Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint Protection is kind of a Safari-exclusive feature meant to beef up your privacy game. Basically, it tries to block the sneaky ways sites track you using new or advanced techniques. If you’re someone who relies on Safari on their iPhone, it’s worth turning this on because, honestly, some websites are getting smarter about ID-ing your device, even if you’re using Private mode.
Probably the most helpful part? Enabling these features means Safari goes out of its way to sniff out tracking elements in URLs or copied links and strips them away. Plus, it blocks fingerprinting scripts and other trackers from trying to recognize your device fingerprint — that random set of device info they use to follow you around the web. It’s pretty much a must-do if you’re serious about privacy on iOS.
How is Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint protection helpful?
Turning on this stuff makes Safari filter out or block trackers embedded in links and web resources that try to fingerprint your device. So it’s kinda like giving you an extra layer of cloak-and-dagger protection. On paper, it prevents a bunch of tracking scripts from even loading, which makes you a little harder to follow online. Honestly, on some setups, enabling this feels a bit glitchy — like, maybe it took a couple of app restarts or a reboot before it actually stuck. Not sure why it works sometimes and not others, but it’s worth trying.
How to Enable Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint Protection on iPhone?
If your iPhone is running iOS 17 or newer, this is the way to do it. It involves flipping a switch in Safari’s advanced settings. Here’s the rough idea:
Check your iOS version first
- Head over to Settings > General > Software Update.
- If you’re not on iOS 17 yet, update. Because of course, Safari has to make it harder than necessary.
Once updated, restart your iPhone — just to be sure all settings refresh properly. Then, follow these steps:
Enable the feature in Safari Settings
- Launch the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Safari.
- Scroll all the way down and tap Advanced.
- Tap on Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint Protection.
- You’ll see three options: Off, Private Browsing, and All Browsing.
- Choose All Browsing if you want it everywhere, not just private mode.
Et voilà. Now, Safari’s doing a bit more covert work to keep you anonymous. But be aware: sometimes these features might disable certain tracking-dependent sites or mess with some extensions. So if you notice weird issues, try switching it off and back on, or reboot first.
Unable to Find Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint Protection on iPhone?
If that option’s playing hide-and-seek or just isn’t showing up, likely your iPhone isn’t on iOS 17 yet. The fix? Update it. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and grab the latest version. After the update, give your phone a quick restart, then second-guess if the feature’s there now. Sometimes, it pops up after the first try, but other times you gotta repeat the update and restart dance.
And yeah, on some older copies of iOS, this feature just isn’t available. So, if you’re stuck, maybe consider older Safari or device options — or just wait for Apple to roll out newer privacy features in future updates. Because honestly, iOS updates sometimes feel like a brick wall, but in this case, they’re necessary.
If you need more guidance, check out the official Apple docs or forums. Sometimes these hidden features are buried, and a peer’s tip can save a lot of head-scratching. Fingers crossed this helps — it’s a small tweak that might save you from being tracked without even knowing it.
Summary
- Make sure your iPhone runs iOS 17 or newer.
- Update if needed via Settings > General > Software Update.
- Go to Settings > Safari > Advanced.
- Find and enable Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint Protection.
- Choose All Browsing for full effect.
Wrap-up
Basically, enabling these privacy features requires a few steps, but they’re worth it if you’re trying to keep trackers at bay. Sometimes they don’t activate immediately or cause minor glitches, but on the whole, it’s a good move for privacy conscious users. Just remember: updates matter, and sometimes you need to restart to see the magic happen. Hopefully, this shaves off some time researching and gets you extra privacy without too much fuss.