Safari Browser and Google Webpage Issues

I'm noticing that my Safari browser is taking too long to load Google, YouTube and other Google product webpages. However, these websites open normally without any issues on my Chrome browser. I would not like Chrome to be my default browser though, since I prefer Safari! Any idea what could be causing this problem?

I've tried deleting cache, history, private relay on/off, other measures, but nothing has worked so far. Just letting you know, that Google website loads perfectly normal using the Private Browsing mode in Safari!

Posted on Sep 22, 2026 8:20 PM

4 replies

MrHoffman

Level 10 (169,253 points)

Sep 22, 2026 8:34 PM in response to v.shal

Profile the webpage, and see what part is slow:

Maybe test with Vivaldi, too?

Whether there are other reasons for Google Chrome to outperform Safari rendering of Google websites?

Mac Jim ID

Level 10 (105,996 points)

Sep 22, 2026 9:23 PM in response to v.shal

Anything that inhibits tracking your activities is going to perform poorly on Google centric websites when they are running scripts that are attempting to get the information from your browser connection. They would prefer you use the Chrome browser as it is notoriously "leaky" and much easier to get to the data they are looking for. If turning off Private Relay worked for you, then it is your general location they are looking for, since Private Relay does not work on Chrome.

v.shal Author

Level 1 (32 points)

Sep 22, 2026 9:31 PM in response to v.shal

Hi @Mac Jim ID

Turning off Private Relay appears to have fixed the issue, but I see that as a workaround rather than a resolution. Ideally, I’d like to keep Private Relay ON across all my devices and have Google, YouTube and other sites load normally in Safari.

I’d prefer to stay with Safari rather than switch to Chrome. Has anyone found a solution that keeps Private Relay enabled, please share?

It is also frustrating how Chrome aggressively keeps pushing in establishing itself as a default browser on Apple devices.

v.shal Author

Level 1 (32 points)

Sep 22, 2026 9:09 PM in response to v.shal

I suspect this is because I turned 'Private Relay On' recently on my iCloud settings across all devices?!

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256363164