Fix: Safari Freezes When Entering A Password in iPhone

Having problems because Safari always freezes when you’re entering a password in iPhone?

The release of iOS 14 was a major disappointment to a lot of users. The numerous reports on Apple’s official discussions forum say it all. You can also find out here as to why these issues are happening.

Unfortunately, one of these problems was the frequent freezes in Safari. Actions such as creating, resetting, or even just entering a password can trigger this effect.

Now, for the most part, Safari is an excellent and stable browser, especially on Apple devices. However, it begs the question on exactly why this issue is rampant, particularly on the newer version of iOS. After much trial and testing the various solutions, we have prepared this list of effective methods to help you circumvent this problem.

Let’s get started!

 

1. Clear Safari’s Cache.

The easiest solution in our list is to clear the cache. Caches can take up storage space on your iPhone. If you frequently use Safari, you will discover that caches have accrued considerably over time.

However, do take note that when you clear Safari’s cache from your iPhone, other devices using the same iCloud account will have their Safari’s cache removed. For example, if you clear history on your iPhone, the history will also be cleared from your iPad.

Here’s how you can clear your cache (or cookies) and keep your history:

  1. Start by opening up your iPhone’s Settings app.
  2. Once you’re there, look for Safari.

safari setting

 

  1. Next, go to Advanced.
  2. Then look for Website Data.
  3. After that, select Remove All Website Data.
  4. A window should open up on your screen. Click Remove Now.

Doing this will only clear out Safari’s cache (or cookies), but not the history. If you want to clean the cache and the browsing history, you can skip the steps above and proceed on doing the next steps.

 


 

Here’s how you can clear your cache (or cookies) and history:

  1. Start by opening up your iPhone’s Settings app.
  2. Once you’re there, look for Safari.

safari setting

 

  1. Next, select Clear History and Website Data.

Doing this will clear out Safari’s cache, including browsing data and history, cookies and location data. When you’re done, check if Safari will still freeze when you’re entering a password.

 

 

2. Block Pop-Ups From Third Party Extensions.

Safari extensions don’t work the same way on iOS devices. Unlike in macOS, where the extensions are added to the browser, in iOS, you can download apps that act as extensions instead, helping you customize your browsing experience.

Unfortunately, it may also be the reason as to why Safari freezes on your iPhone. To isolate which of the extensions are causing the problem, you need to uninstall them one-by-one.

Here’s how you can ‘Block Pop-ups’ from third-party extensions:

  1. First, open up your iPhone’s Settings app.
  2. Then look for Safari.
  3. Lastly, toggle Block Pop-ups.

block pop-ups

 

Doing this will allow you to determine if the pop-ups from the third party extensions trigger the issue. If not, do not worry as we still have some recommendation for you.

 

 

3. Turn Off AutoFill For Names And Passwords.

Apple’s ‘AutoFill’ feature, prominently known as iCloud Keychain, was introduced to securely save usernames and passwords you enter on web pages. This feature is convenient as it saves you the time from having to type out your credentials repeatedly when you revisit the same webpages.

In some instances, ‘AutoFill’ triggers the freezing behavior when accessing a web page. When there are delays trying to retrieve your saved data, it causes Safari to freeze, which can also freeze your iPhone.

Here’s how you can turn off ‘AutoFill’:

  1. Begin by opening up your iPhone’s Settings app.
  2. After that, look for Safari.
  3. Next, select AutoFill.

autofill names and passwords

 

  1. Once you’re there, toggle Names and Passwords.

With that out of the way, launch Safari and revisit the same URL to see if Safari will freeze like before. Hopefully, this resolves your issue, but if it does not, check out our next method.
 

 

4. Update to the Latest iOS Version.

Similar to other iOS issues, updating to the latest iOS version is still highly recommended to determine if the latest version already has the fix. Users have been promptly reporting issues to Apple, so Apple has been aware of this.

Before you proceed, make sure you’re always connected to a stable Wi-Fi network and have at least 50 percent battery life on your device. Do take note that downloading an update may take some time, depending on your network.

Here’s how you can update to the latest iOS version:

  1. First, open up your iPhone’s Settings app.
  2. Next, select Software Update and check if an update is available.

update to the latest ios version

 

  1. Then if there is an update, select Install Now to begin updating your operating system. This can take a couple of minutes or an hour.
  2. Lastly, your iPhone will restart once the update is done.

Once you’re done with all of that, you may check if Safari still freezes when entering a password. We’re hoping that updating to the latest version already fixed your issue, but do not worry as we guarantee that the next method will work for you.

 

 

5. Use Private Browsing.

‘Private’ browsing is almost the same with regular browsing, except that Safari won’t save your search terms or browser history. This is also a helpful trick if you frequently delete your cache.

A lot of users have mentioned that using ‘Private’ browsing prevented Safari from freezing, so this is definitely worth trying. It might look more complicated than regular browsing, but this should guarantee to resolve your issue.

Here’s how you can use ‘Private’ browsing:

  1. Go ahead and click Safari from your Home screen.
  2. Next, on the bottom-right corner of your screen, select the Show Pages button. It looks like two overlapping squares.
  3. Then on the lower-left corner of your screen, select Private.
  4. Finally, select Done at the bottom-right corner of your screen.

private browsing

 

Like all the previously mentioned methods, check if Safari still freezes when entering a password. If it still does, let’s jump right into our next suggestion.

 

 

6. Switch To A Different Search Engine.

Google is the default search engine for Safari. However, you can easily change to a different search engine that is available from the options.

One method that worked for some users is to switch to a different search engine, like ‘DuckDuckGo’. There’s no harm in trying it out since you can revert it back in case it does not work.

Here’s how you can switch to a different search engine:

  1. Begin by opening up your iPhone’s Settings app.
  2. After that, look for Safari.
  3. Next, select Search Engine.
  4. Once you’re there, select DuckDuckGo.
  5. Then select Safari on the upper-left corner of your screen.

safari search engine

 

The name of the ‘Search Engine’ that you chose will appear next to the Search Engine. Instead of seeing ‘Google’, you should now be seeing ‘DuckDuckGo’. With that out of the way, check if Safari still freezes when entering a password.

 

 

7. Remove Add-On Applications.

Most iOS VPNs or security applications come in the form of an app in the App Store. Sometimes, these applications can also trigger the freezing behavior in Safari.

If your VPN or security app is configured like this, all you need to do is to remove the VPN app from your iOS device and your VPN settings would also disappear with it. After that, you can also restart your iPhone to make sure that it is permanently removed.

 

 

Now we have reached our final method. Just in case Safari is still freezing after all those efforts, you can always try using Google Chrome instead, or you can also contact Apple’s customer support. Apple may not respond immediately, but the more reports they see, the more they will know that this needs to be fixed.

 

 

This wraps up our article, and hopefully, one of these steps worked for you. If you have any questions, feel free to comment down below, and we won’t hesitate to answer them for you.

 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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