iPhone glitch can expose your browser history — how shocked users are finding out
Despite browsing “Incognito,” your history might not be so private after all.
An alleged glitch has been plaguing iPhone users who watch NSFW content in a private window, a browsing mode that promises not to save web history or the pages visited.
However, some unlucky Apple users have claimed that, despite using the privacy feature, it appears their preferred browser remembers what was searched — such as porn — showing their last viewed webpage in the app preview and embarrassing them in front of friends or family.
“When I switch apps (by swiping up), if Chrome is open it will show that I’m on a porn site,” lamented one iPhone 11 user on a resurfaced Reddit post, begging forum contributors for help.
The anonymous user maintained they are not on an X-rated site and, when they do watch adult content, it is always in “Incognito” mode, and the window is subsequently deleted.
Yet, they contend, the app still shows NSFW web pages as open.
“Twice now people have been looking over my shoulder as I am showing them something and this has happened,” the person continued, adding that their “mom was one of them.”
“Many people have mentioned a similar issue with Safari but no fixes.”
Other users chimed in, claiming they are experiencing the “same exact problem,” calling it “odd” and speculating whether the issue could be a “virus.”
The Post has reached out to Apple for comment.
Despite the original post being shared two years ago, the issue was revisited in the same online thread just weeks ago by a user who confirmed that “it’s still an issue.”
“I have a fairly new iPhone and this is happening,” the anonymous commenter said, adding that a previously viewed porn video has been “stuck” in the preview mode of Firefox.
“Nothing I did would get rid of it.”
According to Apple help pages online, iPhone users can clear their cache and saved website data by going to their device settings, scrolling to the Safari settings and clicking “Clear History and Website Data” to erase cookies, browsing history and data from internet surfing.
The Reddit user, however, said they tried to clear their cache, restart their phone and toggle internet tabs to no avail — the only thing that worked was deleting and reinstalling the browser app.
They questioned why “Apple can’t fix this,” pointing out that “iOS is clearly caching the image” for app previews.
“It’s a problem that has potential to lead to very inappropriate things,” the Redditor continued, begging Apple to fix the issue. “Imagine a kid using your phone or showing them something on your phone.”
