How to Change the Default Browser on IOS / IPadOS
Tired of Safari on your iPhone or iPad? You can install many other great alternatives from the App Store – no problem here. But if you want to use them as the default browser on your device, you’ll have to jump through a few extra hoops.
First, you’ll need iOS 14. We’re getting so close to a full launch of Apple’s latest mobile operating system that I don’t feel bad talking about advice on things you can’t install yet (outside of the public beta , which you should try it now).
After that, you need Google Chrome. Or at least Google Chrome is currently the only other browser you can set as your default browser. Others should join the group at some point in the future, and I guess the steps will be similar, so it shouldn’t be too hard to determine if you are, say, a Firefox fan.
Assuming you’re ready to work with both of these – iOS 14 and Chrome – you’ll want to start by updating the latest from the App Store (if possible). Then open the Settings app on your device. Scroll down a bit until you see the “Chrome” list and click on it. In the window that appears, you will see the “Default Browser Application” option. Tap it to change it from Safari to Google Browser. And it’s all!
I think this is an interesting place to put this setting. I expected this to be in Safari preferences, if anything, or a more system-wide setting for browser preferences. And as mentioned, so far it only shows up in Chrome; try starting Firefox in the same way, for example, and you just see this:
Obviously, to deselect your choice, you’ll need to go back to Chrome’s preferences to change the system default to Safari again; you will not be logged into Safari to complete this setting. I know this is confusing, but that’s how it is (for now) in iOS 14.