Where Safari Finds Your Shared with You Message Links

This article explains how the Safari web browser collects, filters, and displays web links in its "Shared with You" section. By integrating directly with the Apple Messages app and your device's Contacts list, Safari automatically scans your text conversations to retrieve URLs sent by friends and family, organizing them neatly on your browser's Start Page and Sidebar for easy access.

The Primary Source: The Apple Messages App

The "Shared with You" section in Safari gathers links directly from the local database of your Apple Messages app. When a friend or family member sends you a full web address (URL) in an iMessage or SMS conversation, your device's operating system (iOS, iPadOS, or macOS) flags that content as a shareable link.

Safari does not search the internet or external servers to find these links. Instead, it uses on-device system integration to read the links stored directly within your Messages app history. If you use iCloud for Messages, links sent to your iPhone will also automatically appear in Safari on your Mac or iPad.

The Filtering Mechanism: The Contacts App

Safari will not display every single link you receive in the Messages app. To protect your privacy and prevent spam links from cluttering your browser, "Shared with You" relies on the Apple Contacts app as a filter.

For a link to be gathered and displayed by Safari, the person who sent it to you in Messages must be saved as a contact in your Contacts app. If an unknown number texts you a link, Safari ignores it.

Once Safari gathers the approved links from the Messages app, it places them in two specific locations within the browser:

  • The Safari Start Page: When you open a new tab or window, the links are displayed as visual cards under the "Shared with You" header. Each card shows a preview of the website and the name and photo of the contact who sent it.
  • The Safari Sidebar: On a Mac or iPad, you can open the left-hand Sidebar and click on the "Shared with You" tab to see a chronological list of all gathered links.

Because the system pulls directly from your conversations, you have control over what gets gathered through both the Messages app and Safari:

  • Pinning Links: If you long-press a link in the Messages app and select "Pin," that specific link will be elevated to the front of the "Shared with You" section in Safari.
  • Hiding Specific Senders: In the Messages app, you can tap a contact’s name at the top of a conversation and toggle off "Show in Shared with You." Safari will immediately stop gathering links from that specific person.
  • Turning It Off Completely: You can stop Safari from gathering these links entirely by going to your device's Settings > Messages > Shared with You, and toggling the switch off for Safari.