Article updated on June 5, 2026 by Byothe
You probably visit several websites every day that don't offer an app. Constantly returning to Safari and searching through your bookmarks can become repetitive. Fortunately, iOS offers a native solution: creating a shortcut on your home screen that opens directly in Safari.
This tip doubles your convenience: you save time and can spot your favorite sites at a glance, just like with regular apps. Follow the step-by-step instructions and discover how to customize the icon when the site doesn't provide a high-quality favicon.
Why add a website to your iPhone home screen?
A shortcut placed on your iPhone's home screen reduces access to an important page with a single tap: your work email, a family dashboard, or any other service that doesn't yet have a native app. This eliminates the need to search for the bookmark in Safari and saves precious seconds each time you access it.
Furthermore, the link syncs via iCloud. This means you'll find the same icon on all your devices connected to the same Apple ID without any extra effort. This is convenient for maintaining a consistent work environment, whether you're using an iPad or a Mac mini.
How do I create the shortcut?
- Open Safari, then enter the address of the site to pin (byothe.fr For example ;)).
- Next, tap the three small dots (…) at the bottom of the Safari interface.
- Tap the icon Share at the bottom (a square with an upward arrow).
- Scroll through the action sheet and tap See more to display all available options.
- Accounts Manager On the home screen.
- Assign a name In short: leave the one provided or modify it to make it more meaningful.
- touch AddThe link appears instantly among your applications.
With each tap, Safari will launch the selected page without any intermediate steps. Note that this procedure remains the same on iPad and is compatible with the latest versions of iOS.
Customize the icon when the favicon is missing
Some websites don't include a high-resolution favicon. In these cases, Safari captures a thumbnail of the homepage to display on your screen. The result may appear blurry or uneven.
To maintain a polished presentation, you can use the application shortcuts pre-installed on iOS:
- Open shortcuts then create a new shortcut.
- Add the action Open URLs and paste the website address.
- In the shortcut settings, tap the default icon and then choose On the home screen.
- Accounts Manager Choose a photo and import a 512 × 512 px image that you have prepared or downloaded.
- Confirm. The custom icon will be installed on your home screen and will now open via your shortcut.
You can design this image using Canva or any other graphics editor. Just be sure to use rounded corners and a solid background for a result that's consistent with the iOS interface.
Now it's your turn!
You now know how Add a website to your iPhone's home screen and how customize the icon When the favicon isn't optimized, apply this method to your favorite services: local weather, customer area, home automation dashboard, or your favorite blog like Byothe.fr. In just a few steps, you can transform your mobile browsing experience and make your sites as accessible as native apps.
