Firefox for iOS now has a native adblocker

(support.mozilla.org)

90 points | by pentagrama 1 hour ago

8 comments

  • internet2000 12 minutes ago
    In case anyone here missed it, there's a native Ublock Origin for Safari. It works great → https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ublock-origin-lite/id674534269...
  • Shank 29 minutes ago
    > Ads shown on search engine results pages, including Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and other search providers

    There are many subpar adblockers available both built into browsers on iOS and as extensions. uBlock Origin Lite for Safari remains the best mobile adblocker on iOS, I suppose.

  • VCFundedGenYer 1 hour ago
    Technically, Firefox Focus (a separate browser for iOS) includes an adblocker feature that can be applied system wide via iOS's content blockers subsystem. This was released in the late 2010s.

    Firefox including it is likely just reducing the steps required.

    • brightbeige 31 minutes ago
      If you search the App Store and don’t find it, it’s called Firefox Klar in some markets
    • adityeah 1 hour ago
      Yes and not only that, one can enable that as a safari extension and get an ad-free experience on safari too.
  • temp0826 1 hour ago
    What's the current excuse for not supporting extensions on iOS? Orion on iOS does and it's the reason I dropped FF ages ago.
    • TheDong 1 hour ago
      Apple themselves do not allow using anything other than WebKit unless you move to the EU or Japan: https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engi...

      Firefox addons target gecko, not webkit.

      What Orion's doing is horribly hacky and prone to cause issues with a multitude of addons, and of course Mozilla shouldn't bow to Apple's incredibly anti-competitive behavior.

      You pay apple for a phone that can act more-or-less as a general purpose computer with apps. Apple should let you install the apps you want, and that they don't do so is insulting.

      The fact that the EU and Japan ruled it illegal, and Apple responded by only changing it in those two countries instead of all countries is doubly insulting.

      • Grombobulous 1 minute ago
        I disagree with negativity towards Orion’s extension implementation. I think it’s commendable that they’ve tried to do it even if it’s hacky. Better to have something than nothing.
      • yoavm 13 minutes ago
        > Firefox addons target gecko, not webkit.

        Are they? I've built a few Firefox extension and I cannot recall any part of the API that is Gecko-specific. While parts of the API aren't entirely browser-agnostic, they definitely seem to be engine-agnostic.

      • wbl 48 minutes ago
        Not all markets or manufacturers will have the same degree of vertical integration and that's ok.
        • Grombobulous 14 minutes ago
          It’s okay if you’re in a healthy market with many competitive choices.

          It’s not okay if you’re a duopoly where over 95% of people buy your product as a prerequisite to functioning in modern society.

        • grepex 13 minutes ago
          Read: not all markets and manufacturers will have the same respect for their customers.
    • tcfhgj 26 minutes ago
      what's the current excuse for buying a device which doesn't allow you to control what software you use on it?
      • whstl 20 minutes ago
        1. Not wanting to.

        2. Caring about other aspects of the device.

        I don't personally agree with Apple's decisions, but you "vote with wallet" people need to have at least some modicum of empathy before you start demanding that people have a lot for you and join your cause.

        • tcfhgj 14 minutes ago
          you are reading a lot into almost nothing

          > 1. Not wanting to.

          obviously you DO want to if you want to use extensions but cannot use them because you actually cannot control the software on your device

          • whstl 3 minutes ago
            I am not talking about myself. That's where the empathy part comes.
    • VCFundedGenYer 38 minutes ago
      As always, it's Apple neutering their own platform. They don't allow a lot of things on iOS. Non-WebKit browsers is one of them (Which is asinine).

      The EU forced them to allow other browser engines in their regions, but it's not global, and therefore fragmented.

    • close04 1 hour ago
      Until recently Apple only allowed Webkit on iOS. In the EU and Japan now they allow proprietary engines. But this means Mozilla needs to put in all the extra effort to maintain yet another branch for iOS with all the features, for an even more limited user base in those regions alone.
  • jamesforestwest 14 minutes ago
    Well, not bad. But it's not uBlock, and Safari's blocker is already working fine for me. Brave's also been doing this for years. But at least it's something.
  • michimagdesign 7 minutes ago
    Paying for Wipr 2 + Filtr is still the gold standard on apple platforms imo. But it’s not open source and there are no custom block lists.
  • rrgok 40 minutes ago
    It this still only DNS blocking or does cosmetic blocking too?
    • HelloUsername 32 minutes ago
      "Firefox blocks many types of advertising at the network level. It uses a filter list based on EasyList to block many ads before they load."

      I guess still all DNS it seems? For which NextDNS is much more useful.

  • ImJamal 1 hour ago
    > Firefox does not block:

    > Ads shown on search engine results pages, including Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and other search providers

    > Sponsored content on the Firefox Home or New Tab page

    So block ads unless it impacts their revenue sources.

    • pmkary 27 minutes ago
      Ads are bad! Blocking ads on our own homepage? How do you expect us to keep the lights on?
    • rvz 14 minutes ago
      Mozilla knows not to bite Google’s hand, who is the one that actually feeds them hundreds of millions of dollars.
      • charcircuit 0 minutes ago
        Mozilla is the one who is funneling billions of dollars worth of traffic to Google.
    • eviks 52 minutes ago
      "better than nothing"
    • add-sub-mul-div 1 hour ago
      It doesn't have those limitations on Windows or Android, so it must be an Apple requirement or limitation.
      • smallerize 43 minutes ago
        Easylist does not block those things on any platforms.

        I'm not aware of any adblockers that can block the ads on the built-in New Tab page. (You can just disable them in settings anyway.)