I would like to know how to completely disable Private Browsing at the least preferably remove it from all of my Apple devices.
iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)
No, you cannot remove it from Safari on ANY iOS device. If you do not turn it on in the browser, it doesn't do anything. That is as good as it gets. You can try a third party browser, but frankly most any browser worth its salt will include that feature in one form or another.
Actually step 1 suggested by elcpu should achieve exactly what you want. As soon as you activate any kind of restriction in General > Restrictions > Websites (e.g. Limit Adult Content), Private Browsing is disabled. 🙂
friessen wrote:
It's an absolutely horrible feature to have when children are using technology.
Four suggestions:
1) Enable Restrictions on the iPad - not great but you could limit adult content if that is what you want. You could also limit Safari to specific websites, again not great.
2) If you don't have one already, get a router with strong parental controls. Some will allow you to limit internet access by mac address and type of sites.
3) There are some apps that will track usage. Google them.
4) Have a "talk" with your children.... Maybe the best but yes "I know"....
I guess that would depend upon your definition of "worth". It's an absolutely horrible feature to have when children are using technology. Merely selecting a toggle button located right on the same window is hardly hidden from those whom you don't want to utilize such a feature.
Thank you for these nuggets. Most of which we have implemented. We've definitely had plenty of "talks"; however, this feature also eliminates accountability. Thank you very much for your information and assistance.
Thank you Esquared. I was going to wait until the OP tried it but they have not come back yet. I tried it on my iPad and sure enough, after limiting Websites, Private Browsing cannot be enabled. This is good to know.... 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yes, it's quite a revelation. I found out the hard (or the reverse) way: I suddenly couldn't activate Private Browsing, and had to google quite some time before I found out that any kind of restriction will block Private Browsing. 😉
Thanks for the tips. After trying out the Step 1, the “Private” Safari button does disappear. However, holding down on the “+” button to make a new tab allows you to create a private tab. This is true at least on iOS 11.1.
Esquared,
This worked great. Thank you so much for taking the time to post this information to my question. I'm extremly grateful.
You are welcome. Unfortunately I don't have any other suggestions.
I am not familiar with any of them, because my kids are adults now and I never needed one, but have you looked at any of the kid friendly browsers in the App Store?
How do I completely disable private browsing
