NEW YORK: In iOS 9, it will be possible to add extensions to the mobile version of Safari, including those that serve to block advertisements. While this type of program is increasingly being used on computers, this will be a first for iPhones and iPads.
Since the most popular extension for Safari and for most other browsers is Adblock Plus, there’s little doubt that it will be highly in demand for the mobile version.
Using such an extension allows the user to not only block annoying pop-ups, advertisements, cookies and other trackers, but also to load web pages faster and provide better security.
Up until now it has been very difficult to block advertisements in the browser and other applications on Apple’s mobile operating system. There are only a handful of incomplete or third-party solutions, like the Adblock Browser (free) and the Weblock app (US$1.99/RM7.48), that allow the user to block any type of content in the various programs installed on the mobile device.
In Android, ad blocking is already possible, but only using dedicated browsers, such as Ghostery Privacy. Since the removal of its initial app from Google Play, Adblock Plus has announced working on a beta form of the browser for Android users.
The undeniable leader in the sector, Adblock Plus has been downloaded more than 300 million times, across all platforms.
As for the rest of the ad blocking extensions, according to a report by PageFair and Adobe, their combined downloads totalled some 144 million across the world in 2014.
