minsta

Annoying iPhone ‘glitch’ exposing browser history causes user embarrassment – how to fix it

Pabio November 4, 2024

A web browser glitch on iPhone is causing some users’ Internet history to come back and haunt them in unfortunate ways.

As some people recently discovered, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox have an annoying habit of bringing up old images from websites you’ve previously visited.

When you least expect it, the bug can confront you with an unwanted image. And since it’s virtually impossible to predict when the blunder will happen, it can leave you blushing in public by exposing the most sensitive parts of your browsing history.

“I’m afraid other people will look at or hold my phone or iPad,” wrote one Reddit user, who said his iPhone abruptly displayed pornographic images.

“Twice people looked over my shoulder while I was showing them something and this happened… My mother was one of them.”

Although the post was two years old, other users commented on it just two months ago, suggesting that this issue continues to impact iPhone owners.

Embarrassed users who encountered the problem are afraid to use their phones in public (stock photo)

Shutterstock / Tommaso79

“This has happened to me on several phones, over the years,” another user wrote in a more recent comment.

“This is an issue that can potentially lead to very inappropriate things happening.” Imagine a child using your phone or showing them something on your phone.

“I was watching porn a while ago and this happened to me in public,” one user wrote in another Reddit post.

When does the problem occur?

Based on our testing, the issue only appears under certain conditions and is not limited to adult content. Your iPhone should be in landscape mode with the web browser open, as well as other apps. Opening the app switcher by swiping up from the bottom of the screen can then bring up old images in Chrome, Safari, etc.

When you click on the browser window, it should return to the most recent site you visited. But at this point, the damage may already be done.

What is the cause? The most obvious culprit might be that they’re just cached images from sites you’ve visited. Your browser stores this data so that sites load faster, but sometimes it doesn’t match the latest version of a web page, which is when things can start not working.

As of now, there doesn’t appear to be a permanent solution to the problem – although there are steps you can take to prevent this from happening.

The easiest way to get rid of cached images is to watch another video (or visit another site) in landscape mode after viewing a website you prefer to keep private. Make sure to use the application switcher to check if it has actually been cleared from the application window.

Others have also suggested more elaborate ways to solve the problem, but it’s unclear whether these will work.

Clearing your browser cache and cookies might help

Apple

For example, you can manually clear the cache of the web browser of your choice. In Chrome, this can be done through Settings by going to ‘More’ > ‘Settings’ > ‘Privacy’ > ‘Clear Browsing Data’ and selecting ‘Cached Images & Files’.

In the case of Safari, you can do this by opening your iPhone’s Settings, selecting Apps, tapping Safari and selecting Clear History and Website Data. Needless to say, this will clear all your browser history and log you out of sites.

It’s worth clearing your cache every once in a while, as it frees up space and fixes loading issues caused by outdated website data.

If all else fails, you can delete and redownload your web browser. However, this step only works for third-party apps like Chrome and Firefox and not Safari.

Le-verdict

Le-verdict

Annoying iPhone ‘glitch’ exposing browser history causes user embarrassment – how to fix it

Pabio

Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves let the depths fly early in the season

Pinelli scores three goals as 67s beat Wolves

Forget Black Friday, you can now get Herman Miller gaming chairs for 25% less

463 vehicles stolen in 31 days in Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario

Annoying iPhone ‘glitch’ exposing browser history causes user embarrassment – ​​how to fix it

Pabio

You Might Also Like

Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves let the depths fly early in the season

Pinelli scores three goals as 67s beat Wolves

Forget Black Friday, you can now get Herman Miller gaming chairs for 25% less

463 vehicles stolen in 31 days in Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario

Annoying iPhone ‘glitch’ exposing browser history causes user embarrassment – how to fix it