🔧 Ultimate Brave Browser Privacy Configuration Guide for iOS/iPhone

June 8, 2025

📱 Overview

This guide details the most privacy-optimized configuration for Brave Browser on iOS devices, including the new Shred functionality, advanced privacy settings, and how to access each option within the iOS interface.

🗑️ New Shred Functionality (iOS 1.71+)

Brave’s Shred feature lets you instantly delete data from specific websites with a single tap.

Shred Current Site
- How to access: Long-press the tabs button → Select “Shred Site Data”
Quick Shred
- How to access: Tap the Shred button in the tabs tray
Shields Shred
- How to access: Open Shields panel → Advanced Controls (if available) → Shred Site Data
- Note: “Advanced Controls” may not be visible in all iOS versions; if missing, use the main Shred options above.

Auto-Shred Configuration – Auto-Shred on Tab Close
– How to access: Open Shields → Advanced Controls → Shred Site Data
– Enable “Site Tabs Closed” to automatically delete data when the last tab for a site is closed
– Note: On iOS, full per-site auto-shred is not always available; this may be limited compared to desktop. – Auto-Shred on Browser Restart
– How to access: Settings → Shields & Privacy → Auto Shred
– Configure global auto-shred for all sites
– Note: “Auto Shred” as a global option is not always present; use “Clear Private Data” instead for similar effect. – Site-Specific Auto-Shred
– Configure per-site shredding policies
– Whitelist trusted sites to preserve login data
– How to access: Site-specific settings are limited on iOS; use manual shredding for now.

🛡️ Core Privacy Settings

How to access:
- Tap Menu (three lines or dots) → All Settings → Shields & Privacy
- Alternatively, tap the Brave Shields icon on the address bar → Change Shields Global Defaults

Brave Shields Configuration

Trackers & Ads: Set to Aggressive (blocks most tracking)
Cross-site Cookies: Blocked (prevents cross-site tracking)
Fingerprinting: Strict (randomizes browser fingerprint)
Block Scripts: Disabled (unless needed for privacy, but may break sites)

Advanced Blocking

Block Phishing & Malware: Enabled (default in iOS)
Block Intrusive Ads: Enabled (via Shields)
Block Cookie Consent Notices: Enabled (via Shields, if available)

🧹 Data Management Settings

How to access:
- Settings → Shields & Privacy → Clear Private Data
- Select data types to clear, then tap “Clear Data Now”

Clear Browsing Data (Advanced)

Browsing History: Clear on Exit (manual or via “Clear Private Data”)
Cookies and Site Data: Clear on Exit (manual or via “Clear Private Data”)
Cached Images and Files: Clear on Exit (manual or via “Clear Private Data”)
Saved Passwords: Keep (unless using external password manager Bitwarden or Keepassium)
Autofill Data: Clear on Exit (manual or via “Clear Private Data”)

Session Management

Close Tabs on Exit: Enabled (manually close tabs or use Private Browsing)
Forget Me When Closing Site: Enabled (use Shred or Clear Private Data)
Private Browsing by Default:
- How to access: Settings → Shields & Privacy → Private Browsing Only
- Toggle On to only open private windows when launching Brave

🌐 Network Privacy Settings

HTTPS Everywhere: Enabled (default in Shields)
Secure DNS: Enabled (use Cloudflare or Quad9 if option exists; iOS may limit this)
WebRTC IP Leak Protection: Enabled (via Shields, if available; iOS may limit this)

Embedded Content Blocking

Block Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/Google Embeds:
- Enabled via Shields → Block trackers & ads
- Note: No direct “block embeds” option on iOS; use Shields

🍏 iOS-Specific Privacy Features

How to access:
- Settings → Shields & Privacy
- iOS Settings → Brave (for app permissions)

Search Engine Configuration

Default Search: DuckDuckGo or Startpage one could change it to Mullvad Leta
- How to access: Settings → Search Engine
Private Tab Search: DuckDuckGo
- How to access: Settings → Search Engine
Disable Search Suggestions: Recommended
- How to access: Settings → Search Engine → Disable suggestions
Disable Quick Search: For maximum privacy
- How to access: Settings → Search Engine → Disable quick search (if available)

Location and Permissions

Location Services: Disabled for Brave
- How to access: iOS Settings → Brave → Location → Never
Camera/Microphone Access: Disabled unless needed
- How to access: iOS Settings → Brave → Camera/Microphone
Notifications: Disabled to prevent tracking
- How to access: iOS Settings → Brave → Notifications

💰 Brave Rewards and Wallet

Brave Ads: Disabled for maximum privacy
- How to access: Settings → Brave Rewards
Auto-Contribute: Disabled
- How to access: Settings → Brave Rewards
Rewards Notifications: Disabled
- How to access: Settings → Brave Rewards
Brave Wallet:
- Show Wallet Icon: Disabled if not using crypto
- Web3 Notifications: Disabled
- DApp Detection: Disabled
- How to access: Settings → Brave Wallet

📊 Analytics and Telemetry

Privacy-Respecting Analytics (P3A): Disabled
- How to access: Settings → Shields & Privacy → Disable analytics
Diagnostic Reports: Disabled
- How to access: Settings → Shields & Privacy → Disable diagnostics
Usage Statistics: Disabled
- How to access: Settings → Shields & Privacy → Disable usage stats
Crash Reports: Disabled
- How to access: Settings → Shields & Privacy → Disable crash reports

Content Features

Brave News: Disabled (reduces data collection)
- How to access: Settings → Brave News
Background Refresh: Disabled
- How to access: iOS Settings → Brave → Background App Refresh
Sponsored Images: Disabled
- How to access: Settings → New Tab Page

🎨 Interface and Accessibility

Dark Mode: Enabled
- How to access: Settings → Appearance
Hide Brave Rewards Icon: Enabled
- How to access: Settings → Appearance
Simplified New Tab: Enabled
- How to access: Settings → New Tab Page

Accessibility

Text Size: Adjust as needed
- How to access: iOS Settings → Accessibility
Voice Control: Disabled for privacy
- How to access: iOS Settings → Accessibility
Reduce Motion: Consider enabling
- How to access: iOS Settings → Accessibility

🛠️ Advanced Privacy Techniques

Multiple Profiles:
- Not available on iOS; use Private Browsing or separate devices
Regular Maintenance:
- Weekly Shred: Manually shred all sites weekly
- Monthly Reset: Clear all data monthly
- Update Filters: Keep ad/tracker filters updated
Add Filter: AdGuard Cookie Notices
Additional Protection:
- Use Brave with a VPN for enhanced privacy
- Enable iOS Screen Time restrictions (note: Brave does not fully honor these for Private Browsing)
- Regular iOS updates for security patches

⚠️ Important Notes

Compatibility Warnings:
- Aggressive settings may break some websites
- Banking sites may require relaxed settings
- Some streaming services need script execution
Troubleshooting:
- If sites break, temporarily disable Shields
- Use site-specific settings for problematic sites (limited on iOS)
- Consider creating a separate “compatibility” profile (not available on iOS)
iOS Limitations:
- Some privacy features limited by iOS restrictions
- WebKit engine required (same as Safari)
- System-level tracking protection recommended