Knowledge - Details


How to add a specific URL to your iPhone's home screen
Date Added: 12/10/2021

Problem:
Unable to specify the URL to use when creating a shortcut on the iOS Home Screen.

Details:
I visited a specific web page with my iPhone's Safari browser, and then used the "Share" feature to "Add to Home Screen."  But the browser thought it was smarter than me and changed the link to point to the website's home page instead of the actual page I wanted to bookmark.  The URL was grayed out so I could not even correct its mistake.

Solution:
1) Enable Airplane Mode on your iPhone (to prevent it from connecting to the internet)
2) Open the Safari app, and navigate to the exact URL that you want to bookmark.
3) The page will fail to load since it's in Airplane Mode, and that's ok.
4) Use the Share feature and Add To Home Screen.
5) Since the iPhone is disconnected from the internet, it will fail to do its supposedly smart override, and it will let you add the exact URL to the home screen icon.  Be sure to set the shortcut's name to whatever you want, since you can't edit it later.
6) Disable Airplane Mode.



Back to List

Disclaimer: Everything on this website is written for my own use. I disclaim any guarantees that the procedures and advice listed here are accurate, safe, or beneficial for anyone else. If you attempt to follow any procedures or advice shared here, you do it at your own risk. Part of IT work is knowing how to recover from problems.