How to install extensions in Safari on iPhone and iPad

In our day-to-day lives, we surf the internet for many hours on iPhone and iPad and sometimes we need to use other applications to be able to carry out a translation or check a password. That is why the extensions exist and can be installed in the native browser of your iPhone and your iPad. In this article we will tell you all the details to carry out the installation.

What you should know about the extensions

install extensions in Safari on iPhone and iPad

The extensions act as add-ons to third-party applications that are integrated into the browser. These offer different extra functions while you are browsing the internet, such as access to your passwords or a translator for those pages that are not in your language. In this way you will have a browser that is vitaminized with supplements that can help you a lot on a day-to-day basis.

This is something that is quite internalized in the browsers of a Mac such as Safari. Although this experience that was assigned to the computer environment is now being transferred to the iPhone and iPad. Here we tell you all the details about how it should be installed and the requirements that must be met to carry it out.

Requirements to be met

Keep in mind that this is a function that is built into the operating system. This indicates that it is not necessary to have specific hardware to be able to install the extensions. In these, this functionality is open to all iPhones and iPads that install the corresponding software version in which these extensions were integrated.

In the latter, it should be remembered that the requirement is to have iOS 15, iPadOS 15 or higher installed. This was the version in which the extensions were integrated into the App Store itself. In the event that you are a person who cannot want to perform an update, it should be noted that there is no other option to have these extensions installed. It should also be taken into account that there is no absolute freedom to install these extensions, but that they must be from those applications that have them available from the developers.

Managing all your extensions

Once you know everything you need to know about the extensions and how they can be used, it’s time to find out how the installation can be carried out. Next, we explain in detail how they should be installed, activated and also used on a day-to-day basis so that you can be a true pro with your browser.

Installing new

In this case, there are two options to install the extensions in Safari on both iPhone and Mac. The first access can be found in the application settings, and that can be the easiest since you will not have to enter in the App Store and search among the many menus that it integrates. Specifically, the steps to follow in this regard are the following:

  1. Head to Settings on your iPhone or your iPad.
  2. Go to Safari.
  3. Among all the options that appear, click on Extensions followed by More extensions .
  4. When you open the App Store you must touch the price of the extension or Free.
  5. Follow the onscreen instructions to finish setup.

extensiones safari

As we have commented previously, the second access that exists resides in the App Store itself. You simply have to enter the store and click at the bottom on Apps. Then go to the categories and choose the one that specifies that they are Safari extensions. At the moment a wide list will appear with all the apps that have apps for the browser on both iPhone and iPad.

Manage which ones you want to use

The extensions on iPhone and also on iPad have quite a significant problem. At the time of installation, they are not activated automatically. This means that at that moment you cannot start using them, but you must manage them and activate those that interest you the most. Keep in mind that extensions appear on the system like other applications. This means that the corresponding icon will appear on the home screen.

As we discussed earlier, extensions should always be activated once they have been installed. This is useful mainly to have an exhaustive control of what you want to have active at each of the moments. To be able to activate the extensions, simply follow the following steps:

  1. Open Safari and load any page.
  2. An A icon will appear in the address bar, which you must click on.
  3. Click on Manage extensions.
  4. At the moment a list will appear with all the extensions that you have installed with the icon on the right side of gray color.
  5. To be able to activate it, you simply have to click on this icon to activate it, something that will occur when it is green.

When it is activated for the first time, you will see a pop-up message appear with which you can grant all the necessary permissions to the extension so that it works correctly. The main permission that you should always grant is related to accessing the content of a web page. To prevent this message from appearing constantly, you simply have to click on Always allow …

How they should be used in Safari

Once the extensions are installed and activated, it is time to start using them within the browser on both iPhone and iPad. In this case, you just have to go to the address bar and click on the puzzle-shaped icon. Pressing will show all the extensions that are active and pressing on each one will allow you to start using normally. For example, with the 1Password extension, when you click on the extension icon, you would have access to the vault with all the passwords, being able to consult it to access the different services.

In the case of the iPad, the visual experience is quite different. While on iPhone you can find all the extensions in a very compact way, on iPad you can see the icons spaced out. This makes for a much more similar experience to that of macOS by having a much larger screen of course.