PanaloKO Incognito Mode on a Shared Phone

Incognito mode is the browser setting people reach for when a phone is shared. It changes what the phone remembers, and it does not change what the sites you visit can see. The rest of the phone-side checklist sits in the PanaloKO on a mobile browser.

The PanaloKO lobby is reached in the phone’s browser and offers English and Tagalog. The facts below come from Google’s Chrome Help page for Incognito and Apple’s support page for Private Browsing.

What incognito mode hides and what it keeps

Google’s page says Chrome limits the information saved to your device, does not automatically sign you into your Google Account or other websites, and keeps no site data or record of visited sites after the session ends.

The last row is the one that matters on shared connections. Google’s page says that websites you visit, including Google sites, and organizations that manage your network may be able to observe your activity.

Open Incognito in Chrome on Android

Google’s page gives these steps. Menu names differ by Chrome version and phone, so search the menu for “Incognito” if yours differs.

1. Open Chrome on your Android phone.
2. Tap More, the three dots.
3. Tap Open in a new Incognito window.
4. Close the Incognito tab when you finish, and log out of any site first.

Where a saved login lives and how to remove it is covered under saved passwords in Chrome.

Private browsing Safari steps on iPhone

Apple’s support page says that with Private Browsing, Safari will not remember the pages you visit, your search history or your AutoFill information. It also blocks known trackers.

1. Open Safari on your iPhone.
2. Tap the More button, then New Private Tab (iOS 18 and later).
3. On iOS 17 and earlier, tap the Tabs button and swipe to the Private tab group.
4. Check that the address bar looks black or dark.

Apple also describes locking Private Browsing, so private tabs lock when the phone does and open again with Touch ID, Face ID or your passcode.

When incognito is not enough

A private tab does nothing about time spent. If you want the phone itself to end a session, use the phone’s own tools, described under a screen time limit. Settings that change how much mobile data a page uses are separate too, see data saver settings.

Before you hand the phone over

Closing a private tab is not the same as logging out. If you signed in during a private session, use the site’s own log out first, then close the tab. Google’s page says Chrome keeps no record of sites visited after the session ends, but a file you downloaded stays until you delete it.

1. Log out of the lobby.
2. Close every Incognito or private tab.
3. Delete any downloaded files you do not want kept.
4. Lock the phone.

Menu names differ by browser version, so search the browser menu for “Incognito” or “Private” if yours is worded another way.