iOS does not allow you to change the default browser, which has been one of the reasons why third-party browsers are not widely used. But if you’ve jailbroken your iOS device, then it is possible to change the default browser.
An aptly named jailbreak tweak called Browser Changer allows you to change your iPhone’s default browser from mobile Safari to a third-party browser.
All you have to do is follow these simple steps to change your iPhone’s default browser using he jailbreak tweak:
- Launch Cydia
- Tap on the Search tab
- Search for Browser Changer and select Browser Changer from the search results
- Then tap on the Install button, followed by the Confirm button
- After the jailbreak tweak is installed, it will prompt you to Restart SpringBoard
- Tap on the Restart SpringBoard button and wait for your iPhone to respring
- Then launch the Settings app
- And browse to Browser Changer and tap on it
- Then tap on Selected Browser option under General and select the third-party browser from the list that you want to use as the default browser.
That’s it, now when you open links from the Mail app, Twitter apps etc. will open the links in the third party browser that you had selected rather than mobile Safari.
You can also install the Browser Changer SBSettings toggle, so that you can enable or disable this feature to switch between mobile Safari and the third-party browser.
Browser Changer has been around for quite a long time, but strangely we didn’t write about it. We remembered it when Yahoo released the Axis Browser for iPhone and iPad last night, ironically though, the jailbreak tweak doesn’t support it currently.
If you want to change your iPhone or iPad’s default browser to Axis browser then you’ll have to wait for the developer to add support for it or you can select other popular third party browsers like Dolphin, iCab, Opera Mini etc.
