Apple Turns On Safari’s Strong Anti-Tracking Shield for Everyone

Apple is quietly making your online life a bit more private. With iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26, Safari’s advanced fingerprinting protection is now switched on for every browsing tab by default, not just in Private Browsing. This means you’ll get extra privacy without having to lift a finger.

Why Fingerprinting Matters

Fingerprinting is a sneaky way trackers identify you online. Instead of using cookies, it collects tiny details about your device and browser, like your screen size, installed fonts, or system settings, to build a unique profile. Even if you clear your cookies, fingerprinting can still follow you around the web.

Apple’s updated Safari makes this much harder. By standardizing certain signals and adding random “noise,” the browser prevents websites from collecting reliable identifiers about you. For the everyday user, that translates into fewer ads and trackers shadowing your activity.

What Has Changed in Safari and What Didn’t

With this update, Safari cuts access to web APIs that are often abused for fingerprinting and limits how scripts read storage or navigation history. In simple terms, trackers now lose some of the stable markers they relied on to identify your device. You’ll notice little to no difference while browsing, except that your privacy shield just got stronger.

It’s worth noting that this change doesn’t affect Safari’s Link Tracking Protection in Mail, Messages, or Private Browsing; it only targets fingerprinting in normal browsing. And it doesn’t block cookies from sites you log into. If you run into issues on certain niche websites, you can temporarily turn off these protections and try again.

How To Check or Adjust Settings

On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings → Safari → Advanced → Advanced Tracking & Fingerprinting Protection and make sure it’s set to All Browsing.

On Mac, open Safari → Settings → Advanced and enable Use advanced tracking and fingerprinting protection in all browsing. If Safari starts acting up, there’s a quick toggle to relax protections without digging into complicated fixes.

What Comes Next

For most people, the shift will be invisible; your browsing will feel the same, only more private. But advertisers and analytics companies will likely scramble to find new ways to measure users. Apple’s move is another step in its ongoing push to reshape online tracking, this time making sure every Safari user benefits automatically.