When we hear the term “cookies,” the first thought that comes to mind is the delicious snacks we are used to taking with a cup of coffee or tea. However, they mean something entirely different in the virtual world. If you do not manage cookies, you may encounter a number of issues because they are tracking elements that are deeply embedded in your iPhone. Furthermore, they also take up an awful amount of space if you do not delete them for an extended period. In other words, deleting your iPhone’s cookies will help you save space and resolve most browsing issues. To learn how to clear cookies on your iPhone, stick with me as we go through the steps in this article.
Deleting cookies on your iPhone is a quick and easy process, but the exact steps you take will vary depending on the browser you use.
If you own an iPhone or iPad, you’re probably familiar with Apple’s Safari mobile browser. So, let’s get started with how to remove cookies from an iPhone using Safari as the main browser.
Note: If you delete all of your cookies, you must sign in to websites again.
Here’s how to delete cookies from Safari on your iPhone:
- Navigate to Settings on your iPhone and scroll down until you find Safari. Tap it to access the browser’s settings.
- Scroll to the bottom of Safari’s settings page and select Advanced.
- Then, select website data. This is where you can select which cookies to delete.
- To delete all data, select Remove All Website Data. Simply tap the edit button in the top right corner of the screen, then the red circle next to the files you want to delete if you only want to delete a few cookies.
Despite the fact that Safari comes pre-installed on iPhones and is a good app, many people use other browsers. Chrome, for example, is one of the most popular alternatives. Deleting cookies on an iPhone in Chrome differs slightly from Safari, but this is also a breeze.
- Open Google Chrome on your iPhone.
- In the bottom right corner of the screen, tap the menu button (it has three dots).
- Select Clear Browsing Data.
- Tap cookies and site data. You can also tap browser history and cached images and files.
- The final step is to select Clear Browsing Data. To confirm that you want to do this, click Clear Browsing Data again.
Other third-party web browsers on the iPhone use similar techniques to delete cookies; however, you must do so from within the browser app rather than through the iOS menus.
Here’s how to get rid of cookies in Firefox
- Start the Firefox app.
- Select the hamburger-style icon with three vertical dots.
- From the popup menu, choose Settings.
- Scroll down to the Privacy section and select Data Management from the menu.
- Select Clear Private Data and confirm your choice. This instructs Firefox to delete all cookies. (Optional: clear your browsing history and cache here.)
Most of the time, finding and deleting cookies in any browser is simple. However, because most iPhone users use more than one browser, removing cookies every month or week will become tedious, and you may not do it as frequently as you should. The obvious solution may be to use a tool that automatically removes cookies from all locations.
There are several tools out there that could help you delete cookies quickly and securely. You can do your research and pick the one that best meets your needs.
Instead of clearing the cookies, you can block them entirely. However, if you disable cookies, your entire web experience will be slower, and some websites may not work properly.
For the same reason, you may be unable to access a few websites. This is because a lot of websites these days require you to agree to cookies before you can browse.
We don’t usually recommend blocking cookies unless you’re extremely concerned about your privacy.
In any case, if you want to block cookies in Safari, follow the steps below:
- Navigate to Settings on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and select Safari.
- Scroll down and select “Advanced.”
- Slide the toggle button to the right to enable Block All Cookies, and then confirm by tapping Block All.
- All Cookies will be Blocked
Go to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website Data to find out where the iPhone stores cookies. To find the location of Google Chrome’s cookies on an iPhone, open the Chrome app and navigate to Settings > History.
Like anything that saves your personal information, it may improve your browsing experience, but it may also cause problems such as:
- Concerns about privacy. Malicious actors use advanced hacking tools and data stored in cookies to obtain your login credentials or personal information. Obtaining this information could result in identity theft or financial fraud.
- Vulnerabilities in security. Cookies can be vulnerable to attacks that compromise the security of your data.
- Data that is no longer current. Cookies can become outdated or invalid, resulting in browser errors or unexpected behavior when attempting to access the stored data.
Just like cleaning up your physical space, clearing your cookies on a regular basis helps keep your digital life organized and streamlined. Make it a monthly ritual for a more enjoyable online experience. Here are specific times:
- When you’re doing your online shopping. Before making any online purchases, it is best to clear your cookies.
- When you are on the verge of logging out. After logging out of any website, always delete the cookies.
- When you are having difficulty opening websites. If a website is having problems, clearing its cookies may help to solve the problem.
Cookies are small pieces of data that websites use to track your preferences and improve your browsing experience. A cookie file contains information specific to your iPhone, such as your IP address, username, password, and session information. When you visit a website, it may create and download cookies containing different types of personalized information on your device.
Websites require cookies to provide a personalized experience. Amazon, for example, uses cookies to track which advertisements you’ve clicked on and send you product recommendations. Websites may also send cookies to your device, allowing third-party advertisers to collect your information.
The more we use our smartphones to surf the web, the more data is gathered. Because this is the data that the browser checks at the beginning of almost every visit to a website, a large amount of it can cause things to slow down. If your iPhone is running out of space, you can clear this data to free up some space while also protecting your privacy. Yes, having cookies on your device makes online shopping easier, but it also means that those sites have information about you. Many people are uncomfortable with this, so they prefer to clear cookies on their iPads and iPhones on a regular basis.
Disabling cookies may cause problems with your browsing experience. While it prevents malicious cookies from entering your phone, it also prevents good cookies from being used by commercial websites.
To reverse your decision, repeat the steps above and slide the Block All Cookies slider back to the left.
It all depends. The majority of cookies track browsing behavior in order to improve the website experience. You’ll have to log in to your shopping cart each time you visit the same e-commerce store if you don’t have such cookies. Because advertisers don’t know what interests you, you’ll see more irrelevant ads. Removing all cookies, on the other hand, eliminates the risk of malicious trackers on your iPhone.
No. History keeps track of the websites you’ve visited in the past. Clearing history on the iPhone also removes cookies. You can, however, clear cookies on your iPhone without deleting the history.
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