Are you worried that someone would be able to see the websites that you have opened in private browsing mode? Then don’t be, as today we are going to share a useful tip that will help you protect your private web browsing with the help of Face ID or Touch ID on your iPhone and iPad.
Safari features a built-in private browsing mode, which allows users to pause search history and syncing to other iCloud devices. However the private mode in Safari does not protect your private tabs from snooping, as if you forget to close them and share your iPhone or iPad with someone, then others will be able to see them as soon as they open Safari.
Sure you can close the tabs opened in Safari’s private mode, but there are times when you forget to close the tabs and end up exposing the private tabs to others.
In order to add biometric authentication in the form of Face ID or Touch ID to your private tabs, you have to switch to the Google Chrome browser for iOS.
In its recent App Store update Chrome browser has added a new feature that allows users to add Face ID protection to Incognito tabs.
This essentially means whenever you have tabs opened in incognito mode (or private browsing mode as it is called in Safari), Chrome will ask for Face ID or Touch ID authentication before revealing the tabs opened in its private mode.
You can easily enable this privacy feature by following these steps.
Step 1. Make sure you are running the latest version of Chrome browser on your device. Open Chrome on your device.
Step 2. Next tap on the ‘…‘ button from the bottom navigation bar.
Step 3. From the action sheet tap on the Settings option.
Step 4. Now tap on ‘Privacy and Security‘ option and then on ‘Lock Incognito Tabs When You Close Chrome‘ toggle to turn it on.
Step 5. When prompted allow Chrome to access Face ID or Touch ID by tapping on the OK button.
That’s it. Now every time you close Chrome and open it again in incognito mode, it will ask for Face ID authentication before revealing the opened tabs.
The authentication is only required when you close and open the Chrome app. You don’t have to authentication when you are switching between incognito tabs or switching between normal and incognito modes.
Face ID protection for private browsing mode in Chrome is a useful feature and is something that Apple needs to implement in Safari as well. With biometric protection for private tabs users can rest assured that their private browsing will not be exposed to others in case they share their device with other people.
