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HOW-TO

How to Turn Off Cookies on Your Smartphone

Knowing how to turn off cookies on your Android or iOS device is important. By learning how to turn off cookies, you limit the amount of information that is available to various entities on the internet about your browsing history. Let’s take a closer look at what tracking cookies are so that you can decide if disabling those cookies is right for you.

What are Tracking Cookies?

Cookies, as they relate to technology, go by a number of different names. They can be known as HTTP cookies, web cookies, internet cookies, browser cookies, and even magic cookies. No matter what you call them, however, they all consist of the same basic building blocks: information. When you visit a website on your device, the website will send a packet of information―a cookie―to your device. The cookie is stored in a file within your browser.

The cookie’s job is to keep track of your visits to the website from which it originated. It stores information such as your preferred settings, your login information, and your location. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When you visit a retail website to shop, a cookie keeps track of the items that are in your cart. That way you maintain the items in your cart in between browsing sessions. Cookies store your login and password information, allowing you to easily access sites that you visit frequently. Cookies that store your geographical location provide websites with the ability to serve you localized content, like a review of the new restaurant in your neighborhood.

While there are a number of positive things cookies can accomplish, you may not always want them stored within your browser. For example, say you share your device with another person. You may not want them to have login information for some websites, like those of financial institutions with which you do business. In cases like that, it can be advantageous to know how to turn off cookies for your preferred internet browser.

How to Turn Off Cookies

The type of smartphone you use―either an Android or iOS based device―can affect how you turn off cookies. Also, since cookies are located within the browser, the procedure is browser specific as well. Find your browser and device below to learn how to disable cookies on your smartphone.

Safari (iOS)

  1. Tap Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Safari.
  3. Tap Block Cookies.
  4. You can choose:

a. “Always Block” to disable all cookies;
b. “Allow from Current Website Only” to accept cookies from the website you are currently browsing;
c. “Allow from Websites I Visit” to accept cookies from the websites you visit;
d. or “Always Allow” to accept all cookies all of the time.

Chrome (Android)

  1. Launch the Chrome app.
  2. Tap More, the button of three vertical dots in the upper-right corner.
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Tap Site Settings.
  5. Tap Cookies.
  6. Turn off Cookies and deselect Allow third-party cookies.

Chrome (iOS)

  1. Launch the Chrome app.
  2. Tap More, the button of three vertical dots on in the upper-right corner.
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Tap Site Settings.
  5. Tap Cookies.
  6. Turn off Cookies and deselect Allow third-party cookies.

Firefox (Android)

  1. Launch the Firefox app.
  2. Tap Menu, the button of three horizontal lines in the upper-right corner
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Tap Privacy.
  5. Tap Cookies.
  6. Tap Disabled.

Firefox (iOS)

  1. Launch the Firefox app
  2. Tap Menu, the button of three horizontal lines in the lower-right corner.
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Tap Clear Private Data.
  5. Turn off Cookies to disable them.

Microsoft EDGE (Android)

  1. Launch the Microsoft EDGE app.
  2. Tap on the More button on the toolbar, the three dots in the shape of a pyramid in the lower-right corner.
  3. Select Settings.
  4. Search for View advanced settings and tap on it.
  5. Under Cookies section, select Block only third party cookies.

Microsoft EDGE (iOS)

  1. Launch the Microsoft EDGE app.
  2. Tap on the More button on the toolbar, the three dots in the shape of a pyramid in the lower-right corner.
  3. Select Settings.
  4. Search for Privacy and tap on it.
  5. Toggle the Block Cookies option on.

Samsung Internet (Android)

  1. Launch the Internet app.
  2. Tap the menu icon, the button that says “MORE” in the upper-right corner.
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Tap Privacy or Privacy and security.
  5. Toggle the Accept cookies option off.

Trademore has no connections, affiliations, partnerships or sponsorship agreements with the companies, entities, services and/or products mentioned in this blog post. The opinions, thoughts, views and expressions made within this blog post are independently created by and attributable to Trademore authors and/or contributors.