One possible reason why Safari is not letting you clear your history on your iPhone is because of the Screen Time feature. Screen Time is a built-in feature on iOS devices that allows users to set certain restrictions and limitations on their device usage. It can be particularly useful for parents who want to control and monitor their children’s device activities.
One of the restrictions that can be set with Screen Time is blocking adult content or certain websites. When this restriction is enabled, it can prevent you from clearing your browsing history and website data in Safari. The “Clear History & Website Data” option in the Safari settings may appear grayed out and unselectable.
To check if this is the case, you can follow these steps:
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap on “Screen Time.”
3. If Screen Time is enabled, you will see a summary of your device usage. Tap on “Content & Privacy Restrictions.”
In the Content & Privacy Restrictions settings, you can find various options to restrict certain content and features on your device. Look for the “Content Restrictions” section and see if “Web Content” is set to “Limit Adult Websites” or “Allowed Websites Only.”
If “Web Content” is set to “Limit Adult Websites,” Safari will block access to adult websites and may also restrict certain features, such as clearing history and website data. You can either disable the “Web Content” restriction entirely or change it to “Unrestricted Access” to allow clearing history and website data.
Please note that if you have set up Screen Time restrictions with a passcode, you will need to enter the passcode to make changes to the settings.
If you are unable to make changes to the Screen Time settings or if you don’t have Screen Time enabled, there may be other factors causing the issue. It could be a bug or a temporary glitch in the system. In such cases, you can try restarting your iPhone or updating to the latest version of iOS to see if it resolves the problem.
If the “Clear History & Website Data” option is grayed out in Safari settings on your iPhone, it is likely because of the Screen Time feature restricting access to adult content or certain websites. You can check the Screen Time settings and adjust the restrictions accordingly to regain the ability to clear your browsing history.