Disable Safari on iPhone

[samos]

Hi all. I have been trying to minimise my iPhone use by sticking to important apps. I like to make the interface more readable and use the phone only for essential purposes. I've therefore zoomed into the display and increased the font size.
A key issue is to get rid of Safari and use a basic browser like Firefox Focus that only allows for opening one window at a time.
Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to permanently disable Safari (and not uninstall).
Can you suggest some way out?
Thanks!

 

[TonyAguila]

Hi all. I have been trying to minimise my iPhone use by sticking to important apps. I like to make the interface more readable and use the phone only for essential purposes. I've therefore zoomed into the display and increased the font size.
A key issue is to get rid of Safari and use a basic browser like Firefox Focus that only allows for opening one window at a time.
Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to permanently disable Safari (and not uninstall).
Can you suggest some way out?
Thanks!

I would advise against “disabling” Safari. Instead, choose your app of choice as your default browser. Go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps and choose the browser you want as your default browser (assuming it is already installed).

 

[samos]

Thanks. I looked around and went into screen time-->content and privacy restrictions-->Allowed apps & Features.
There I switched off Safari. Now it doesn't show up in the list of apps.
It is still installed and on the phone. Hopefully, this won't create any issues with iOS needing to use Safari in the background.

 

[Rodananne]

If you have changed to your preferred Web Browser in Settings > Apps > Default Apps as Tony advised you only need to press and hold on Safari to "Remove" it to the Library. Removing it using the method you describe actually disables it which may not be a good idea in the long term as some Apple Processes actually require you to use Safari. Of course it's easily undone and if you need to at some point I'd suggest you try the method I have described above which I believe still achieves your aims by removing the app to the Library as I have done with a number of infrequently used non-native and native apps like Stocks, Apple's Weather app and others.

 

[sam1234444]

To minimize Safari, you can use a few tricks. First, go to Settings > Screen Time and set a time limit for Safari or disable it under Content & Privacy Restrictions. This will reduce its usage without completely removing it. Next, set Firefox Focus as your default browser in Settings > Firefox Focus, ensuring any web links open in that app instead. If you just want to keep Safari out of sight, move it into a folder with other rarely used apps. These methods will help you focus on your essentials without completely losing access to Safari if needed.

 

[Rodananne]

Easier to remove it to the library, that way you have a search function to find it again if you need it.