Apple has made privacy a central focus in iOS 26 with Safari now including advanced fingerprinting protection. Fingerprinting is a technique often used by websites and advertisers to build a unique profile of your device by tracking system details such as browser configuration, fonts, screen size, and other identifiers. While it works silently in the background, it can be just as invasive as traditional tracking cookies.
In iOS 26, Safari addresses this by limiting the data websites can collect from your iPhone or iPad, masking system details, and presenting only the information necessary for the site to function. This reduces opportunities for advertisers or third parties to build a digital fingerprint of your activity across the web. Apple enables this protection by default in private browsing, but you can also turn it on manually for all browsing sessions.
To turn on Safari fingerprinting protection in iOS 26, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Scroll down and tap Apps.
- Select Safari from the list.
- Tap Advanced.
- Navigate to the Privacy section and choose Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting.
- Select All Browsing to enable fingerprinting protection beyond private browsing.
Once enabled, Safari will apply this protection every time you use the browser, making it much harder for websites to track you. Some websites may not display correctly if they rely on device-specific information, but this is rare. In most cases, you will not notice any difference in performance, and the added privacy benefit far outweighs the occasional inconvenience.
This option is already available for users testing iOS 26 ahead of its stable release in September, meaning you can set it up now if you are running the beta. With this change, Apple positions iOS 26 as its most privacy-focused update yet, and fingerprinting protection plays a central role in that strategy.
If you want to ensure your browsing habits remain private and less susceptible to hidden tracking techniques, turning on Safari fingerprinting protection in iOS 26 is an essential step.
