Apple is due to update its own Safari browser to enable ad blocking on iPhones and iPads, but the makers of the hugely popular Adblock Plus extension for desktop browsers have beaten Cupertino to the punch by launching its own mobile browser for Android and iOS today.
Adblock Plus is both a source of delight to users and consternation to companies which rely on an advertising-supported model to run online services. The open-source project develops browser extensions that block advertisements, pop-ups, video ads and potential sources of malvertising — adverts which lead to malware or malicious links and counterfeit websites.
Adblock Browser claims to be compatible with the iPhone 5 and it only requires iOS 8, rather than the updated iOS 9 to work. But a key disadvantage is that it’s likely to be slower than Safari’s content blocker extensions, due to the way it processes what to block.
Adblock Browser is built on an existing “extensible browser” for iOS, called Kitt, and is already available on Apple’s App Store. Adblock Plus’ owner, Eyeo, partnered with software firm Salsita to create the new browser. Matt Gartner, CEO of Salsita, wrote: “We have been working for several months with Eyeo to create a fully-fledged ad blocking browser, based on Kitt, that goes far beyond the capabilities of Safari’s new content blocking extensions.”
The new browser promises to block the majority of ads, trackers and “malvertising” – the injection of ads containing malware into legitimate ad networks.
Adblock Plus also announced that Google has lifted a two-year ban on its service on the Play Store, meaning the Adblock Browser is now available for Android phones.
You can get Adblock Plus from the Google Play store and the Apple App Store right here.
