turn it off? Bear with us, we’ve got you simple instructions for this case as well. 

How to turn OFF incognito mode on iPhone 

Turning off incognito mode on your iPhone is also easy. Check the instructions for Safari and Google Chrome: 

Safari

1. Open Safari.

2. Tap on the Tabs button (two overlapping squares located at the bottom right of your screen).

3. At the bottom of the screen, find the Private button. Swipe this button to the left, or tap the grayed-out Tabs button positioned just to the right of the Private button.

4. Finally, tap Done to finish.

Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome on your iPhone.

2. Tap the Tabs button (a square icon with a number, located at the bottom of your screen).

3. Tap Edit.

4. From the options you see, select Close all tabs.

5. Tap the Tabs button again. The browser will switch from incognito mode to normal mode. The tabs button will be now positioned at the top center of your screen, displaying a number showing the tabs you have open in non-incognito mode.

6. To finish, tap any existing tab or create a new one by pressing the plus sign located at the bottom.

How to set private browsing on iPhone by default

You can set an incognito on an iPhone as a default mode, but in Safari browser only. If Safari is your cup of tea, follow these steps: 

1. Start Safari.

2. Tap the Tabs button ( two overlapping squares icon) located at the bottom right of your screen.

3. Find and tap on the list icon positioned at the bottom center of your screen.

4. Select Private within the menu options. Once done, any new links and pages you open will have Private Browsing enabled.

In such a way, you’ll always keep your browsing hidden. But does incognito mode protect your Internet privacy enough to keep calm and enjoy safe web browsing? Let’s find out! 

Is incognito mode safe on iPhone? 

Incognito mode on an iPhone is far from being perfect when talking about complete Internet privacy and online security. The matter is that it can’t protect you from hackers, your Internet service provider (ISP), or the admin of your WiFi network who still can see that you googled the spelling of a word “simultaneously” a dozen of times. 

Does it mean incognito mode isn’t truly incognito? Unfortunately, yes. Incognito mode can keep your browsing history empty and remove browser cache as well as activity-tracking cookies, but all the traffic that goes through your ISP and WiFi network is still visible to third parties. 

To understand how incognito mode is limited in terms of security, check the table below to see what it can and cannot do:

Since incognito mode doesn’t provide bulletproof protection, you need to enhance your iPhone’s security. And there is no better way than to use a virtual private network (VPN) app. Let’s discuss how a reliable VPN can help you in more detail. 

How VPN can improve your privacy on iPhone

A VPN can significantly power up your iPhone security in addition to private browsing mode thanks to the following features: 

• Traffic encryption. A VPN encrypts all your Internet traffic and passes it through a separate “tunnel” to a remote server, so your personal information is impossible to intercept. Even if hackers manage to intrude, they’ll be unable to decipher the encoded data as it will look like gibberish. This feature is particularly useful when you surf the web via a public WiFi hotspot or hotel Internet network which are commonly unsafe. 
• Improved online security. Since VPNs can conceal your identity, you’ll be able to browse the web anonymously without a fear that anyone is snooping on your personal information and online activity. Also, premium VPNs ensure protection from malware/adware and prevent tracking by websites, ISPs, and advertising agencies.  
• IP masking. By hiding your IP address and passing all the traffic through a remote server, a VPN guarantees you nobody will be able to detect your real location. It’s a reliable solution against spam, online stalkers, and geo-restrictions placed on content you would like to view. 

However, we have to warn you against using free VPN apps as they don’t guarantee this high level of security. Since these services are free, they tend to collect and sell your personal information to third parties like advertising companies for profit, which defeats the whole point of using VPN. 

We suggest you try VeePN — a reliable VPN solution compatible with iPhone as well as other iOS devices. VeePN follows a strict No Logs policy, which means your private information won’t be collected. To protect you from other parties trying to collect your data, VeePN uses NetGuard — an antimalware feature that blocks any malware and pop-up ads you may face visiting various websites.

As for data security, VeePN uses AES 256-bit encryption which is the most reliable and modern standard in data encryption so far. Even if the VPN connection drops for some reason, an automatic Kill Switch feature will block access to your iPhone until secure connection restores. 

Compared to incognito mode, VeePN will not only hide your browsing history from prying eyes, but will also power up your online security. Here’s a comparison table for better understanding: 

Enhance your iPhone security with VeePN 

Incognito mode on an iPhone is a good and easy way to set the basic level of privacy for cases when somebody can physically access your device. But as the majority of privacy threats come from the virtual world, incognito mode is not enough to safeguard your personal information. 

That’s why we offer you VeePN — a trailblazing VPN application with a developed network of remote servers that ensure effective data protection and keep your connection speed as high as possible. 

Try VeePN right now to shield your iPhone and up to 9 other devices across different platforms. Don’t hesitate your favorite subscription plan and have 30-day money-back guarantee!

Written by VeePN Research Lab VeePN Research Lab is dedicated to provide you latest posts about internet security and privacy.

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