Apple’s default Safari Web browser is included on every iPhone and is very integrated into the device.
If you click a link in an email or a text message, it will almost certainly open in Safari.
But if you have the Google Chrome web browser on your iPhone and you prefer to use that instead of Safari, then our tutorial below will show you how to set Google Chrome as the default Web browser on your iPhone 13.
How to Make Google Chrome the Default Web Browser on an iPhone 13
- Open Settings.
- Choose Chrome.
- Select Default Browser App.
- Select Chrome.
Our guide continues below with additional information on how to make Chrome the default browser on an iPhone 13, including pictures of these steps.
While you may have already installed a third-party Web browsing app on your iPhone, like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, you may have found that links that you tap in other apps are still opening in Safari.
The iPhone’s Safari browser is pretty good and quite fast, so you may not be that upset about it.
But many people have browser preferences on their computers and smartphones, so it’s entirely possible that you are partial to Chrome, and would prefer to use it all the time.
Luckily there is a setting on the iPhone 13 that lets you choose the default browser, allowing you to open links in Chrome that you try and launch from other apps and files.
Related Guide: Our how to clear cookies on iPhone 13 article will provide you with additional information on ways that you can delete browser data from your device.
How to Switch to Chrome as Default on an iPhone (Guide with Pictures)
The steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 13 in the iOS 16 operating system but will work on other iPhone models that are using at least iOS 15.
Older versions of iOS did not have the option to change the default browser, so you may need to update iOS to a newer version if you want to make this change but don’t see the option in our steps below.
Follow these steps to set Chrome browser as default on iPhone devices.
Step 1: Open the Settings app.
Find the Settings app icon on your Home screen and tap it.
Step 2: Select the Chrome option.
Scroll down and choose the Chrome menu option.
Step 3: Touch the Default Browser App button.
Select the Default Browser App option on this menu.
Step 4: Tap Chrome from the list of browser options.
Set Chrome as your default browser.
The other options listed here are the Web browsers on your iPhone that you can set as the default instead.
Now that you know how to make Chrome the default on your iPhone 13, you will be able to toggle this setting if you ever decide to go back to Safari or if you download another browser option like Firefox or Microsoft Edge.
Note that this “Default Browser App” option is available on the app menus for any of the browsers that you can set at the default on your iPhone 13, so you could always choose Safari, Firefox, Edge, or something else instead of Chrome if you wanted to make this change to the device settings.
How Do I Download the Google Chrome Web Browser on My iPhone 13?
The steps above assume that you already have the Google Chrome Web browser on your iPhone.
If you don’t, however, then you probably found that there wasn’t an option to make Chrome the default iPhone browser.
You can download Google Chrome to your iPhone for free by following our steps below.
Step 1: Open the App Store.
Step 2: Choose the Search tab at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Type “google chrome” into the search field at the top of the window, then select the “google chrome” search result.
Step 4: Tap the Get button to the right of the Chrome app to download and install it on your iPhone.
Now that you have Chrome on your device, you can go back to the previous section and repeat those steps to make Chrome the default choice on your phone.
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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