How to Safely Unshorten Any URL on Your iPhone
Shortened links take up less character space and provide a clean look to an otherwise wordy web address, hence their popular use on social media platforms. However, clicking on a shortened link can sometimes be risky because you can’t decipher its actual destination based on the URL alone.
The solution to overcome this security concern is to simply expand (or unshorten) the link. In this article, we look at how you can create an iPhone shortcut that helps you expand a link on your iPhone for free.
Using a Shortcut to Unshorten URLs on Your iPhone
Before we delve into the instructions in detail, here’s a quick solution if you’re in a hurry to unshorten a link on your iPhone. Launch your browser and visitUnshorten It. Then, copy and paste the shortened URL into the site. Tap theUnshorten Itbutton to expand the link.
The only downside to this method is that the site isn’t mobile-friendly. Therefore, ahandy iPhone shortcutis still the way to go if you want a link unshortener that perfectly adapts to your iPhone’s screen.
To create an iPhone shortcut, you need Apple’s Shortcuts app. It’s a native app that should already be installed on your iPhone. If not, you could downloadShortcutsfor free from theApp Storeand follow these steps:
How to Use Your Shortcut to Expand a Shortened Link
To use your shortcut to unshorten links, you’ll need to first copy the shortened URL. To avoid loading a preview of the URL (and falling victim to a potentially harmful site), long press on a word near the URL and drag the slider to select the URL text, and tapCopy.
Alternatively, you could opt todisable website previews in Safarialtogether.
After copying the link, go to theShortcutsapp and tap on yourUnshorten URLshortcut. Tap the emptyURLfield, selectPaste, and tapDone. Wait for a moment. A pop-up window will display the expanded link, which will help youidentify if a site is secure and safe.
Now, if you want to visit the site, tap the down arrow next to the expanded link. Next, tap theShareicon, chooseCopy, andpaste the URL into Safari or any other browser you prefer to load the site.
The Easy Way to Expand Shortened Links on Your iPhone
At the moment, the few iOS apps that work as link expanders are paid apps. But why use up storage space and pay for an app when you can easily create an effective iPhone shortcut for free?
If you follow the above steps carefully and add the correct shortcut actions, you’ll have a free, convenient tool to help you expand shortened links on your iPhone. Even if the iPhone is already a relatively secure device, it’s always good practice to verify the safety of a shortened link to protect yourself from malicious sites.
Should you download—and pay for—security suites on your iPhone? Let’s see what these apps actually offer so we can find out.
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