this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
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Agreed, but just to clarify as the above commenter said, it is safari-only. VPN based ad blockers are basically the only way to block ads throughout iOS and they are all subscription based unless you are grandfathered in (like the early adblocker pro subscription mentioned above).
Edit: I forgot to mention, you can set up PiHole (https://pi-hole.net/) on your home network and then set up a small OpenVPN or Wireguard server on that network and install either
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/openvpn-connect-openvpn-app/id590379981
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wireguard/id1441195209
So you still need a VPN app, but if it lives on your home network you don't need a VPN subscription
I use a combo of Firefox Focus and Safari with Wipr 2 on my phone! Every other browser is WebKit under the hood so whatever, but I would LOVE Firefox with actual extensions and Firefox guts
Agreed. For apple I imagine the biggest issue is that a system-wide ad blocker means that all of the AdAttributionKit and StoreKit stuff might get blocked and therefore it's never an API they'd open to other general apps because it's less revenue. That being said though, like I said VPNs can filter requests.
And the APIs already exist
https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/web-content-filter-payload-settings-depc77c9609/web
But it's exclusive to MDM providers which pay apple a boatload of money and are specifically integrating your app with an enterprise deployment scheme. Maybe the EU can rally to get apple to open up these APIs to power users
Edit: Forgot to mention that Firefox is also safari under the hood. Apple does not allow custom browsers. Firefox for iOS is safari with firefox trimmings.
Daaaamn you know sooooo much more than I do (not sarcastic!)
I’m much more of a layman but I would loooove ublock for Firefox on iOS, I just know that WebKit is the only way and that’s okay with me for now.
I would obviously welcome an open API!
Quick edit; I’m drunk and don’t want to come off as sarcastic. I fully agree with you! But I do love iOS!
Haha no worries awesome person, I’m also a little intoxicated, had a good work breakthrough this week (lol doing my job working on a mobile app) so I’m celebrating myself. I run the mobile iOS and Android app teams at the company I work for so I appreciate the kind compliments that remind me that maybe I’m not an imposter.
That being said, totally agree. To be honest, the developer experience on Apple/Swift/App Store is like light years above what it’s like for Android/Kotlin/Play Store but I am frequently frustrated by Apple restrictions, so it it’s always “the grass is basically just as green on both sides.”