Wednesday 15 February 2023

How to Clear History on an iPhone

Delete your browsing data, cookies, and call history on your iPhone

Your iPhone history is usually used to make things easier for you, such as tracking down a website you've visited or finding a call you missed. If you're worried about someone seeing something they shouldn't, you can delete your web browsing and search history, call and message logs, keyboard autocorrect dictionary, Siri interaction data, or even erase everything completely. This wikiHow will show you easy ways to clear your iPhone's history to preserve your privacy.

[Edit]Things You Should Know

  • To clear your Safari browsing history, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Web Data.
  • To clear your call history, open the Recents area of the Phone app, tap Edit, and then tap Clear.
  • Use the Google app to delete your search history.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Safari Browsing History

  1. Open the Settings app . You'll be clearing your Safari browsing history and cookies from the Settings app, not from the Safari app.[1]
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 1 Version 2.jpg
  2. Scroll down and tap "Safari." You should find this in the fifth group of options.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 2 Version 2.jpg
  3. Tap . A window will pop up asking you to confirm.[2]
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 3 Version 2.jpg
    • If this button is grayed-out, there's either no history saved, or the option is restricted in Screen Time. You can reenable Clear History and Website Data in Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions Web Content by disabling all website restrictions.
  4. Confirm that you want to delete the history. Your Safari browsing history, cache, and cookies will be deleted. Your browsing history will also be deleted on any other devices you are signed into with your iCloud account.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 4 Version 2.jpg
    • Your AutoFill information (e.g., contact info and saved credit cards) will not be deleted.
    • Alternatively, you can delete the cookies without clearing your history. Navigate to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website Data. Select Remove All Website Data.

[Edit]Chrome Browsing History

  1. Open the Chrome app. If you use Chrome on your iPhone, you can clear the browsing history from within the Chrome app itself.[3]
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 5 Version 2.jpg
    • If you don't want Chrome to add the websites you visit to your history, you can browse privately in incognito mode.
  2. Tap the Menu button (⋮). This will show a pop up menu with additional options.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 6 Version 3.jpg
  3. Tap . It has a clock icon next to it.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 7 Version 3.jpg
  4. Tap . A menu with browsing data options will appear.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 8 Version 3.jpg
  5. Choose the browsing data to delete. In the selection menu, choose what information you want to clear. You can select your browsing history, cookies, cached files, and more!
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 9 Version 3.jpg
  6. Tap . This will delete all of your selected browsing data.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 10 Version 3.jpg
    • Note that this will delete the Google Chrome browsing data for any synced devices as well.

[Edit]Call History

  1. Open the Phone app . You can delete your call history so that none of your calls appear on the Recents list.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 11 Version 2.jpg
    • In addition to clearing your entire call history, you can also delete individual received or sent phone calls from your call log.
  2. Tap the tab. This will display a list of recent calls that you've made and received.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 12 Version 3.jpg
  3. Tap in the upper-right corner. Red minus signs will appear next to each call in the log.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 13 Version 3.jpg
  4. Tap to delete all of the entries at once. If you want to delete the whole list, tap "Clear" in the upper-left corner. This only appears after you've tapped "Edit." All of the entries in the Recents tab will be deleted.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 14 Version 3.jpg
    • If you just want to delete a single entry instead of clearing your entire call log, tap the red minus sign next to the call you want to clear.

[Edit]Message History

  1. Open the Messages app . You can delete text message conversations using the iPhone Messages app.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 16 Version 2.jpg
  2. Tap the button. This can be found in the upper-left corner.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 16 Version 3.jpg
  3. Tap . This is at the top of the pop-up menu after tapping Edit.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 17 Version 3.jpg
  4. Select each conversation that you want to delete. Tap the checkbox for each conversation that you want to remove. You can select multiple conversations.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 18 Version 3.jpg
  5. Tap after selecting conversations. All of the selected conversations will be deleted without confirmation.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 19 Version 3.jpg
    • If you're signed in to another device, such as an iPad or Mac, using the same Apple ID, your iMessage history will be cleared from that device as well.
  6. Change your message history settings. By default, Messages will store all of your messages forever. You can change these settings to only keep messages for a year or for 30 days, which can free up space and reduce clutter:
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 20 Version 2.jpg
    • Open the Settings app.
    • Select Messages.
    • Tap Keep Messages.
    • Select how long you want to store messages for. This will automatically delete messages that are older than the new setting.

[Edit]Siri History & Data

  1. Open the Settings app . If you use Siri to search the web or handle tasks, you can easily clear your Siri history in your Settings.[4]
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 21 Version 3.jpg
  2. Tap . You'll find this in the third group of settings.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 22 Version 3.jpg
  3. Tap . It's toward the bottom of the screen.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 23 Version 3.jpg
  4. Tap and confirm. This clears your Siri history.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 24 Version 3.jpg

[Edit]Keyboard Autocorrect History

  1. Open the Settings app (). If you want to get rid of words added to your iPhone's autocorrect dictionary, you can do so from the Settings app.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 25 Version 3.jpg
  2. Select . A list of your general iPhone options will open.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 26 Version 3.jpg
  3. Tap . This will take you to the reset page.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 27 Version 3.jpg
  4. Tap . Various reset options will appear.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 28 Version 3.jpg
  5. Tap . You'll be asked to confirm. All of the custom words and shortcuts that you have saved will be deleted.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 29 Version 3.jpg

[Edit]Google Search History

  1. Open the Google app. If you use the Google app to search Google, you can clear your search history through the app.[5]
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 25 Version 2.jpg
  2. Tap the profile button. It’s the profile picture in the top right of the app.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 31 Version 3.jpg
  3. Tap . This will open a new page with options for your search history.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 32 Version 3.jpg
  4. Tap . This button is located above your search history.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 33 Version 3.jpg
  5. Select a time range. If you want to delete the entire history, select “Delete all time.”
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 34 Version 3.jpg
  6. Select Google products. Check the boxes next to the Google products you want to delete your history from. Then click Next.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 35.jpg
  7. Tap . This will confirm the deletion of your Google search history.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 36 Version 3.jpg

[Edit]Erasing All Data

  1. Use this option if you want to completely erase your iPhone. This will delete all of the history and data on the iPhone, and you'll be prompted to set it up as new when the process is complete.
    Prepare to Sell Your iPhone Step 7.jpg
    • If you sync your data to iCloud, erasing your iPhone will not erased that synced data. Once you sign back in with your Apple ID, all synced data will reappear.
      • For example, if you use iCloud to sync your iMessages (the default option), those messages will reappear on your iPhone after you sign back in with your Apple ID after erasing your phone.
  2. Open the Settings app . If you're sure you want to erase everything on your iPhone, open the Settings app.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 38.jpg
  3. Tap . Your iPhone's general settings will open.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 39.jpg
  4. Tap . This will take you to the reset page.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 40.jpg
  5. Tap . You'll be asked to confirm that you want to completely delete everything.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 41.jpg
    • You may need to enter your Apple ID password or iPhone passcode.
    • This will restore your device to the factory settings, deleting all of the information and settings.
  6. Set up your iPhone. Once the reset is complete, you'll be taken through the initial setup. You can set up your iPhone as new, or restore an iTunes or iCloud backup.
    Clear History on an iPhone Step 42.jpg

[Edit]Related wikiHows

[Edit]References

[Edit]Quick Summary


No comments:

Post a Comment