This week, Apple has employed some interesting tactics to convince iPhone owners to use Safari on iOS – including scaring them with a new, Black mirror-like video ad.
The Video about ‘Privacy on iPhone’ shows people using anonymous web browsers, surrounded by flying security cameras that monitor their every scroll. “Your browsing is being monitored,” it warns in an unsubtle dig at Google Chrome.
Apple previously called Android a “massive tracking device” in an internal presentation that surfaced during a Google antitrust lawsuit last year. While Chrome isn’t mentioned in the ad, the browser is undoubtedly a prime target.
So is the ad accurate? Does Safari offer huge privacy advantages over rival iOS browsers like Chrome, and should you make the switch? We’ve broken it all down below, including a look at why Apple is running this campaign now…
The Claim: New Apple Ad Says “Your Browsing Is Being Watched, Safari Helps Stop It”
This week, Apple released a new ad (above) with the tagline “Your browsing is being watched.” The video shows footage of flying security cameras and later of robotic bats spying on unwitting people as they casually surf the web on their phones.
The scenes grow increasingly sinister, with a man throwing his phone overboard from a boat and a swarm of security cameras closing in on a woman. Luckily, she knows how to destroy the cameras instantly – by tapping Safari on her iPhone. The ad ends with the line, “Safari. A browser that’s truly private.”
The ad doesn’t explicitly mention Google Chrome, but it’s clear what Apple is referring to: Chrome currently has a 67% share of mobile browsers, compared to 23% for Safari (according to StatCounter).
While Chrome is the world’s most popular browser, it is not without its critics. The two main criticisms are its default use of tracking cookies and its seemingly limited incognito mode. Apple is cracking down on the latter quite hard in an accompanying WebKit blog post for his new advertisement.
That message states that “Apple believes that users should not be tracked across the web without their knowledge or consent. Enabling Private Browsing sends a strong signal that the user wants the best possible protection against privacy intrusions, while still being able to use and enjoy the web.” Sticking with the 2005 definition of Private Browsing as being only short-lived, as Chrome’s Incognito Modesimply doesn’t cut it anymore. Users expect and deserve more.”
So, does Apple have a point? And what does all this mean when it comes to choosing the best web browser for your iPhone?
The reality: Safari is more privacy-focused than Chrome, but that’s not the whole story
In general, Safari on iOS places a greater emphasis on privacy than Chrome. But it also can’t completely prevent third parties from collecting your data, and mobile web browsers are also in a state of flux, which explains the timing of this Apple ad.
It helps to understand that backstory. Until this year, iOS web browsers were less differentiated than their desktop equivalents, because Apple forced them all—even Chrome—to be built on WebKit, the browser engine used by Safari.
However, the EU’s recent Digital Markets Act (DMA) means that Apple, at least in that region, has been under pressure to allow third-party web browsers to use alternative engines, such as Blink. In theory, this means we could soon see browsers like Chrome offering something closer to their full desktop experience on iPhones – which could change the picture, and also convince some Safari users to make the switch.
That’s not all. The DMA requirements also meant that starting with iOS 17.4, iPhone users were presented with a choice screen when they first opened Safari, allowing them to pick their default browser from a list. This is another threat to Safari’s dominance on the iPhone, with some smaller browsers like Brave report a large spike in downloads when that feature was rolled out in March.
All of this helps explain the timing of Apple’s ad. But does Apple still have a point about privacy in Safari? Generally speaking, Apple’s browser has more robust privacy features enabled by default than Chrome. Since 2017, Apple has made Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) a staple of Safari and WebKit, meaning the feature’s cross-site tracking limitations also affect the iOS version of Chrome (which, for now, is built on WebKit).
While it’s possible to improve your privacy in Chrome, some of its features, like Incognito mode, aren’t necessarily as powerful as those in Safari.
For example, Google was forced to admit in a 2020 class-action lawsuit that your data is still collected in incognito mode. Safari’s private browsing mode (tap the two squares in the bottom-right corner, then swipe to “Private”) also isolates your browsing across different tabs, while Chrome adds each tab to the same session. This means you have to close each incognito tab to keep your data private.
Safari’s Private Browsing mode is stronger in other areas, too. Extensions with website access are now disabled by default, and “search suggestions” are only generated on the device. You can also enable “Locked Private Browsing” by going to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Require Face ID to unlock Private Browsing, though there’s an option to do this in Chrome’s settings too.
While it’s possible to improve privacy in both Safari and Chrome, Apple’s browser offers stronger protections by default, if that’s what you’re looking for in a browser.
The verdict
If you’re an iOS user and privacy is a priority when choosing a web browser, Safari is a good choice and probably a better bet than Chrome. While both are (currently) built on the same WebKit engine, Safari’s features and defaults lean more toward privacy than its Google equivalent.
That said, Safari isn’t a gold standard for privacy either, and there are alternative options. On desktop, we recommend using a VPN alongside Safari for maximum protection, and the same goes for iOS – check out our guide to the best iPhone VPNs for some options, like NordVPN (our current top pick).
We’re also starting to see some interesting new privacy-focused browser candidates emerge on iOS. Arc Search has AI-powered features like “Browser for Me” and strong privacy controls. It lets you block ads, trackers, and GDPR cookie banners on all websites, although it’s not clear whether the app actually disables cookies on GDPR banners or just hides them.
Another privacy-focused alternative worth checking out is Brave (above), which now has an iOS version. The strongest privacy tools, like ad blockers, are enabled by default, so you don’t have to dive into the settings with a snorkel – and there’s the option to add a (slightly overpriced) VPN with a subscription.
In our initial review of Brave, we called it “a great alternative to today’s more popular (but more data-hungry) services,” though “it’s not a perfect product, as the adblocker sometimes forgets to do its job.”
On the other hand, it’s also perfectly reasonable to prioritize features over privacy when choosing your web browser, and if that’s the case, you definitely shouldn’t rush to switch from Chrome on iOS. If you use Chrome on your desktop, you can sync your bookmarks across all your devices, while Firefox lets you do the same with tabs.