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How to Disable Your Spotlight Search History in iOS 10

Smartphone screen displaying various app icons and search suggestions.

If you've just finally updated to iOS 10, you'll notice that lots of things have changed, and while the vast majority of new features are useful and fun, some can be a bit annoying. One bothersome bit of functionality is how Spotlight Search keeps a running history of everything you've searched for recently, which can lead to some embarrassing situations, depending on what you've been searching for.

Luckily, it's really easy to disable your Spotlight Search history on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. To start, head to the General menu in Settings, then select the Spotlight Search entry. From here, just disable the "Siri Suggestions" option, then your Spotlight Search history will evaporate instantly.

Settings menu on a mobile device displaying general options.
Spotlight Search settings on a mobile device
Settings menu on a mobile device displaying general options.
Spotlight Search settings on a mobile device

One downside here is that you won't get app suggestions in Spotlight Search anymore, but for most users, the tradeoff of not having their search history visible to anyone looking over their shoulder will be well worth it. "Siri App Suggestions" will still show up in the new lock screen widget system, too, so that should be a decent substitute.

Cover photo by Justin Meyers/Gadget Hacks; screenshots by Dallas Thomas/Gadget Hacks

Apple's iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 updates are packed with new features, and you can try them before almost everyone else. First, check our list of supported iPhone and iPad models, then follow our step-by-step guide to install the iOS/iPadOS 26 beta — no paid developer account required.

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