On iOS, clear Safari history without discarding open tabs?
Turns out, this is just a case of awkward design.


There is no warning about "Clear History and Website Data" also closing tabs.
There is a "Clear" button in the in-browser history view, which doesn't affect tabs. It doesn't communicate however, whether it also deletes cookies and website settings.


To use the latter:


In Safari, open the bookmarks pane.
Select the history tab of the pane (the clock symbol).
Click clear at the bottom-right of the pane.