Safari keeps crashing on iPhone and iPad? How to fix

Having your Apple Safari browser freeze or crash randomly can be very frustrating. Even worse would be not knowing how to fix it, let alone the cause of the problem.

Well, don’t worry because we have a couple of reliable solutions that will help you out. Keep reading to learn more.

Why your Safari browser keeps crashing

Even though the Safari browser is highly optimized by Apple, and ranks as one of the most stable browsers, it can crash due to several reasons. Some of which include:

Running an outdated version of your device’s iOS.
Too many open tabs.
Failing to clear your Safari data and cache for a long time.

Now, to solve the malfunction, and possibly prevent it from happening again, you have to try the following solutions.

1. Restart your iPhone or iPad

This is the most basic solution when Safari crashes on iPhone or iPad. If you haven’t turned off your device for a while, you should do it to refresh the phone.

The process usually deletes temporary files, clears the memory, and restores the system to a clean and seamless state. Since the rebooting varies from one device to the next, follow this guide:

Reboot iPhone 6 and earlier models: Press and hold the Home button and the sleep/wake button simultaneously. Release the buttons when you see the Apple logo.
Reboot iPhone 7: Press and hold the sleep/wake button and the volume down button simultaneously. Release them when the Apple logo appears.
Reboot iPhone 8 and later models: Quickly press and release the Volume Up button, then do the same for the volume down button. Finally, press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
Reboot an iPad: For an iPad with a Home button, press and hold both the home and power buttons until you see the Apple logo on your screen.

For iPads with Face IDs, quickly press and release the volume up button, followed by the volume down button, then finish by pressing and holding the power button until the Apple logo appears. Give the iPad time to restart.

Ideally, if your iDevice runs iOS 11 or later, you can soft restart it by going to going to “Settings”, then selecting “General settings”, and scroll down to click on “Shut Down”.

2. Force quit the app and relaunch

This is like the app’s version of rebooting. It can help to resolve the crashing problem fast. The process is as simple as double-clicking the home button to show all the recently-opened app cards, then swiping up the Safari browser card to close it.

If your device doesn’t have a home button, swipe up from the bottom of the home screen and hold to show the app cards. Swipe up the Safari card to close it.

To relaunch the app simply tap it on the home screen.

3. Update the latest iOS and app

Since Apple is constantly updating its systems to address security issues, bugs, and other glitches, you need to update your iOS and App frequently to avoid shortcomings. You could be facing problems that have already been corrected in an update.

For those whose browser crashing started after an update, try the other solutions. But, before that, here is how to update iOS on an iPhone and iPad:

Launch “Settings”
Tap on “General”
Tap on “Software Update”
Make sure you have a good internet connection (preferably Wi-Fi). It must remain active through the download and installation of the software.

By updating the iOS software, you are also updating the Safari app. This is because Safari isn’t a third-party, so you can’t update it through the App Store.

4. Close all the Safari tabs

When you open too many tabs on Safari, the app runs short of memory, and this could cause a crash or freezing. So, to solve the issue, start by closing all the unused tabs. Use this guide:

Open Safari
Tap the two square icons at the bottom-right corner to see all the open tabs
Tap the “X” in the title bar of each tab to close
You can close all the tabs by pressing and holding the two square icons, then selecting “Close all [number of tabs] Tabs” from the prompt that appears on the screen
If you use “Private” mode, tap on it to see if there are any tabs open.

5. Turn off JavaScript

JavaScript is popularly known as the programming language of the. This means that majority of websites and web applications use JavaScript in one way or the other.

Therefore, any issues with the code could result in a myriad of issues with a website, one of them being the Safari browser crash on iPad or iPhone.

You should try and turn JavaScript OFF to see if it solves the problem. Follow the guide below:

Open “Settings”
Scroll down and tap on “Safari” to open it
Scroll to the bottom and tap on the “Advanced” option
Toggle the “JavaScript” button to the left to disable it
Go back and use the Safari browser to see if it’s still crashing

6. Clear your Safari history and website data

When you browse a website using the Safari browser, it stores several site data, cache, history, and cookies on your device. This helps the website to load faster the next time you open it. Unfortunately, these files can be corrupted and cause the website to crash randomly.

So, when you clear history and website data, you get rid of the files and fix the crash problem. If there is any valuable website data, make sure you back it up before you start clearing.

Open “Settings”
Tap on “Safari”
Scroll to “Clear History and Website Data” and tap on it
Tap “Clear History and Website Data” again to confirm the action

To remove all the website data, follow the guide below:

Launch “Settings”
Tap on “Safari”
Select “Advanced”
Tap on “Website Data” to open it
Scroll to the bottom and tap on “Remove All Website Data”
To confirm this action, tap “Remove Now” on the pop-up window

7. Disable synching of iCloud Safari

Synching data and other features across different iOS devices could be overwhelming your Safari browser and causing it to crash unexpectedly. Use the guide below to disable synching and see if it helps.

Go to “Settings” and tap on “Apple ID”
Tap on “iCloud”
Scroll down to “Safari” and toggle it OFF
This will prevent Safari from synching tabs, bookmarks, among other features on other Apple devices that use your ID
Also, it can solve the safari crashes on iPhone and iPad
If it doesn’t work, you should re-enable the function

8. Turn off Safari Suggestions

Launch “Settings” on your iPad or iPhone
Scroll down and select “Safari”
Look for “Safari Suggestions” and toggle it off

9. Turn Off Autofill

This could also be the reason Safari keeps crashing on iPad or iPhone. It contributes to the load that weighs down the browser. To solve it, you need to do the following:

Open your “Settings” on iPhone or iPad.
Tap on “Safari”.
Disable the “Autofill” feature.

10. Turn iCloud Bookmarks off Then Back On

If none of the other solutions have stopped Safari from crashing, you can turn your iCloud bookmarks OFF then back ON. Here is the guide to follow:

Launch “Settings”.
Tap on “iCloud”.
Scroll down to “Safari” and toggle it OFF.
A prompt will appear asking you whether you want to “Keep on My iPhone” or “Delete from My iPhone”.
If you’ve backed up the important data, select “Delete from My iPhone”. If you have no backup, then select “Keep on My iPhone”.

11. Consult Apple

Lastly, you can always reach out to the apple support team and explain your problem. One phone call, email, or personal visit to one of their canters could help to fix your crashing safari browser.

After all, they are the experts. Don’t forget to carry your original warranty with you.

Conclusion

With all these solutions, it should be easy to fix your Safari browser that keeps crashing. The only challenge is that you might have to try all of them before finding the one that works for you.

Make sure to get started immediately. The sooner you can use your Safari browser the better.

Melvin

Melvin is a senior writer at iMentality. A DIYer at heart, Melvin loves to craft things in the tech space. He has amassed over a decade of experience in tech writing with special focus on apps and tech guides.