Applications built into iOS are generally very reliable. And that's what makes Safari crashing on iPhone so frustrating. We are surfing the web and without expecting it everything disappears due to a crash, it's super boring..
These days apps like Safari don't crash too often, but when they do crash, the first reaction you might think of is to fix it right away. If you frequently experience browser issues on your iPhone, here are some steps you can take to resolve the issue.
Restart iPhone
If Safari crashes regularly, the first step would be to restart the iPhone. Much like a computer, iPhone needs to be restarted every now and then to reset memory, clear temporary files, and generally restore things to a cleaner state. To restart iPhone:
- Press the power button (on the top of some iPhones, on the right side of others).
- When the “Power off” slider appears, move it left to right.
- Let the iPhone turn off.
- When the phone is off (the screen goes completely black), press the power button again.
- When the Apple logo appears, release the button and let the iPhone restart.
After restarting the iPhone, visit the website that caused Safari to crash. Chances are it will get better..
Update to the latest version of iOS
If a restart doesn't fix the problem, make sure you're using the latest version of iOS, the iPhone's operating system.
Each iOS update adds new features and fixes all kinds of bugs that would cause crashes..
There are two options for updating iOS:
- Update using iTunes.
- Update wirelessly directly to iPhone.
If an update is available, install it and see if that fixes the issue.
Clear Safari History and Website Data
If none of these steps work, try clearing browsing data stored on your iPhone.
This includes your browsing history and the cookies saved on your iPhone from the sites you visit. It also erases data from all devices logged into your iCloud account. Deleting this data can be somewhat inconvenient if cookies provide functions on some websites, but doing so is much better than having your Safari crash periodically.
- Press " Settings ".
- Then on " Safari ".
- Then click on " Clear history, site data ".
- In the menu that appears from the bottom of the screen, press “ Clear ”.
Disable autofill
If Safari still crashes, turning off autofill is another option to explore. AutoFill collects contact information from your address book and adds it to website forms so you don't have to enter your shipping address or email address repeatedly. To turn off autofill:
- Press " Settings ".
- Then on " Safari ".
- Then on " Automatic filling ".
- Move the " Coordinates " slider to off.
- Likewise with " Names and passwords " on disabled.
- And also " Bank cards " on deactivated.
Disable iCloud Safari sync
If none of the steps have resolved your crashing issue so far, the problem might not be with your iPhone. It could be iCloud. An iCloud feature syncs your Safari bookmarks between all Apple devices logged into the same iCloud account. This is very useful, but it can also be the source of some Safari problems on iPhone.
To turn off Safari iCloud sync:
- Go to " Settings ".
- Tap your name at the top of the screen (on older versions of iOS).
- Then on " iCloud ".
- Move the " Safari " slider to off.
- From the menu that will appear, choose what to do with previously synced Safari iCloud data, either " Keep on my iPhone " or " Delete from iPhone ."
Disable JavaScript
If it still crashes, the problem could be with the website you are visiting. Many sites use a programming language called JavaScript to provide all kinds of functions. JavaScript is great, but when poorly written it can crash browsers. Try disabling JavaScript by following these steps:
- Go to " Settings ".
- Tap " Safari ".
- Then on " Advanced ".
- Move the " JavaScript " slider to off.
- Try to revisit the site that crashed. If that doesn't crash, JavaScript was the problem.
It doesn't end here with isolating the problem. You really need JavaScript to use modern websites, so I recommend that you turn it back on and no longer visit the site that caused your app to crash (or turn off JavaScript before visiting it again).
Contact Apple
If nothing worked and Safari is still crashing on your iPhone, the last option left is to contact Apple for technical support. Learn how to get technical support in this article.
