How to Set Your iPhone Safari Home Page: A Comprehensive Guide

The home page of your Safari browser on your iPhone is the first page you see when you open a new tab or launch the app. It’s essentially your digital starting point, and customizing it can significantly enhance your browsing experience. While Safari doesn’t offer a direct setting to change the ‘home page’ in the traditional desktop browser sense, there are several clever ways to achieve a similar result. This comprehensive guide will walk you through all the methods, providing detailed steps and instructions to customize your Safari startup experience on your iPhone. Whether you want a specific website, your frequently visited pages, or a blank slate, this guide has you covered.

Understanding the Safari ‘Home Page’ on iPhone

Unlike desktop browsers where you can explicitly set a specific URL as your home page, Safari on iPhone operates a bit differently. When you open a new tab, Safari usually presents you with a ‘Start Page’. This Start Page typically consists of:

• Favorites: Bookmarked websites you frequently visit.
• Frequently Visited: Pages that Safari has learned you access often.
• Privacy Report: A summary of website trackers Safari has blocked.
• Siri Suggestions: Websites or articles Siri thinks you might find interesting.
• Shared With You: Links shared via Messages.

The key to customizing your ‘home page’ on Safari involves adjusting the elements displayed on the Start Page, or using alternative methods to effectively achieve your desired behavior. Let’s delve into how you can modify your browsing experience.

Method 1: Customizing the Start Page Content

The most straightforward way to control what you see when you open a new tab is by customizing the content of your Start Page. You can toggle the display of each individual element.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open Safari: Launch the Safari app on your iPhone.
2. Open a New Tab: Tap the tab icon (two overlapping squares) at the bottom right (or top right on iPad) and then tap the ‘+’ icon to create a new tab.
3. Scroll to the Bottom: Scroll to the very bottom of the Start Page. You should see an ‘Edit’ button.
4. Tap ‘Edit’: Tap the ‘Edit’ button. This will present you with a list of options that you can toggle on or off.
5. Toggle Options: You’ll see a list of the following toggleable options:
   • Favorites: Toggles the display of your bookmarked favorites.
   • Frequently Visited: Turns the display of frequently visited sites on or off.
   • Privacy Report: Shows or hides the tracker blocking report.
   • Siri Suggestions: Shows or hides suggestions from Siri.
   • Shared With You: Shows or hides links shared via Messages.
   • Background Image: Allows you to set a custom image.
6. Customize Your Start Page: Based on your preference, turn the switches on or off to display the elements you want or don’t want to see.
7. Tap ‘Done’: After finishing your customization, tap ‘Done’ in the top right corner.

By using these steps, you can remove everything from your start page and leave it completely empty if you like. However, this doesn’t set a specific URL as the ‘home page’. For that, we’ll explore other methods below.

Method 2: Using a Specific Bookmarked Website

While you can’t directly set a specific URL as the home page, you can make a specific website appear every time you open a new tab by bookmarking it and placing it in the top spot of your Favorites. This method is quick and easy and provides a near-identical experience to a traditional home page.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Navigate to Your Desired Website: Open Safari and go to the website you want to use as your ‘home page’.
2. Bookmark the Website: Tap the share icon (square with an arrow pointing up) at the bottom of the screen. Then, tap ‘Add Bookmark’.
3. Name the Bookmark (Optional): Optionally, give your bookmark a short name that will be visible. For instance ‘My Home’. Ensure the location is ‘Favorites’.
4. Tap ‘Save’: Tap ‘Save’ to add the bookmark to your Favorites.
5. Ensure Favorites are Shown on Start Page: Follow the steps in Method 1 to ensure ‘Favorites’ are enabled on the Start Page.
6. Move Bookmark to Top: Navigate back to the Start Page in Safari. Press and hold on the newly created bookmark in Favorites, and then drag and drop it to the very top position. Now, this will be the first bookmark that will be visible when you open a new tab.

Now, every time you open a new tab, your bookmarked website will be the first and most prominent link displayed. You can also press and hold on this favorite in the Start Page and select ‘Open in New Tab’. This is effectively like having a traditional home page.

Method 3: Using the Shortcuts App to Simulate a Home Page

For more advanced customization, you can leverage the Shortcuts app to create a workflow that opens a specific website every time you tap a shortcut. This method is a bit more complex but provides a very customized experience.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open the Shortcuts App: Launch the Shortcuts app on your iPhone (it comes pre-installed).
2. Create a New Shortcut: Tap the ‘+’ icon in the top right corner to create a new shortcut.
3. Add the ‘Open URL’ Action: Tap ‘Add Action’. Search for ‘URL’ and select the ‘URL’ action.
4. Enter the URL: Tap the word ‘URL’ in the action you just added and enter the URL of the website you want to use as your ‘home page’. (e.g., `https://www.google.com`).
5. Add the ‘Open URLs’ Action: Below the ‘URL’ action, add the ‘Open URLs’ action. Tap the search bar and search for ‘Open URLs’ then select the appropraite action.
6. Rename the Shortcut: Tap the three dots (…) in the top right corner. Tap the name of the shortcut (‘New Shortcut’ by default) and change it to something descriptive, like ‘Home Page’. Tap ‘Done’.
7. Add to Home Screen (Optional): If you want a direct home screen icon for this shortcut, tap the share icon and then tap ‘Add to Home Screen’. You can also customize the name and icon before adding it. Then tap ‘Add’.

Now, every time you tap the shortcut (or the icon you added to your home screen), it will open the specific website in Safari. This is a more customizable way to ensure that a certain webpage appears as if it is your homepage. You can also add other shortcut steps before opening the webpage, if desired, such as turning on do not disturb or turning up the device volume.

Method 4: Using a Blank Page

If you prefer a blank screen when you open a new tab, the easiest way to achieve this is to adjust the Start Page content (as outlined in Method 1). Simply disable all of the options on the Start Page menu: Favorites, Frequently Visited, Privacy Report, Siri Suggestions, and Shared With You. This will give you an almost entirely blank Start Page.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open Safari: Launch the Safari app on your iPhone.
2. Open a New Tab: Tap the tab icon (two overlapping squares) at the bottom right (or top right on iPad) and then tap the ‘+’ icon to create a new tab.
3. Scroll to the Bottom: Scroll to the very bottom of the Start Page. You should see an ‘Edit’ button.
4. Tap ‘Edit’: Tap the ‘Edit’ button. This will present you with a list of options that you can toggle on or off.
5. Turn Off Everything: Turn off all the toggle switches. They should all be in the grey/off position.
6. Tap ‘Done’: After finishing, tap ‘Done’ in the top right corner.

Now, whenever you open a new tab, you’ll be greeted with a blank page. This provides a minimalist experience and can be useful for users who want a clean slate before navigating to websites.

Alternative Start Page Background

In addition to customizing which items are displayed on the start page, it is also possible to customize the background image on this page, to make your browser feel more personal. This is done via the ‘Edit’ page, and is an option at the bottom of the list.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open Safari: Launch the Safari app on your iPhone.
2. Open a New Tab: Tap the tab icon (two overlapping squares) at the bottom right (or top right on iPad) and then tap the ‘+’ icon to create a new tab.
3. Scroll to the Bottom: Scroll to the very bottom of the Start Page. You should see an ‘Edit’ button.
4. Tap ‘Edit’: Tap the ‘Edit’ button. This will present you with a list of options that you can toggle on or off.
5. Tap Background Image: Tap the toggle next to ‘Background Image’ to turn it on.
6. Select Image: A few default images are shown, but to pick your own, tap the ‘+’ icon.
7. Select Photo: Pick an image from your photo library that you would like to use. Tap it to select it.
8. Tap ‘Done’: After finishing, tap ‘Done’ in the top right corner.

Your start page will now use this new background image. You can change this background image at any time, via the same steps. You can also turn it off completely by toggling the ‘Background Image’ button again, via the ‘Edit’ menu.

Conclusion

While Safari on iPhone doesn’t offer a traditional ‘home page’ setting like desktop browsers, you can still achieve a very customized experience using the methods described above. You can customize the Start Page content, use a bookmarked favorite, create a custom shortcut, or opt for a completely blank page. Each method provides a different approach to tailoring your browsing experience. By combining a few of these methods, you can achieve the perfect custom Safari homepage for your device. Whether you’re looking for quick access to frequently visited sites, prefer a minimalist approach, or want a personalized launch page, this guide should provide the tools you need to set your Safari ‘home page’ to your exact liking. Experiment with different methods to find which setup works best for your specific needs and browsing habits. Finally, remember that with the start page customization, you can even set your own custom background to make your start page even more personal.