Changing privacy settings, especially on a mobile device like the iPhone, is something at the forefront of many people’s minds. Therefore you might be wondering how to prevent cross site tracking on iPhone 13 if you own the device and want to limit the tracking that cookies can perform.
Once you have had your iPhone and used it for a while you will inevitably want to make some changes to the way it behaves.
This could be something like changing the ringtone or turning off the keyboard clicks. Or maybe you wanted to clear your browsing history and made your way to the Safari page in the Settings app.
There are a lot of settings that you can configure for your iPhone 13’s default Web browser, including a setting that says “Prevent Cross-Site Tracking.”
You can also read our article on how to disable Javascript on an iPhone if you would like to toggle Javascript on or off for your device.
Cross site tracking is when a website places a cookie on your Web browser that other sites can also use. This allows them to see information about your browsing activity, usually to show you ads that are more relevant to you, or to track social media shares and likes.
You can turn off cross-site tracking on an iPhone by going to Settings > Safari > then tapping the button to the right of Prevent Cross Site-Tracking.
Our article continues below with more information on using this setting on your iPhone, as well as some additional privacy settings that you might want to explore on the device.
How to Block Cross Site Tracking on an iPhone 13
- Open Settings.
- Choose Safari.
- Turn on Prevent Cross-Site Tracking.
Our guide continues below with additional information on shutting off the Safari cross-site tracking, including pictures of these steps.
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How to Enable or Disable Safari’s Cross-Site Tracking Option on an iPhone 13 (Guide with Pictures)
the steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 13 in iOS 15.3.1. These same steps will also work for other iPhone models that use the iOS 15 operating system.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Scroll down and choose the Safari option.
Step 3: Scroll down to the Privacy & Security section, then tap the button next to Prevent Cross-Site Tracking to disable it.
If there is green shading around the button then you are blocking cross-site tracking attempts.
Our tutorial continues below with additional discussion about the cross-site tracking setting on the iPhone 13.
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More Information on What is Cross Site Tracking on an iPhone 13
Note that this setting only applies to the Safari browser on your iPhone. If you use another browser like Chrome or Firefox, then this won’t change anything about your browsing there.
While learning how to prevent cross site tracking on iPhone can stop certain cookies and tracking behaviors, it won’t stop all of them.
You can also elect to turn on the “Block All Cookies” option while you are on the Safari menu. This can also block a lot of the tracking that websites do. However, it can have some negative effects on your browsing, such as making it difficult to use any online shopping sites or keeping you logged into accounts for the sites that you visit.
If you are concerned about other apps having access to apps or data that they might not need, then you can go to Settings > Privacy and scroll through the options there. For example, you might find that an app has access to your contacts or photos when there isn’t really a good reason for it. You can elect to disable some of these permissions if you want.
Note that some apps won’t work properly if you remove certain permissions.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing technology how-to articles and tutorials for over a decade. He has extensive experience in information technology both in small business and as a consultant.
His articles have appeared on dozens of websites and been read millions of times.
He covers many different topics concerning technology, but focuses primarily on smartphones, consumer software, and consumer electronics.
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