How to Use Safari Reader Mode on iPhone & iPad (iOS 15 & iPadOS 15)

Hide ads and make reading easier with Safari Reader View.

By Jim Karpen Updated 09/14/2021

Safari Reader View on iPhone and iPad allows you to read a web page without distractions, so that only the text and photos are left. I personally find that this makes the article easier to focus on, and gentler on my eyes. We'll walk you through how to use Safari Reader mode and turn it off when you're done.

Why You’ll Love This Tip

Enjoy simpler reading without the clutter and distraction of ads and extra page features.
Print web articles or recipes without ads to save for later.

How to Enable Reader View in Safari on iPhone & iPad

Safari's Reader View (also commonly referred to as Reader mode) has been a user favorite for quite some time. Let's learn how to use it, what the page will look like with and without Reader enabled, and how to turn off Reader mode once you're done! Keep in mind that this tip will only work in the new iOS 15 software, so if you have an earlier software version you will need to update to iOS 15 before using these steps. If you don't have iOS 15 yet, the steps will be similar, but it's best to upgrade when possible.

Want to learn more about how the iOS 15 update changes the way you navigate in Safari on iPhone & iPad? Sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter. Here's how to use Reader mode in Safari.

Open the Safari app and navigate to the page you want to read.
Tap the AA icon.
Tap Show Reader View. The page will change to Reader mode, eliminating any ads or extraneous navigation menus.
Tap the white, beige, gray, or black circle to change the Reader mode background color.
Tap Font to change Reader mode font for easier or more comfortable reading.
To disable Reader mode, tap the AA icon again.
Tap Hide Reader View to go back to the regular Safari format.

Note that Reader View is not available on home pages or on every website. I often forget about Reader mode, but it’s a feature I really love when I remember to use it. The Apple reading mode puts the text and images center stage, leaving ads and other interruptions out of it. Plus, once you've enabled Reader View, you can print without ads!

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Author Details

Jim Karpen

Jim Karpen holds a Ph.D. in literature and writing, and has a love of gizmos. His doctoral dissertation focused on the revolutionary consequences of digital technologies and anticipated some of the developments taking place in the industry today. Jim has been writing about the Internet and technology since 1994 and has been using Apple's visionary products for decades.

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