If you use the Apple Internet web browser Safari, you might have encountered the following error: “Cannot Open the Page Because the Address Is Invalid.” If that is the case and you would like what you need to do in order to fix it, you have come to the right place.
In this article, we will look into this error message in as much detail as possible in order to give you all the background you will need to understand it. Once I have given you all that information, I will explain the steps that you will need to follow in order to fix it.
If you are only interested in performing a quick fix and feel like you might not need to know a lot about this error message (or do not have time for this right now), you could just skip ahead to the steps.
If you are not pressed for time or if you would like to understand this error well, then I would strongly advise that you do not skip ahead at all and, instead, read this article closely.
As you can see- lots of people have resorted to Twitter to complain about the issue:
Has anybody else noticed that `tel` and `mailto` links no longer seem to work in iOS Safari? Getting a ‘Safari cannot open the page because the address is invalid`. Working fine on desktop. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/pw6cWxQ19P
— Luke Harrison (@WebDevLuke) February 22, 2018
@scanbot I sent the “Merry Christmas” coupon for Scanbot Pro to a friend but the URL isn’t working. Says that “Safari cannot open the page because the address is invalid.” Help? pic.twitter.com/gi33uWyrMP
— Jeff Crump (@jeffcrump) December 18, 2017
#1 Some Quick Fixes
The tech vlogger proposes several solutions:
#2 Another Fix
So, here we are. If you have reached this section, you must be pretty sure that this error is indeed the one you are experiencing.
If you are not sure of the nature of this error and you skipped forward to this final section, then I would strongly recommend you back up and read the previous sections as there is a chance that your iPad or iPhone has been attacked by a scam virus.
If, however, you already know that that is not the case, then here are the simple steps you will need to follow:
- Grab the mobile device (iPad or iPhone) with the error.
- Try accessing Safari again and if the problem persists, then read on. Note that although some users might try to delete Safari and reinstall it, this will not work because Safari cannot be deleted from Apple devices, as it is their default Internet web browser.
- Then, you will need to make sure that you put your device in sleep mode. If you are not sure how to this, here is how: simply hold down the sleep/wake button (that is, the small gray or black button located at the top of your device) and the home button (that is, the round button underneath or on top of your screen – depending which side you are holding your device up). You will need to make sure that you do this for at least 10 to 15 seconds without letting go of any of the two buttons. You will know when you should let go because this will be signaled by the Apple logo being displayed on the screen.
- Once the Apple logo displays, let go of the sleep/wake button and the home button. It is important that you do anything else at this point. If you notice a red slider on the screen, just ignore it and let the device start up.
- Once your iPad has fully restarted, go to the settings (obvious, you might need to enter your code first, as usual).
- Once in the settings, head over to Safari.
- Next, tap on Cookies and Data and clear it.
- Then, just restart your iPad. If you are not sure how to do this, simply hold down the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds, just until the red slider appears. This time, don’t ignore it but slide it. Wait for a few seconds until your iPad is turned off fully and hold down the sleep/wake button to start it again. Do so for a few seconds just until the Apple logo displays on the screen.
Once you have followed these simple steps, you should be able to access Safari without a problem!
Trying to view from iPad, not logged into Facebook. Got an error message saying “safari cannot open the page because the address is invalid.” Weird because I can see a still image of the talk.
— Laura Dickerson (@laura53246) February 26, 2019
What Is This Error?
There are two very different reasons why you might be getting this error. In fact, there are two different errors that look very similar.
This article is only about one of these two errors but, because these two errors can look very similar, I want to make sure that I address both here.
There is an error that happens to iPad and iPhone users when they attempt to access Safari on their smart mobile device.
Although this is not really the error that this article is generally about it is important that you are able to distinguish between them.
If the iPad or iPhone scenario sounds like you, then you definitely need to continue reading.
Just to make entirely sure that this is the problem you are getting, you will have to check whether you get this error message as a pop-up. If you do, then I am afraid that your Apple device has been the target of a financial scam.
This is not a real error at all but, rather, a scam scheme designed with the sole purpose of getting a hold of your financial information first and, eventually, your money.
Very often the “cannot open page” pop up will also come adorned to make it look official and threatening. Depending on the location of your IP address at the time, the message could have different text and even come in different languages.
Generally, the message that will be displayed on your screen will almost always have the same gist. And that is, it will very often look like something issued by some kind of law enforcement agency.
The point of this is to scare you into making you think that you have done something illegal online (very often this would be accessing some form of illegal pornography).
Another key element of this is that you will be “informed” that you have to pay a “fine”. And I have put the words “informed” and “fine” in quotation marks because, of course, this is a scam so you are not being targeted by the police or any law enforcement agency.
It is really important you know this so you do not make any payment to them. No matter how realistic or convincing this pop-up message may look like, it is just a trick.
Do not make a payment and take your iPhone or iPad to an expert so they can remove the virus as soon as possible. You will not be able to access Safari again unless the scam virus has been removed completely by an expert. Even if you pay the so-called “fine” (and, please, do not do so under any circumstances), you will not be able to access Safari.
The actual error will just display the following message: “Cannot Open the Page Because the Address Is Invalid.” This message is genuine and you will be able to fix the problem. Luckily, fixing this error is very easy.
Are There Any Alternatives to This Error?
Okay, this error only happens when using Safari on an Apple mobile device (as you probably already know, Safari is Apple’s own web Internet web browser).
Because Safari and the iPhone and the iPad are all Apple products, Safari is the default on the iPhone and the iPad. It is also the default Internet web browser on Mac computers (whether desktop or laptop), but this error does not affect Mac computers, only smart mobile devices.
“I rely on my iPad for on-the-go entertainment. I stock it with TV shows, like ‘Parks and Recreation’ and the British version of ‘The Office.’ I’m reading a Charles Manson biography on it too, since I’m weirdly into true crime.” – Phoebe Tonkin
The fact that Safari is the default Internet web browser for these devices does not necessarily mean that it is the only web browser that you could use on them.
If you are getting this error and you are in a rush to use an Internet browser, you could download a free alternative from the official Apple App store.
Before you head over to the App store just check your apps to see if you already have an alternative Internet web browser installed on your smartphone or tablet.
There are some different options but a stable and popular alternative to Safari is Google Chrome. You can get it for free on the Apple App store together with a host of other Google apps that will give you a personalized experience if you already have a Google ID: Google Translate, YouTube, Google (search engine), Google Maps, Google Earth, Google +, Google Photos, Google Drive, Gmail (Google Mail), Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Calendar, Google Slides, Google Play, Google Hangouts, and so on.
Some people actually prefer Google Chrome to Safari. But this is very much a matter of personal preference so I am in no way suggesting that Google Chrome is a superior Internet web browser to Apple Safari.
All I am saying is that Google Chrome is a good alternative, particularly if get the “Cannot Open Page: Safari cannot open the page because the address is invalid.”
If, however, you are happy to use Apple Safari and would like to fix the error instead of finding any alternatives, then read on because in the next section I will detail all the steps you will need to follow in order to fix this error and get rid of the error message in question.
If you have any feedback about this article or would like to share your experience or tips of your own on how to deal with this error, please leave us a message in the comments section below!
