In older iOS versions, the Safari search bar was always located at the top of the screen, but starting with the iOS 15, it was moved to the bottom of the screen. This shift is meant to make it easier to access the bar on larger iPhones. However, you can easily move it back to its former position if you prefer the older setup.
There are two ways to move the Safari search bar to the top of the iPhone screen: You can open the Safari app and tap on the ‘AA’ icon at the left of the search bar. Choose ‘Show Top Address Bar’ from the menu. Alternatively, you can also open the Safari section in Settings and tap on ‘Single Tab.’
So, if you find the search bar at the bottom of your screen to be inconvenient or hard to use, then there’s no need to worry. You can easily move it to the top with just a few taps. Let’s take a closer look at how you can move your search bar to the top and a few other iOS 15 updates that are worth mentioning.
Why Is Your Search Bar at the Bottom of Your iPhone?
With the iOS 15 update, Apple has moved the Safari search bar to the bottom of the screen, which can greatly enhance the user experience for many people.
The new Safari search bar also acts as a tabs bar, making it easier for users to manage and access their tabs. You can now scroll right and left between open tabs.
Previously, if you wanted to select an open tab on older versions, you had to choose the tabs icon in your screen’s lower right corner. This would open the page that shows thumbnail images of all the open tabs so that you could choose the one that you wanted.
The search bar at the bottom is also much easier to control with one hand, and it clears up space, allowing users to focus better on the webpage’s content.
How to Move Your Search Bar Back to the Top
If you’re not too happy with your search bar being at the bottom, you can easily revert to the previous top-of-the-window bar. This can be done through two apps — the Safari app or the Settings app.
Move the Search Bar in Safari
The easiest way to move your search bar is from within Safari itself. Here’s what you need to do:
- Tap the ‘AA‘ icon on the left-hand corner of the address bar at the bottom of your iPhone’s screen. If the address bar isn’t visible on the screen, scroll up to bring the address bar back.
- When you choose the AA icon, a list of options will appear. Choose ‘Show Top Address Bar.’ Ta-da!
Move the Search Bar in Settings
Moving the search bar in Settings is a bit more complex and a bit less intuitive. But it’s still pretty easy! This is how you do it:
- Go to ‘Settings’. Scroll down the list to ‘Safari’ and tap on it.
- Under the ‘Tabs’ section of the Safari page, you’ll see two icons. By choosing the ‘Single Tab’ on the right, you can move the address bar back to the top of Safari. These icons helpfully show the position of the address bar, whether it’s at the top or bottom of the window.
- If you want to move the search bar back to the bottom, instead of choosing the icon on the right, tap on the ‘Tab Bar’ icon on the left.
Other iOS 15 Updates You Should Know
It was the iOS 15 update that caused the changes in Safari, specifically moving the address bar down. And there are a few other important iOS 15 updates that are designed to enhance the iPhone user experience. These include:
Maps
With significantly enhanced details, the Maps app now exhibits bike lanes, pedestrian crosswalks, buildings, and more in a new 3D view.
This provides users with an improved city-driving experience thanks to added road details and unique transit features like AR walking directions, pinned favorite lines, and notifications to disembark.
Focus
This is basically an extension of the Do Not Disturb feature. When you activate this feature, your iPhone won’t be able to receive calls or messages to distract you. This feature is particularly useful when you don’t want to be disturbed while working or sleeping.
FaceTime
With iOS 15, you can now enjoy Spatial Audio and Voice Isolation in FaceTime calls. The Portrait mode in FaceTime also now offers a new grid mode that allows you to see more faces at the same time.
Additionally, with the new SharePlay feature, you can share pictures during a FaceTime call. You can also schedule a FaceTime call and send its link to participants, which can be accessed through Windows and Android devices as well.
Live Text
The Live Text feature is quite extraordinary. When you take a photo with your iPhone, your device will be able to recognize helpful information by using its on-device intelligence.
Your iPhone’s Optical Character Recognition allows you to highlight or extract text from an image to send it directly via email, get directions, and even make a phone call.