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Private mode Safari
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Yeah, iOS 18 public beta moved some things around in some of the apps.
On iPhone, for Private mode in Safari, tap the tabs button at the bottom right of the screen.
On iPad, for Private mode in Safari, you’ll have to tap the sidebar icon at the top left of the screen and then tap the Private list item.
On iPhone, for Private mode in Safari, tap the tabs button at the bottom right of the screen.
On iPad, for Private mode in Safari, you’ll have to tap the sidebar icon at the top left of the screen and then tap the Private list item.
There is, but that button just opens a new tab in iOS 18.. it does nothing to switch between modes.
Yes, long-pressing the “+” button does give you a menu if you are in normal mode. It does nothing to help you switch to Private mode, and long-pressing the “+” button in Private mode does nothing.
In iOS 17 you can tap the Tabs button to switch between Normal and Private modes, but that behavior is gone in iOS 18 Public Beta. The only way to switch modes in iOS 18 Public Beta is to open the Sidebar and make a selection from the list.
I think you and I have interpreted the original poster's question differently. I took him to be asking how to generate a new private window/tab. You appear to be focussed instead on how to switch between private and non-private windows/tabs that are already open?
That’s a very good point. Yes, I was focused on how to switch between the different modes. If I am the cause of confusion here then please forgive me.
I did, however, just figure out how to open a new Private tab from within Normal mode; long-press on the Tabs button and it will give you several choices. However, returning to normal mode requires that you open the sidebar and make the switch from there.
On that last point, what happens if, while in Private Mode, you tap on the icon in the far right corner that looks like two overlapping windows? Does it show your open Private windows, and on the toolbar is there the word Private with a down arrow? If so, select the arrow, and switch from Private to the top tab group that will be labelled "___ Tabs," with the ___ having the number of non-private tabs open.
No, iOS 18 public beta doesn’t work like iOS 17 does; private mode shows only private tabs/windows, and normal mode shows only normal tabs/windows. Tapping the tab button (overlapping pages icon), regardless of mode, won’t show anything for the opposing mode. The two modes in iOS 18 public beta are truly separated now. Attached is a screenshot from normal mode safari on my iPad 9th Gen. The down arrow next to the number of tabs doesn’t show anything regarding private mode.
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Ugh. I hope that change is just a bug, or they just haven't gotten around yet to adding the functionality back.
Yeah, same here, I’m hoping it returns to the old behavior by the time the final release lands.. this is definitely a step in the wrong direction. We are still in beta phase, so fingers crossed..
I have a sneaky feeling you’re NOT going to like the changes made to the Photos app in iOS 18. You think this bit about Safari is bad..
I just noticed that long-pressing the Tabs icon, lower right icon, on an iPhone running iOS 18 beta allows the user to switch between Normal and Private modes. So, iOS 18 doesn’t have the same UX limitations as iPadOS 18 does. I’m seriously considering ditching my iPad 9th Gen and just using my iPhones for everyday use.