How to Disable Link Previews in iOS 13 and iPadOS

How to Disable Link Previews in iOS 13 and iPadOS

With Apple’s focus moving from 3D Touch to Haptic Touch, previewing links is now possible on any iPhone or iPad running iOS 13 or iPadOS. But despite its useful nature, I find the functionality boring to manage most of the time. It got me thinking about how I could turn off link previews in iOS 13 and iPadOS.

The ability to take a look at links while using native apps such as Safari, Mail and Notes is useful when I don’t want to waste time opening web pages just to close them quickly.

However, the huge preview pane acts as a major obstacle whenever I want to open a link in a new tab, copy it to my clipboard or perform one of the other actions of the context menu associated with the 3D / Haptic gesture. Touch.

Even worse, turning on link previews also means that I also don’t see full URLs. As far as I know, a link I preview could be a malicious site, with the visual preview masquerading as a legitimate site. Messaging app users, beware!

In addition, the actual act of previewing links also ends up consuming bandwidth. If you are on a tight mobile data plan, then taking a look at the links all the time can reach your data limits.

Fortunately, disabling link previews is ridiculously easy, provided you know where to look.

Disable link previews in iOS 13 and iPadOS

Start by previewing a link in one of the native iOS or iPadOS apps that support the feature, be it Safari, Mail, Messages or Notes. Once the link preview appears on the screen, tap the tiny Hide Preview label in the upper right corner of the preview pane. It is small and somewhat difficult to spot, especially if the dark mode is activated on your iPhone or iPad.


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And that’s all. The preview pane will disappear completely and you will see the actual URL of the link in its place, as well as the context menu below. iOS 13 and iPadOS will also remember your preferences and hide previews each time you perform a 3D / Haptic Touch gesture on a subsequent link.

Link previews will also be disabled in all other native iOS and iPadOS apps. This means that you will not have to waste time deactivating the functionality of each application that generates these monstrosities.


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Note: Older versions of iOS 13 and iPadOS – 13.2 and earlier to be exact – had the option to turn off link previews as a context menu item.

Reactivating link previews in iOS 13 and iPadOS is just as simple. Perform a 3D Touch or Haptic Touch gesture on any link in Safari, Notes, Mail, etc. Follow by tapping the Tap option to display the preview at the top of the link URL box, and you’re back in business. Again, the setting will automatically apply to other applications.

In addition to the native iOS 13 and iPadOS apps, you may also find the ability to preview links in some third-party apps, though rarely. However, these applications may not allow you to turn off link previews. At least, that was the case with Firefox for iOS at the time of writing. If you come across such an app, you should wait for the update which provides built-in ways to disable the functionality.

Bonus tip – Reduce 3D Touch / Haptic Touch sensitivity

Sometimes the 3D Touch or Haptic Touch gesture associated with link previews and link context menus can come into action even when you tap a link to open it. Very annoying, right?

If this is the case, you can always adjust the sensitivity of 3D Touch or Haptic Touch to prevent the gesture from being triggered accidentally.

Go to iPhone / iPad Settings> Accessibility> Touch> 3D & Haptic Touch (or Haptic Touch). On the next screen, you can find commands to manage 3D Touch and Haptic Touch sensitivity on your device. Devices that only support Haptic Touch display only the Haptic Touch-related sensitivity controls.

Move the cursor under 3D Touch Sensitivity to Medium or Close to avoid accidental 3D Touch gestures caused by light touch on the screen.


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If you rely on Haptic Touch instead (or if your device only supports Haptic Touch), select Slow under the Touch duration section. To do this, you need to tap an item a little longer for Haptic Touch gestures to register.


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Keep in mind that these changes to 3D Touch / Haptic Touch will apply everywhere in iOS 13 and iPadOS, and not just to the context menu preview / link link gesture in particular.

Stop snooping

Link previews most likely end up being a major distraction when all you want to do is access the context menu items after you touch in 3D or long press on a link. Missing URL information can pose a privacy and security risk. Therefore, feel free to turn off link previews whenever you have had enough. You can always reactivate the functionality with a snap of the finger if necessary.

Then:

The Files app is a productivity beast on iOS 13 and iPadOS. Here are some features of the Files app that you should try immediately.

Last updated March 13, 2020

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