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Blank vs. Safari Private Browsing

Safari Private Browsing keeps private tabs out of your history and, since iOS 17, locks them with Face ID or your iPhone passcode. Blank locks the whole browser with its own passcode, keeps an encrypted history, and saves videos to a vault instead of Photos or Files.

What Safari Private Browsing does

• Private tabs keep no history and drop their cookies when you close them.
• With Require Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing on, private tabs lock when you leave Safari.
• Safari limits cross-site trackers, and private tabs add protection against fingerprinting.

Where Safari leaves gaps on a shared phone

• The lock opens with your iPhone passcode, so anyone who knows it can open your private tabs.
• Photos you save go to Photos, and downloads go to Files, by default in iCloud Drive. Both sync to your other devices.
• Your regular tabs, history, and bookmarks are not locked.
• Safari has no built-in ad blocker. You need a separate content blocker app.

What Blank adds

• Its own passcode, separate from your iPhone passcode, with Face ID as a shortcut.
• A history you can keep, encrypted and visible only after you unlock.
• A vault for videos and photos from any site, encrypted and outside Photos and Files.
• Ad and tracker blocking on every site, free.
• Sign-ins you choose to keep, behind the same lock.
• Spaces, Blank AI, and email addresses for sign-ups.

Side by side

Use both

Keep Safari as your everyday browser. Use Blank for the sites and videos you want behind a passcode only you know. The guide How to lock a browser with Face ID shows how to set up Safari's lock.

Questions

Is Safari Private Browsing really private?

It keeps private tabs out of your history and blocks many trackers. It does not stop someone who knows your iPhone passcode, and anything you save goes to Photos or Files.

Do sites work the same in Blank?

Yes. Blank uses WebKit, the same engine as Safari, so sites load and look the same.