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- You can enable cookies on an iPhone to help personalize and streamline your web browsing experience.
- Cookies are small text files that save information about websites you visit.
- Most browsers enable cookies by default. If you’ve turned cookies off, it’s easy to turn them back on.
- You can enable cookies for the iPhone’s Safari browser in the Settings app.
- For most third-party web browsers, cookies are not only enabled by default, but they generally can’t be turned off.
You sometimes hear advice from security- and privacy-minded individuals suggesting that you should "block" or "disable" cookies in your web browser. But is that really the best advice?
Cookies are simply small text files that web pages store on your computer (or phone, or wherever you are web surfing), and their main purpose is to store settings and preferences for whatever site you’re browsing.
These settings can remember what country you’re from, that you’re logged in, and that as a returning customer, you already have items in a shopping cart or other work in progress.
So, in defense of the cookie, it’s a good idea to leave cookies enabled to personalize and streamline your web browsing. If you’ve ever disabled cookies on your iPhone, it’s easy to turn them back on.
How to enable cookies on an iPhone
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap "Safari."
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3. In the Privacy and Security section, make sure that "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking" is turned off by swiping the slider to the left.
4. In the same section, ensure that "Block All Cookies" is turned off by swiping the slider to the left.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
How to enable cookies in third-party browsers on an iPhone
If you install third-party browsers on your iPhone, the good news is that cookies are always enabled by default, and they generally can’t be turned off in those apps.
In fact, with browsers like Firefox and Chrome, if you want to browse without cookies being stored on your phone, you should use the "Incognito" mode (in Chrome) or "Private" mode (in Firefox). There’s no way to turn off cookies in the main browser mode, so there’s nothing to enable.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:
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How to clear the Safari search history on your iPhone in three different ways
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How to clear the cache on your iPhone to make it run faster
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How to free up space on an iPhone that’s running out of storage
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How to delete messages and conversations on your iPhone, and set them to auto-delete
See Also:
- How to delete messages and conversations on your iPhone, and set them to auto-delete
- The best apps for downloading and listening to free music on your iPhone
- How to AirDrop files from a Mac computer to other Apple devices
SEE ALSO: The best iPhone for every type of person and budget
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Dave Johnson)