iOS 13 Can Auto-Close Safari Tabs for You Based on When You Last Viewed Them - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 13 Can Auto-Close Safari Tabs for You Based on When You Last Viewed Them

by

In iOS 13, Apple has added new functionality in Safari that should enable iPhone and iPad users to better manage their open tabs.

Because of the way Safari for iOS displays tabs in a vertical array, the amount of open tabs in the browser can often get out of hand, and sometimes number in the tens or even hundreds.

D8ovBA8UEAAPwiX


However in iOS 13, Safari will offer to automatically close tabs that have not been viewed recently after one day, one week, or one month. The new Safari function can be changed later in the Settings app.


Apple unveiled iOS 13 last week at WWDC. The newest version of the operating system for iPhone (and the ‌iPad‌, though the ‌iPad‌ version has been renamed to iPadOS) introduces a long list of new features and some changes that are quite exciting. Be sure to check out the video above for more.

(Thanks, Chris!)

Related Forum: iOS 13

Top Rated Comments

95 months ago
I’m I the only one who opens at most 2, rarely 3, tabs in a browser, then closes them when I’m done?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
95 months ago
I went to use my wife’s xr and she had 300+ tabs open. I looked at her like ??? She said, what’s wrong with that?

So when iOS 13 comes around I’m setting this option on her phone.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
95 months ago
I’m I the only one who opens at most 2, rarely 3, tabs in a browser, then closes them when I’m done?
I think a lot of people (including myself) are using tabs as reminders for stuff.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spartan Weaver Avatar
95 months ago
Woo hoo I'm popular! :P thanks Macrumors.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xraydoc Avatar
95 months ago
A necessary feature for my wife. It’s insane how many tabs she has open... and isn’t aware of them at all.
[doublepost=1560197849][/doublepost]
I went to use my wife’s xr and she had 300+ tabs open. I looked at her like ??? She said, what’s wrong with that?
We must be married to the same woman.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
95 months ago
I’m I the only one who opens at most 2, rarely 3, tabs in a browser, then closes them when I’m done?
Every few weeks I have to hold it down and click on the "Close 500 tabs" button. That is the limit. I am a tab whore.
[doublepost=1560184983][/doublepost]

How could one find a previously open tab within 300? Safari became a digital garbage can. lol.
If you tap to go to the top of your tabs, and then pull down, there is a search bar.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....