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How to Change Default Browser on iPhone or iPad

Learn how to change the default browser app on iPhone or iPad. We can choose any third-party install as the default browser to open links apart from Safari.

Apple devices can change the default browser app from Safari to anything else you prefer. You can easily choose Google Chrome, Firefox, or any third-party browser app as the new default to open web links on iPhone or iPad. Visit the browser settings page from the Settings app to choose the default browser app.

Change Default browser app in iPhone/iPad Settings

There’s a common notion that iOS provides a slightly more compact and closed ecosystem than its Android counterpart. The fact that the latter is completely open-source justifies this statement to a large extent.

Apple itself has put some restrictive measures that further contribute to this perception. For example, the tech giants have made Safari its default browser across all their devices.

While it gives you the option to install a third-party one, it wasn’t possible to change the default browser before iOS 14.

So all the links would automatically open in Safari, whether you like it or not. At the most, you could manually copy the required link, open the browser of your choice, and paste it inside. This proved to be quite an infuriating experience for many users.

Apple has finally paid heed to the user’s feedback, and from version 14, it gave you the option to change the default browser on your iPhone/iPad.

Change the Default Browser

Before starting, update your iPhone/iPad to the latest builds. If that’s well and good, then let’s get started. Here are the steps to change the default browser app in iOS or iPadOS:

  1. Head over to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Choose the Browser that you want to set as the default.
    You can choose from the installed browser such as Chrome, Firefox, etc.
  3. Tap on the Default Browser App section within the browser settings.
    Default Browser App settings in iOS iPhone
  4. Choose the new preferred browser as the Default Browser App.
    Select Default Browser app in iPhone or iPad

From now on, any link you interact with in emails or communication apps will automatically open via the third-party browser you had just set as the default one.

One point worth mentioning is that if you uninstall this newly assigned default browser from your device shortly, Apple will revert to Safari as the default.

Bottom Line

So this was all from this guide on changing the default browser on your iPhone or iPad. It is always a welcome move when the OS gives users complete control over how they wish to tweak the settings per their requirements.

While Apple was a little late in this regard, the fact that you could now finally switch over to Chrome or Edge as the default has given the end-users enough reasons to rejoice.

If the browser installed on your device isn’t showing under the Default Browser page, then the app developer is yet to add support for the same. So you may contact them directly and give your feedback regarding the same.

Apart from that, if you have any other queries, do let us know. Also, share your thoughts about changing the default browser app on iPhone or iPad.

Lastly, if you've any thoughts or feedback on How to Change Default Browser on iPhone or iPad, then feel free to drop in below comment box. You can also report the outdated information.

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Sadique Hassan

Sadique is a Bachelor of Computer Application in Computer Science and an MBA professional. He became a tech writer by choice and has continued pursuing it for the last 7+ years. He is keenly interested in open-source technology like Android and also loves troubleshooting the tech. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

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