In short. Turn off Show Related Content in Settings > Search to turn off web-based Spotlight results.
Definition: The iPhone setting for web-based Spotlight results is Show Related Content, found at Settings > Search. Apple says to turn it off to turn web-based search results off.
Key facts
- Apple describes Search as a way to find items on the device and on the web, with suggestions and results that update as you type. Apple's Spotlight Search help names this behavior.
- The control is in the Settings app under Search. The same Apple article documents the path as “In the Settings app, tap Search.” It then names Show Related Content.
- To turn web-based search results off, Apple says to turn Show Related Content off. The same procedure also lists Show Recent Searches as a separate setting.
- Spotlight can find and open webpages as well as apps, images, contacts, and content from apps. Apple's iPhone User Guide describes these result types.
- App content has its own controls in Settings > Search. The guide says third-party app content appears only when the app supports Spotlight indexing.
Which setting should you change?
Apple's Spotlight Search help has a section titled “Turn web-based search results on or off.” It instructs the reader to open Search in the Settings app, turn Show Related Content off, and turn Show Recent Searches off. The first of those named controls answers the question about web-based results.
Settings > Search > Show Related Content
The article places this procedure after its explanation that Search can limit which apps and results appear during a search. It gives the separate Show Recent Searches switch in the same procedure, so both labels can appear when the Search settings are checked.
What does Spotlight Search include?
Apple's iPhone User Guide says that iPhone Search covers apps and contacts, content in apps such as Mail and Messages, and text in photos through Live Text. It also says Search can check stock and currency information and find and open webpages, apps, and images in the photo library, across the system and on the web.
The guide describes the interaction with a suggested website: after entering a search, a person can open a suggested app or website, check a suggested website, or select a suggestion and then open one of its results. These are documented Search behaviors, while Show Related Content is the setting Apple identifies for web-based results.
How are app results configured?
Apple's Spotlight Search help gives a separate app-level path: go to Settings, tap Search, scroll down, select an app, and change one of these controls: Show App in Search, Show Content in Search, Show on Home Screen, Suggest App, or Suggest Notifications. This group applies to the selected app.
The iPhone User Guide adds that third-party app content appears in Search results only when the app supports Spotlight indexing. It also documents Location-Based Suggestions as a separate setting under Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, where Suggestions & Search can be turned off.
Related terms
FAQ
Where do you find the setting for web-based results?
Open Settings, tap Search, and turn off Show Related Content. Apple's Spotlight Search help also lists Show Recent Searches in the same web-results procedure.
Does Show Related Content control app indexing?
Apple's iPhone User Guide describes app-specific controls under Settings > Search. You can change Show App in Search or Show Content in Search for an individual app, and Apple says the app must support Spotlight indexing for its third-party content to appear.
What if you want to limit location-based suggestions?
Open Settings, tap Privacy & Security, tap Location Services, tap System Services, and turn off Suggestions & Search. Apple documents this as the control for Location-Based Suggestions.
Sources
- Apple Support, "Use Spotlight Search on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch", 24 September 2026
- Apple, "Search with Spotlight on iPhone", n.d.
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