How To Activate Advanced Tracking Prevention and Fingerprint Security on iPhone

Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint protection is a Safari-only feature that tries to nip in the bud those sneaky tricks websites use to track or recognize your device. It’s kinda weird because Apple doesn’t make it very obvious how to turn it on—like you’re supposed to hunt down some obscure setting. If you’re relying on Safari on your iPhone to keep your browsing private, these features can be a real game-changer, but only if you actually enable them manually. Without turning this on, your device could be more exposed than you’d like, especially with the ever-evolving tracking techniques out there.

Basically, it helps by stripping out tracking elements from URLs and links you copy, plus stops fingerprinting scripts and resources from loading on pages you visit. That’s supposed to make you harder to track across the web. Not sure why, but on some setups, this feature seems to be hidden or not showing up at all. Sometimes a quick update or reboot is all it takes to get it working, but other times it’s a matter of hunting through settings and manually toggling the right options.

How to Enable Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint Protection on iPhone?

Make sure you’re running iOS 17 or newer

If this isn’t already done, go to Settings > General > Software Update and make sure your iPhone is updated to iOS 17. The feature’s only available from this version onward—because of course, Apple has to make this a little more complicated than it needs to be.
After updating, restart the phone. Weird stuff happens if you skip that step.
Revisit the settings if the option still doesn’t show up.

Enabling the feature in Safari

Open Settings app.
Scroll down and tap Safari.
Scroll down again to the bottom and tap Advanced. Some folks miss this because it’s kind of tucked away.
Tap on Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint Protection. Bad news if you don’t see it—try a software update first, or maybe it’s not supported on your device yet. Sometimes this toggle is missing until a reboot or a fresh iOS install.

Choose your focus mode

You’ll see options: Off, Private Browsing, and All Browsing. Usually, you want All Browsing for maximum protection, but if you’re testing stuff or doing sensitive searches, maybe Private Browsing works better for you.
Select the mode you prefer. On some machines, this might not activate immediately—turn it on, then close settings, then reopen, just in case.

What if it’s not showing up?

If you’re scratching your head because you can’t find the toggle, chances are your iPhone isn’t updated enough.Navigate to Settings > General > Software Update, and pick update to iOS 17. Sometimes, it takes a restart after the update to get everything to show up properly. Once you’re on the latest iOS, go back and try again.

Honestly, the whole process feels a little clunky—like Apple designed this for people who love digging into settings rather than for casual users. But if privacy matters, it’s worth the fuss. Sometimes these options only become available after a complete update, and on some older devices, they might still be missing.

Summary

Ensure your iPhone is on iOS 17 or newer
Update your device if the option isn’t showing
Navigate to Settings > Safari > Advanced
Look for Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint Protection
Enable it and choose your preferred mode: Private or All Browsing

Wrap-up

Getting these features turned on isn’t always straightforward, but once they’re active, they can give your browsing a bit more privacy shield—at least from some really annoying tracking scripts. Not sure why Apple keeps hiding these behind so many layers, but that’s just how it is. Fingers crossed, this helps someone out there who’s been clicking around in the dark trying to find this option. Just remember: keep your iPhone updated, and don’t forget to reboot if things seem wonky. Good luck, and here’s hoping your tracking stays minimal.