Top 9 Ways to Fix Safari Keeps Crashing on iPhone

Why Safari keeps crashing on iPhone?

As a web browser developed by Apple, Safari is the default choice and widely used by iPhone users due to its advanced features and convenience.

However, many iPhone users have been reporting issues with Safari, particularly crashes on iPhones. Why this issue appear? There are some common reasons.

⛔ Unnecessary features within the app.

⛔ Unstable network connections.

⛔ There are too many open tabs within the app.

⛔ An outdated iOS version is running on your iPhone.

How to fix Safari keeps crashing iPhone

You can find 9 useful methods here to fix the issue, and the professional FoneTool mentioned in solution 4 and solution 9 can make the process more efficient.

Solution 1. Exit and reopen the app

One effective solution to solve the crashes is to force quit the app.

For iPhone 8 and earlier models: Double-press the Home button and swipe away the Safari app from the top screen to force close it.

For iPhone X and newer models: Swipe upward from the bottom of the iPhone's screen to go to the multitasking view > Find the Safari app among the running apps and swipe it away to close.

Then relaunch it to see if the issue has disappeared.

Solution 2. Check your network

It's crucial to ensure that your network connection is stable when dealing with the issue. Poor network connectivity can interfere with the proper function of the Safari app. To solve it, you can switch your iPhone to a more reliable network.

Or reset all network settings on your iPhone: Open the Settings app > Select General > Reset > Tap on Reset Network Settings. This action will reset all your Wi-Fi networks, cellular settings, and APN settings that you've previously used.

After that, you can re-enter the Wi-Fi passwords to connect and adjust other network-related settings.

Solution 3. Force restart your iPhone

Force restarting your iPhone is another available way to finish the fix.

For iPhone 8 Plus/8/X or later: Press and release the Volume Up button > Press and release the Volume Down button > Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

For iPhone 7 Plus or 7: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears.

For iPhone 6 or earlier: Press and hold the Home button and Sleep/Wake button at the same time until the Apple logo is displayed on your screen.

Solution 4. Erase Safari history and data

If there is too much Safari data on your iPhone, you can consider clearing all history and data from the app. This will remove unnecessary data that may be causing the problem.

Erase the Safari data on iPhone directly

Go to the Settings app > Tap on Safari > Locate and click the Clear History and Website Data option > Choose Clear History and Data to clear all your browsing history, cookies, and website data from Safari.

If the clear Safari history button is greyed out, you can choose FoneTool to realize the process.

Erase the Safari data permanently via FoneTool

If you need to completely delete the Safari data, the professional iPhone data management app - FoneTool can be your most ideal choice.

With its deep erase technology, you can delete your private data such as photos, videos, messages, Safari search history and bookmarks permanently. And it can’t be recovered anymore.

Step 1. Download FoneTool on your PC > Connect your iPhone to the computer via a USB cable > Launch FoneTool.

Step 2. Navigate to Toolbox > Click Erase private data > Hit Get Started.

Step 3. Select Safari History and Safari Bookmarks (if you need). And check Enable Deep Erase Technology, then click Start Erase to clear your Safari search data.

Solution 5. Close some Safari tabs

If your iPhone's Safari keeps crashing, it may be due to having numerous Safari tabs open on your device. Then you can manually close unused tabs to make it: Open Safari > Tap the box button in the lower-right corner to view all your open tabs > For each tab you want to close, tap the "X" in the tab's title bar to remove them.

Solution 6. Disable unnecessary features within Safari

The Safari app is quite extensive, even though it's a built-in tool. Apple has designed it with multiple features to enhance the user experience. Sometimes you might have enabled unnecessary features that can cause the Safari app keeps crashing on iPhone issue. Disabling them might effectively solve the issue.

Turn off the Experimental feature: Go to the Settings app > Choose Safari > Scroll down to the bottom and click on Advanced > Tap Experimental WebKit Features on the next screen and disable all the features one by one.

Turn off Search Engine Suggestions: Go to the Settings app > Choose the Safari option across the menu > Locate and disable the Search Engine Suggestions option.

Turn off the AutoFill option: The AutoFill option within Safari can also affect the app function, you can launch Settings > Click Safari > Choose AutoFill under the General section > Toggle off the two options on the screen.

Temporarily Turn Off JavaScript: Go to the Settings app > Tap on Safari > Find the Advanced button > Find the JavaScript option and disable it.

Solution 7. Turn off iCloud Safari syncing

The information stored in Safari is automatically backed up in iCloud through synchronization. However, if this syncing process is disrupted, it can result in Safari freezing or crashing. To address this issue, you can choose to disable this feature.

Open your iPhone's Settings and tap on your Apple ID > Choose the iCloud option > Locate the Safari app in the list and turn off the toggle switch next to it.

Solution 8. Update software

Safari is a built-in web browser available on the iPhone. Since it cannot be updated through platforms like the App Store. If there are any bugs or issues with your Safari application, they are typically addressed by updating the iOS to the latest version. Apple releases bug fixes and updates for their web browser alongside the iOS update.

You can open the Settings app > Choose General > Tap on Software Update > Then your iOS device will check for available updates. If any updates are found, tap "Download and Install" to begin the task.

Solution 9. Reset your iPhone to factory settings

If you've exhausted all previous attempts to solve your Safari keeps crashing iPhone iOS 15/16/17 issues and it's still not working, it may be necessary to consider resetting your device.

However, this action will erase all data on your iPhone. So it's highly recommended to fully back up your data before proceeding. Using specialized software like FoneTool can simplify the backup and erasing process, making it more efficient and secure.

With this app, you can fully or selectively back up iPhone at incredibly fast transfer speeds. Or restore the iPhone backup to another iOS device without any limitation of Apple IDs.

Fully back up iPhone

Step 1. Download and install FoneTool on your PC > Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable > Turn on FoneTool to begin.

Step 2. Choose Phone Backup > Full Backup and click Get Started. (Or you can go to Selective Backup to selectively back up your photos, videos, music, contacts and messages on iPhone.)

Step 3. Check Enable Backup Encryption to protect your private data if necessary. Then select a storage path to save the backup and click Start Backup.

Now you can easily erase your iPhone to fix the issue.

Factory Reset iPhone

Step 1. Click Toolbox > Choose Data Eraser.

Step 2. Choose Erase all data and tap Get Started. 

Step 3. Check the instructions on the screen and click the Erase Data button to start.

After the factory resetting, the issue may be fixed. Then you can go to Backup History and click Restore dot to restore your iPhone backup.

Conclusion

After the reading, hope you have already solved the Safari keeps crashing iPhone issue. If you need a professional tool to help you troubleshoot the problem quickly, then FoneTool can be your great helper.