Want Yandex to greet you every time you open Safari on your iPhone? Here’s the honest truth first: iOS Safari has no homepage field. There is no single switch that makes a website load on launch – these are workarounds, not a true start page. That said, the workarounds are good: with one tap you can land on Yandex from a new tab, from your Home Screen, or make it your default search engine. Here are all three.
Workaround 1: Add Yandex to Favorites
- Open Safari and go to yandex.ru. Type the address manually – just this once.
- Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow pointing up).
- Choose “Add to Favorites”. Confirm the name and save.
- Done. Now every new tab you open shows your Favorites at the top, with Yandex one tap away. It’s the closest thing Safari offers to a start page.
Workaround 2: Add Yandex to your Home Screen
- With yandex.ru open, tap Share again.
- Choose “Add to Home Screen”. Give the shortcut a short name like “Yandex”.
- Tap Add. A Yandex icon now sits on your Home Screen – one tap opens it in Safari, just like an app.
Workaround 3: Make Yandex your default search engine
- Open the Settings app.
- Go to Safari, then Search Engine.
- Select Yandex from the list. Now every query you type in Safari’s address bar runs through Yandex.
Combine all three and Yandex is effectively everywhere: a tap away in new tabs, an icon on your Home Screen, and the engine behind every search. For more Safari customization, see how to change Safari’s design on iPhone.
If it still doesn’t work
- “Add to Favorites” is missing – scroll down in the Share sheet; on newer iOS the options sit below the app icons.
- Home Screen icon won’t add – make sure you’re adding from Safari itself, not from an in-app browser.
- Yandex isn’t in the search engine list – availability varies by region and iOS version; if it’s absent, the Favorites and Home Screen workarounds still work fine.
- New tabs don’t show Favorites – check Settings – Safari – New Tabs is set to show Favorites. Apple Support documents Safari’s start page options.
Frequently asked questions
Does iPhone Safari have a homepage setting?
No. Unlike desktop browsers, iOS Safari offers no homepage field – a limitation 9to5Mac and MacRumors readers have asked about for years. Favorites, Home Screen shortcuts, and the default search engine are the official substitutes.
Which workaround is best for daily use?
Use Favorites for in-browser access and the Home Screen icon for launching straight to Yandex. If you mostly care about search results rather than the homepage, the default search engine setting (plus taming Safari’s password suggestions) gives the smoothest daily experience.
Conclusion
Safari won’t give you a true start page, but these three workarounds get you 95% of the way there: Yandex in your Favorites, on your Home Screen, and behind every search. Pick the combo that fits how you browse.
