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uBlock Origin Lite in Apple App Store

443 points| mumber_typhoon | 4 months ago |apps.apple.com

238 comments

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tech234a|4 months ago

I’ve been using uBlock Origin Lite on iOS for several months now, but one shortcoming I see with the newer WebExtensions implementation in Safari is that WebExtensions can’t be used with the in-app Safari views, meaning extensions such as this one don’t work with in-app Safari views. There was an older Safari content blocker API that did work with the in-app Safari views, but it seems like apps are being updated to stop using it. As a workaround, I’ve been trying to set my apps to open the Safari app for links where possible, but I would have preferred to use the in-app Safari views.

djxfade|4 months ago

As a side note, I personally HATE apps that opens links in an in-app web view (apps like Instagram, Facebook, etc). I really wish Apple could have a system wide preference where it could force in-app web views to open in the browser.

jtbayly|4 months ago

Apparently iOS 26 adds new APIs that allow filtering everywhere, including in all apps. Wipr added this functionality.

oktoberpaard|4 months ago

Without having any experience with the APIs to back up my claim, I believe that the WebExtensions API is more powerful in the sense that it allows more complex blocking rules. AdGuard seems to include both options simultaneously, where you have "advanced protection" (WebExtensions API) that only works in Safari and separate blocking lists (old API) that work in both Safari and WebView. This is precisely what keeps me from using uBlock Origin Lite.

givinguflac|4 months ago

I agree, and I feel it’s worth mentioning that in-app web views bypass private browsing, so they store cookies even if you run Safari in private browsing 100% of the time. PITA to clear them, buried in settings.

lapcat|4 months ago

> There was an older Safari content blocker API that did work with the in-app Safari views, but it seems like apps are being updated to stop using it.

Which apps are being updated to stop using it?

The difference is simply that the Safari content blocker API is Apple-specific, so it can be used only on iOS and macOS, whereas uBlock Origin Lite uses the cross-platform DeclarativeNetRequest API, because uBlock Origin Lite is itself cross-platform.

trenchpilgrim|4 months ago

We already have Wipr 2 (https://kaylees.site/wipr2.html) on the App store which is a pretty dang great ad blocker and well worth the price.

nottorp|4 months ago

Is it better than Wipr 1? Because I paid for that one and it's kinda ... unsatisfactory.

Edit: at least compared to full uBlock Origin on desktop Firefox. No idea how good or bad are the other mobile solutions.

Most of the time i solve my mobile ad blocking needs by ... not browsing on mobile.

rckt|4 months ago

I've been using Wipr for a long time. Both on iOS and macOS and it works perfectly. I don't see any ads. When I happen to use or see other people's devices I'm amazed by the amount of ads on the screen.

Synaesthesia|4 months ago

Adguard works well and is free. I did pay for Wipr 1 but now switched to Adguard.

404mm|4 months ago

Doesn’t look like it supports Family Sharing, is that right?

jjice|4 months ago

I use both Wipr 2 and Adguard Pro. $15 total and well worth it. Adguard is mostly just to run custom rules for blocking elements.

seivan|4 months ago

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tapete2|4 months ago

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mlok|4 months ago

The lack of proper adblocker on iOS is what convinced me to use the Brave browser instead of Firefox or Safari. An adblocker is included by default.

And as a bonus : possibility to keep music videos playing while changing app. (A parameter has to be switched for that though)

ed_mercer|4 months ago

Brave has also been great here. It even blocks google/reddit login/gps/<insert annoyance> popups.

With brave you can uninstall the native Reddit app and just use the webapp instead, without ads and stupid-ass "It's better in the app!" or "instead of taking a screenshot, use the share button!" messages.

layer8|4 months ago

What do you mean by “lack of proper adblocker”? I use Adguard and Ghostery and never see an ad. Ghostery also auto-dismisses cookie popups.

Regarding playing music videos (I guess you’re referring to YouTube), while the playback pauses when you switch away from Safari or lock the phone, you can unpause it via Control Center while in an other app, or on the lock screen.

OGWhales|4 months ago

I've been using Orion for the same reason. It supports chrome/firefox extensions too so you can install uBlock origin, though it's built-in ad-block is quite good but its still cool being able to install other extensions.

bazmattaz|4 months ago

I’ve been using Ad Block Pro with safari on iOS for awhile and works perfectly. Even blocks YouTube ads (I watch YT via Safari)

eikenberry|4 months ago

I recently switched to trying iOS after all of Google's recent Android nonsense and tried all the options. Brave didn't make the cut as it failed to block all the embedded ads on reddit (my personal litmus test). The Orion browser, OTOH, did a great job at it.. and it also supports the full version of ublock-origin if I need even better ad-blocking. It has a few rough edges, but is working out to be a nice default web browser for the phone.

raw_anon_1111|4 months ago

Every time I read this I ask for example of which web pages do you see ads using 1Blocker that uses th4 content blocking framework that has been around for a decade.

jamesgeck0|4 months ago

iOS Safari has adblock support; I've been using AdGuard for years. It's a little bit of a hack, but you can also get system-level ad-block in every app by using Lockdown. Lockdown works by registering itself as a VPN that works kinda like an on-device PiHole.

tensor|4 months ago

What? iOS has had "proper adblockers" for years now. It's literally why I switched to iOS. Android was forcing ads in all sorts of places, and forcing things into webviews that had no adblocking. Being able to install adblock that even works in webviews was a huge advantage of iOS to me.

gaws|4 months ago

Orion on iOS allows you to install extensions, including uBlock Origin.

404mm|4 months ago

Does it work on YouTube ads?

latexr|4 months ago

I had been wishing for uBlock Origin for Safari for years, but now that it’s here (I’ve been using it since the betas), I’m disappointed. It’s really ugly to look at (even the icon in the toolbar looks out of place), configuration is awkward and resets itself unless you give it full permissions for every website from the get go, and it doesn’t seem to be more effective than other popular blockers. Additionally, pretty much every other blocker includes several extensions to overcome the well-known 150K rule limit, but uBlock Origin only includes one, meaning it can’t be blocking as much.

aucisson_masque|4 months ago

And it doesn't work anymore when you swipe back. The phone shows the previous page but without any adblocking.

I too hoped for a ublock origin with filters lists, kind of what we have on Firefox or even the lite version for chrome but it's not nearly as good.

And we can't say it's apple fault because other adblockers like Adguard does allow customs lists and custom rules.

viktorcode|4 months ago

It works for me, but not as good as the ones based on content list filters. It's also brings odd problems: google.com breaks on first search request, but ipv6.google.com does not.

ornornor|4 months ago

In all these years I haven’t found a better solution than DNS blocking with NextDNS on iOS. The only place I get ads is YT (but for that I have an Albanian VPN)

bazmattaz|4 months ago

I read that if/when Google find out that you’re not actually Albanian they’ll immediately band your entire account. So I wouldn’t recommend doing this trick for your main Google account that has your email and Google drive stuff….etc. you likely want to create a burner account just for this.

Also do you connect to the Albanian VPN all the time? That would mean all the websites you connect to now think your in Albania

dry_soup|4 months ago

I block YouTube ads on iOS by watching in the browser (with no YouTube app installed) and using AdGuard.

wasting_time|4 months ago

Why not just pay for a subscription instead of VPN?

moontear|4 months ago

How does the Albanian VPN help? No ad revenue in Albania?

carlosjobim|4 months ago

Why not pay for YouTube premium instead of paying for an Albanian VPN? Then your money goes to the video makers you watch.

v7engine|4 months ago

Safari ads are not blocked when using NextDNS. Is it just me?

joak|4 months ago

The normal uBlock origin extension can be installed on Orion browser for iOS

Orion is webkit and can be set as default browser.

SoKamil|4 months ago

Unfortunately uBlock Origin on Orion is a bit flaky. Also, the phone heats up a bit, but that might be due to Orion itself.

ilt|4 months ago

How does Orion manages to run chrome and firefox extensions when even iOS chrome and firefox browsers can’t?

evelant|4 months ago

Personally I’ve been using Brave browser on desktop and iOS. It has some of the best adblocking on mobile. Also use adguard pro which provides dns level filtering.

dekoidal|4 months ago

Vivaldi is mine as it blocks YouTube ads and lets me play yt videos with the screen locked.

daveidol|4 months ago

Why do you need AdGuard Pro and Brave blocking? Isn’t that duplicative?

runjake|4 months ago

I wanted uBlock Origin Lite to win, but based on my personal experience with uBlock Origin Lite, 1Blocker, and Wipr, I find that 1Blocker blocks far more on the sites I visit. uBlock Origin Lite and Wipr are roughly equal in second place. YMMV.

It helps to run everything by Cover Your Tracks[1], too.

1. https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/

beala|4 months ago

Scrolling through the comments reading about all the adblockers that folks recommend makes my head spin. Why exactly should I trust any of these to have full access to my browser? Looking through the app store I see so many that are clearly trying to impersonate the well known ones by using similar names. It sounds like uBlock Origin Lite is trusted by many, but watch out for Ublock and 1Block, which are also top App Store results. Going off memory, the the chrome store is even worse. The whole situation is extremely sketchy. This is not even to mention supply chain attacks which could hijack even honest projects.

Personally I’ve settled on blocking at the DNS level with unbound and a blocklist. It’s not perfect but it limits the blast radius.

gruez|4 months ago

>Why exactly should I trust any of these to have full access to my browser?

Content blockers on iOS don't have "full access". Most adblocking apps provide both a content blocker and an extension, the latter of which is used to work around stuff that content blockers can't block, or bugs that result as of blocking scripts from loading, but they're not needed. You can get 95% of the functionality by just using content blockers.

bigyabai|4 months ago

> but watch out for Ublock and 1Block, which are also top App Store results.

Honestly this is more of an App Store issue than an Adblock one. For all of Apple's purported talents in curation, they really cannot seem to filter out the odd trojan horses: https://blog.lastpass.com/posts/warning-fraudulent-app-imper...

tracker1|4 months ago

Semi-OT: you can use Wireguard through a home network (with dynamic dns) that has a PiHole or similar setup if you want more broad ad blocking for all apps while away from your home network.

Dwedit|4 months ago

EasyPrivacy has too many false positives, and no way to report them. If you are a techie who understands what the messages mean, and can click the button to proceed to a site on a false positive, then it's fine to have it turned on. But if you are setting up ad blocking for a non-technical user, I would recommend turning EasyPrivacy off.

batrat|4 months ago

Meanwhile firefox with full adblock and adguard dns/pihole if you like to selfhost, never seen an ad on my samsung phone.

prrar|4 months ago

Wipr 2 is my adblocker for all iDevices. It works flawlessly. EDIT: other extensions are Hush and Sponsorblock.

ge96|4 months ago

I use lite on firefox android it's great

It's funny my Motorolla phone keeps installing random games on it like ugh...

ffsm8|4 months ago

Why use lite on Firefox/android, considering the normal one is available too?

JohnTHaller|4 months ago

I believe the parent means proper full-fat uBlock Origin. Not the neutered lite WebExtension Manifest v3 versions. Using real Firefox with uBlock Origin on Windows, macOS, and Android with sync is simple to set up and works great.

f4uCL9dNSnQm|4 months ago

Which model is that? I have a single "Moto" app on mine that is un-removable and that is all bloat I can find.

TiredOfLife|4 months ago

How? Mozilla famously refused to add uBlock Origin lite to extension store

nomilk|4 months ago

What's the advantage of a macOS app over a browser extension? (currently I use the latter)

JSR_FDED|4 months ago

I'm wondering which ad blocker you've had success with...specifically I'm wondering:

- Does this also block ads on Youtube (in the browser)?

- Can this block Youtube Shorts (they're way too addictive for me)?

reddalo|4 months ago

The best way to block YouTube Shorts is using a modified APK on Android. Plus, you don't get ads.

I'd almost use the "real" YouTube app with ads on, if I could disable Shorts entirely.

SG-|4 months ago

yes this blocks YouTube ads in the browser.

tpierce89|4 months ago

uBo paired with 1Blocker and Hush has my safari running at 100% blocked on all the adblock test sites. I was only at 84% with Adguard. Its a small improvement, but I'll take it.

buyucu|4 months ago

I can'e even imagine browsing the web without ublock origin. How and Why Apple users endured it, I fail to comprehend.

latexr|4 months ago

Not everyone uses Safari. But even so there are plenty of capable ad blockers for it, uBlock Origin is far from the only option.

Bluescreenbuddy|4 months ago

I use NextDNS on my iphone. It works well but be warned it can break some apps so you'll need to do some allow-listing

jtokoph|4 months ago

My biggest issue has been with captive portals for open WiFi networks. Allowlisting has helped some I think but not perfect

totostache|4 months ago

Would it work with Firefox iOS?

weikju|4 months ago

No, that browser does not support extensions.

illusive4080|4 months ago

How does it compare to AdBlock Plus?

cherioo|4 months ago

One annoying thing I have is, when I want to disable Adblock on some website (suspecting Adblock impair functionality, or where Adblock is not needed), I need to grant the extension full access before I can disable it.

Is there some trick I am missing?

cipaa|4 months ago

kaooskkdkdkdkdkd

Random09|4 months ago

Why not use a phone that allows you to use the full version ublock? Ios is everything that is wrong with software today in one package.

crazygringo|4 months ago

Because I choose my phone based on hundreds of different factors.

Whether it can use uBlock is just one factor.

Other phones have their own downsides.

alarak|4 months ago

Care to elaborate what is so wrong with it?