Depending on your default search engine, you may be able to control what appears below the search box on your New tab page.
To customise your New tab page, you must be signed in to your Google Account and use Google as your default search engine.
In some countries, you may need to manage your linked Google services to use Chrome history for personalisation and other services.
You can customise parts of the New Tab page in Google Chrome on iPhone and iPad, although options are more limited than on a computer.
To begin, open Chrome and create a new tab. The New Tab page shows a search bar, shortcuts to frequently visited sites, and content suggestions.
You can manage shortcuts by pressing and holding a site icon. This allows you to remove it or adjust your most visited sites. Chrome updates these automatically based on your browsing activity.
You can also control the Discover feed (news and suggested content). Scroll down on the New Tab page and tap the settings or menu option near Discover. From there, you can turn it off or customize your interests.
To change the appearance, Chrome follows your device’s theme. Go to your iPhone or iPad Settings > Display & Brightness, then choose Light or Dark mode. Chrome will automatically match this, including the New Tab page.
Unlike desktop Chrome, iOS does not support changing background images or detailed layout customization for the New Tab page.
Customise your New Tab page
- To visit a site, tap its icon.
- To remove a site, touch and hold its icon. Then, tap Remove.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open Chrome
.
- Tap New tab
.
- At the top left, tap Customise homepage
.
- To select your background, you can:
- Choose from the available preset backgrounds: Under 'Customise homepage', select your preferred background.
- Browse Chrome's library:
- Under 'Customise homepage', tap Add
Themes.
- Select your preferred background.
- Under 'Customise homepage', tap Add
- Choose a colour background:
- Under 'Customise homepage', tap Add
- Select your preferred background colour.
- This applies to both light and dark mode.
- Under 'Customise homepage', tap Add
- Upload your own image:
- Under 'Customise homepage', tap Add
- If Chrome doesn't have access to your camera roll, the 'Chrome would like to access your photos' pop-up appears:
- To allow Chrome access to all your photos: Tap Allow access.
- To allow Chrome access to only specific photos:
- Tap Select photos.
- Select the photos that you want Chrome to have access to.
- To decline access: Tap Don't allow.
- If Chrome doesn't have access to your camera roll, the 'Chrome would like to access your photos' pop-up appears:
- Select your preferred background.
- To crop the image, pinch close or open.
- Tap Save.
- Under 'Customise homepage', tap Add
Delete a background option
- On your iPhone or iPad, open Chrome
- Tap New tab
- At the top left, tap Customise homepage
- Under 'Customise homepage', touch and hold the background that you want to delete.
- Tap Delete background.
When you browse on multiple devices, you can easily resume browsing the last open tab from any of your devices on your current device.
Important:
- Make sure that you're signed in to the same Google Account on all devices.
- Make sure that recent tabs are opened within the last 24 hours.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open Chrome
- Tap New tab
- Under 'Continue with this tab', tap the last tab from any of your devices.
- To hide 'Continue with this tab:'
- Touch and hold Continue with this tab.
- Tap Hide 'Continue with this tab'
- To hide 'Continue with this tab:'
Manage suggested articles
When you open a new tab, you may find suggested Discover articles. If you’re signed in to Chrome with your Google Account, depending on your settings, suggested articles are based on your recent Web & App activity and your interactions with the suggested articles, like when you tap on or scroll past an article.
Tips:
- If you indicate that you're not interested in a topic or publisher, you won't get suggestions from them again.
- To find the latest articles in the 'Following' section on your iPhone or iPad, you can manually follow sites and searches.
To change your cards and feed experience in the New tab page:
- On your iPhone or iPad, open Chrome
- Tap New tab
- At the top left, tap Edit
- To customise your New tab page, you can turn the Site shortcuts, Cards or Discover feed on or off.
- Site shortcuts: These are shortcuts to sites that you've visited lately on your device.
- Cards: These are the most relevant features for you at different times.
- To customise the cards that you want to find, tap Cards
- Turn on or off any of the following:
- Get set up: Tips to get the most out of Chrome Learn how to manage the Chrome tips card.
- Shortcuts: Your most used Chrome items.
- Continue with this tab: Your last open tab across all your devices.
- Discover feed: A custom feed made for you. This includes News, Sports and Weather.
- Tap Discover feed.
- Select either:
- Following: Manage the topics and searches that you're interested in.
- Hidden: Find and edit topics that you've hidden from your account.
- Activity: Control your Google Account data.
Tip: By default, 'Site shortcuts', 'Cards' and 'Discover feed' are turned on.
- Stop suggestions based on new activity:
- Next to 'Discover', tap Settings
- On the left, tap Menu
- Turn Web & App Activity off.
- Next to 'Discover', tap Settings
- Delete per article: If you’re signed in to your Google Account, you can review and delete your Discover activity feed in My Activity.
- Get the latest articles: On your Discover feed, from the top of the screen, pull down to refresh and get your updated content.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open Chrome
- Next to 'Discover', tap Settings
- To manage interests for all your suggested articles, next to 'Discover', tap Settings
- To let Chrome better know your interests, next to an article in Discover, tap More
To remove an article:
- At the bottom right of the article, tap More
.
- Tap Hide this
.
To save an article to read later:
- Touch and hold on the article, or tap More
- Tap Add to reading list
.
To open an article in a new tab:
- Touch and hold the article, or tap More
- Tap Open in new tab.
To preview an article:
- Touch and hold the article.
- To open the article, tap the article preview.
To turn link previews off:
- On your iPhone or iPad, open Chrome
- Tap More
.
- Find and tap Content settings.
- Turn Show link previews off.
On the New tab page, you can find the safety check card to review:
- Compromised passwords stored in Google Password Manager.
- Your Safe Browsing status.
Tips:
- To hide the Safety Check card on the New tab page, select More
- Learn how to manage Chrome safety and security.
To hide stories in another language:
- On your iPhone or iPad, open Chrome
- Open a new tab.
- Find 'Discover'.
- At the bottom right of a story, tap More
- To get your updated stories, from the top of the screen, pull down to refresh.
Tip: This feature may not be available for all stories.
To unhide stories in another language:
- On your iPhone or iPad, open Chrome
- Open a new tab.
- Find 'Discover'.
- Next to 'Discover', tap Settings
- Under 'TYPES OF INFO', unhide the language that you want to bring back.
If Google is your default search engine, you can follow and manage sites and searches. To follow a site:
- Go to the site that you want to follow.
- Tap More
To follow a search:
- Open Chrome
- Search for an interest in the address bar.
- In the results, tap Follow or Follow this search.
To find and manage followed sites and searches in one place:
- Next to 'Following', tap More
- Select a site or search that you want to unfollow.
- Tap Following.
Related resources
If you want faster access to specific sites, you can add them to your Home Screen. Open the site in Chrome, tap the share icon, and select Add to Home Screen.
In summary, Chrome on iPhone and iPad allows basic customization of the New Tab page through shortcuts, content preferences, and system theme settings, but advanced customization is limited.
