I’m Not a Robot. How to Get Rid of Persistent Captcha Checks on iPhone and iPad
Reading Time: 2 minutes I started getting these again recently. Every time I search something on my iPhone or iPad I have to check the little box. Even though these are not nearly as bad as the ones that require you to choose which images have bicycles, it is still an inconvenience. Many things can trigger these annoying little checks for bots. In this article, I will tell you what you can do to get rid of these on your iPhone or iPad.
What are these “I’m not a robot” CAPTCHA things?
These messages show up because Google, for some reason, believes you may be a bot. Checking the box is designed to prove you are a human doing valid human business. If you have been getting these often, like every time you go to search something, you know that Google’s suspicions can be pretty off.
Why am I getting these CAPTCHA requests and how do I stop them?
There are many things that can trigger these. I will list some of the most common reasons and what you can do about them.
You may get the CAPTCHA requests if:
- You are using a public Wi-Fi.
- There are other people doing a lot of searching on your home Wi-Fi.
- You are using a VPN or iCloud’s Private Relay.
How to stop getting the “unusual traffic” CAPTCHA requests
You can try the following to get rid of the CAPTCHA requests:
Restart your iPhone or iPad
Hold down the volume down and side buttons until you see the power off slider. Slide the slider and wait for your phone to fully shut down. Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
Clear your browser history and cookies
When you do this, you will need to sign in to websites again; however, your passwords and autofill information will not be affected. To clear Safari history and data, open Settings, scroll down and tap on Safari. Tap on Clear History and Website Data.
Turn off VPN or Private Relay
- VPN settings can be found in Settings > General > VPN & Device Management > VPN.
- To turn off Private Relay, open Settings and tap on your Apple ID name at the top. Tap on iCloud, scroll down and select Private Relay. Toggle the switch to turn it off.
Change the search engine for Safari
Open Settings, scroll down and tap on Safari. Tap on Search Engine to change to Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo or Ecosia.
Related articles
