How to bypass paywalls on iPhone
Updated September 2026
On iPhone you have three good options for reading past a soft or metered paywall — Safari's Reader, a Share-Sheet Shortcut, and a reader-first web tool. Here is how to set up each.
Which walls this works on
These methods handle soft and metered paywalls, where the article text is delivered to your phone. Hard subscription walls (WSJ, FT, Bloomberg) send nothing without a login and only open via an existing public archive or your library app.
Fastest: paste into a reader tool
Copy the article link, open RemovePaywall, and tap "Paste & read" — it extracts the clean article and checks public archives automatically. Nothing to install.
Read a paywalled article on iPhone
- Safari Reader. Open the article in Safari, tap the "Aa" at the left of the address bar, then "Show Reader". On soft walls this strips the overlay instantly.
- A one-tap Shortcut. In the Shortcuts app, make a Shortcut that receives URLs from the Share Sheet and opens https://removepaywall.co/search?url=[Shared URL]. Then use Share → your Shortcut on any article.
- The web tool. Copy the link, open removepaywall.co, and tap "Paste & read" — it extracts the article or finds a public archive.
- Your library app. For hard walls, open Libby or PressReader and sign in with your library card to read major papers free and legally.
Live success rates
Unlike other tools, RemovePaywall shows how often it actually works, from real usage — recent examples: The New Yorker ~98% · WIRED ~98% · The Atlantic ~97% · Business Insider ~92% · The New York Times ~64%. See the full live list.
FAQ
What is the easiest way to bypass a paywall on iPhone?
Copy the link and use "Paste & read" on removepaywall.co, or turn on Safari Reader. Both are free and take one tap.
Does Safari Reader remove every paywall?
Only soft ones where the text is already on the page. Hard walls need a library app or an existing archive.
Is there an iPhone shortcut for paywalls?
Yes — build a Shortcut that opens removepaywall.co/search?url=[Shared URL] from the Share Sheet for one-tap access.