Safari in iOS 17 Offers Lock Feature for Private Browsing

Apple released the iOS 17 update for all supported iPhones (released in 2018 and later) earlier this week. With the update, Apple introduced several new quality-of-life features — including the ability to use Face ID or Touch ID to open private tabs in the browser. This change appears to be another step towards improving privacy – following a similar implementation in the Photos app last year with a Hidden category that requires Face ID/Touch ID authentication.

After downloading the iOS 17 update, you can open the Safari browser, tap the tabs icon, and swipe right to access your private tabs. However, by default iOS 17 requires authentication with Face ID or Touch ID to unlock these tabs. Therefore, the tabs are only available after biometric authentication.

Also, as 9to5Mac discovered, this authentication requirement exists even if your device is already unlocked. Simply put, suppose you give your phone to someone else and you want to prevent them from accessing your private tabs. In that case, this feature provides an extra level of privacy.

However, using this feature is not mandatory. In our case, the feature was enabled by default on our iPhone after the iOS 17 update. Apple also offers the option to disable this feature entirely. To do this, go to Settings > Safari > Disable “Require a face ID to open private browsing”.

With iOS 17, Apple has also introduced other useful features, such as better Dual SIM management, which allows users to conveniently organize their messages based on their primary and secondary SIM cards – a feature that can be important for those juggling work and personal life. things. for things with separate SIM cards. Apple has also provided users with the ability to set different ringtones for each SIM card, which is useful for both personal and work use.