Pleasant side effect of the MV3 debacle. uBOL is still far better than most other adblockers and supporting MV3 means it also supports Safari. Realistically I should wean myself off Safari but...
Pleasant side effect of the MV3 debacle. uBOL is still far better than most other adblockers and supporting MV3 means it also supports Safari.
Realistically I should wean myself off Safari but handoff is so useful…
EDIT: Apparently it needs iOS 18.6 on phones despite the App Store listing. It wouldn't work on my iPhone because of I assume the Safari version in 18.5.
The best thing about uBOL is that it works on iOS as well, where there are no alternative browser engines. I've tried a lot of "browsers" and content blockers, including Brave/Orion/Firefox Focus,...
Realistically I should wean myself off Safari but handoff is so useful…
The best thing about uBOL is that it works on iOS as well, where there are no alternative browser engines. I've tried a lot of "browsers" and content blockers, including Brave/Orion/Firefox Focus, but they always had some ads slip through. Or sometimes they would block URLs from loading but not prevent your click from being hijacked, resulting in annoying "this URL was blocked by a content blocker" new tab popups that you have to constantly close.
This works extremely well in comparison; so far it's been just like regular uBO after some configuration. Very happy with this release.
That surprises me to hear, TBH! It’s been a while since I’ve looked into it, but IIRC, they use the same blocking functionality as UBO – or you can just get UBO as Orion is the only Webkit (Safari...
Orion
That surprises me to hear, TBH! It’s been a while since I’ve looked into it, but IIRC, they use the same blocking functionality as UBO – or you can just get UBO as Orion is the only Webkit (Safari engine)-based browser to support Firefox/Chrome extensions.
uBO didn't really work on iOS Orion in my experience; their website's FAQ used to say "Wait, are you saying I can run uBlock Origin and other Chrome/Firefox extensions in Orion?!" but then they...
uBO didn't really work on iOS Orion in my experience; their website's FAQ used to say "Wait, are you saying I can run uBlock Origin and other Chrome/Firefox extensions in Orion?!" but then they updated it to add "for Mac" at the end. Multiple developer comments have confirmed that they meant it for Mac and iOS support for extensions is extremely limited.
As for the built-in adblocker, I simply had ads slip through and Orion in general has been very buggy for me. Often websites would fail to load, have nonfunctional components, or just straight-up crash. I just tried it right now to see if it's improved and got two crashes within minutes.
Handoff doesn't care what browser you use, it just cares what has been set as the default. I run Safari on my phone and Firefox on my Macbook. I get Firefox Handoff prompts in the dock when...
Realistically I should wean myself off Safari but handoff is so useful…
Handoff doesn't care what browser you use, it just cares what has been set as the default. I run Safari on my phone and Firefox on my Macbook. I get Firefox Handoff prompts in the dock when looking at a site in Safari on my phone.
Make sure to go to the settings and configure the filters after installing. I found that it worked quite poorly by default, but after switching to Complete mode and enabling all the filters except...
Make sure to go to the settings and configure the filters after installing. I found that it worked quite poorly by default, but after switching to Complete mode and enabling all the filters except Miscellaneous/Regions, it just works perfectly in classic uBlock Origin style.
Another ad-blocking option is to use a system-level DNS that does not resolve ads. A friend shared their NextDNS account with me, and the setup through that is pretty easy. This is mainly...
Another ad-blocking option is to use a system-level DNS that does not resolve ads. A friend shared their NextDNS account with me, and the setup through that is pretty easy.
This is mainly beneficial for in-app ads, and it blocks most pretty well. But it'll also block website ads. The biggest problem with this is when some applications fail to load properly (depending on what you're blocking). Home Depot's app is one of these. But I've configured a shortcut that opens the setting to toggle the DNS on or off, and added it to Command Center for easy access.
All that being said, I'm still looking forward to trying out uBlock (not everything is blocked by NextDNS) and will see how it works after I update my phone tonight.
I use Pi-hole just for this! I also run one in the cloud with Wireguard VPN built in to tunnel the DNS traffic when I'm not at home. You can also do the same on your home network and VPN back in...
I use Pi-hole just for this! I also run one in the cloud with Wireguard VPN built in to tunnel the DNS traffic when I'm not at home. You can also do the same on your home network and VPN back in to that when you are away - but the cloud one runs me about $5 a month so I'm ok with it.
Strange, I was able to download and install it on my iPhone but when I go into Safari settings to activate it, it says “‘uBO Lite’ is not supported by this version of Safari.” I’m running the...
Strange, I was able to download and install it on my iPhone but when I go into Safari settings to activate it, it says “‘uBO Lite’ is not supported by this version of Safari.” I’m running the latest release (no betas) so that’s surprising to me.
Is there anything for older iOS versions? I’ve got an old iphone on a version of 16 in case my daily driver gets messed up and I could never figure out a reliable way to block ads on it.
Is there anything for older iOS versions? I’ve got an old iphone on a version of 16 in case my daily driver gets messed up and I could never figure out a reliable way to block ads on it.
Older iOS/iPadOS versions can still use DNS level adblock services like AdGuard. It's what I have on my older iPad. IME, they don't work nearly as well as browser extension blockers though.
Older iOS/iPadOS versions can still use DNS level adblock services like AdGuard. It's what I have on my older iPad. IME, they don't work nearly as well as browser extension blockers though.
Great to know that we have the option to use uBOL on Safari. uBO is arguably the best adblocker on Firefox (and on Chromium browsers still on manifest v2.) Not to be a downer, but why should I use...
Great to know that we have the option to use uBOL on Safari. uBO is arguably the best adblocker on Firefox (and on Chromium browsers still on manifest v2.)
Not to be a downer, but why should I use this over existing well performing content blockers like Wipr 2 or Adguard? But yes, more the options for us users the merrier!
I was using (and satisfied with) Wipr 2 and went immediately to uBO for these reasons: uBO has a great track record/history. uBO is open source. More controls regarding blocking lists, exceptions,...
I was using (and satisfied with) Wipr 2 and went immediately to uBO for these reasons:
uBO has a great track record/history.
uBO is open source.
More controls regarding blocking lists, exceptions, and customization.
Wipr 2 is awesome (and arguably a better extension) for those who can't bother fiddling with options and block lists.
It appears the extension will work with basic filtering even if you never click it to give it permissions, which is good. It does pop a little blue notification indicator if it blocks things...
I am not a fan of how the extension asks for permission to view a webpage's data. Other Safari blockers avoid this by splitting the non-intrusive functionality from the intrusive functionality, so a user has the option to decide their risk tolerance. Ublock Origin Lite made the change to request the permission months ago and I had to remove the Chrome extension from my work laptop as a result.
It appears the extension will work with basic filtering even if you never click it to give it permissions, which is good. It does pop a little blue notification indicator if it blocks things though, presumably because it wants me to activate more powerful blocking?
Pleasant side effect of the MV3 debacle. uBOL is still far better than most other adblockers and supporting MV3 means it also supports Safari.
Realistically I should wean myself off Safari but handoff is so useful…
EDIT: Apparently it needs iOS 18.6 on phones despite the App Store listing. It wouldn't work on my iPhone because of I assume the Safari version in 18.5.
The best thing about uBOL is that it works on iOS as well, where there are no alternative browser engines. I've tried a lot of "browsers" and content blockers, including Brave/Orion/Firefox Focus, but they always had some ads slip through. Or sometimes they would block URLs from loading but not prevent your click from being hijacked, resulting in annoying "this URL was blocked by a content blocker" new tab popups that you have to constantly close.
This works extremely well in comparison; so far it's been just like regular uBO after some configuration. Very happy with this release.
That surprises me to hear, TBH! It’s been a while since I’ve looked into it, but IIRC, they use the same blocking functionality as UBO – or you can just get UBO as Orion is the only Webkit (Safari engine)-based browser to support Firefox/Chrome extensions.
uBO didn't really work on iOS Orion in my experience; their website's FAQ used to say "Wait, are you saying I can run uBlock Origin and other Chrome/Firefox extensions in Orion?!" but then they updated it to add "for Mac" at the end. Multiple developer comments have confirmed that they meant it for Mac and iOS support for extensions is extremely limited.
As for the built-in adblocker, I simply had ads slip through and Orion in general has been very buggy for me. Often websites would fail to load, have nonfunctional components, or just straight-up crash. I just tried it right now to see if it's improved and got two crashes within minutes.
That's surprising to hear, I've been using orion as my main browser (ios) for over a year now and never have any crashes.
Handoff doesn't care what browser you use, it just cares what has been set as the default. I run Safari on my phone and Firefox on my Macbook. I get Firefox Handoff prompts in the dock when looking at a site in Safari on my phone.
It's the other direction mostly, macOS to iOS. Only Safari shows handoff prompts.
Same issue here on 18.5. It lets you install it but when you try to enable it, uBlock says it isn’t compatible with my version of Safari.
I can confirm updating to 18.6 seemed to fix it.
Make sure to go to the settings and configure the filters after installing. I found that it worked quite poorly by default, but after switching to Complete mode and enabling all the filters except Miscellaneous/Regions, it just works perfectly in classic uBlock Origin style.
Where are the settings on iOS? Edit: safari extensions -> ublock -> settings
Another ad-blocking option is to use a system-level DNS that does not resolve ads. A friend shared their NextDNS account with me, and the setup through that is pretty easy.
This is mainly beneficial for in-app ads, and it blocks most pretty well. But it'll also block website ads. The biggest problem with this is when some applications fail to load properly (depending on what you're blocking). Home Depot's app is one of these. But I've configured a shortcut that opens the setting to toggle the DNS on or off, and added it to Command Center for easy access.
All that being said, I'm still looking forward to trying out uBlock (not everything is blocked by NextDNS) and will see how it works after I update my phone tonight.
I use Pi-hole just for this! I also run one in the cloud with Wireguard VPN built in to tunnel the DNS traffic when I'm not at home. You can also do the same on your home network and VPN back in to that when you are away - but the cloud one runs me about $5 a month so I'm ok with it.
Yeah, I use 1Blocker which does this via a local VPN on iOS, as well as an in browser component. I run into the same issues but overall works alright.
Strange, I was able to download and install it on my iPhone but when I go into Safari settings to activate it, it says “‘uBO Lite’ is not supported by this version of Safari.” I’m running the latest release (no betas) so that’s surprising to me.
What iOS version are you on? I got this error as well but it worked after updating to 18.6.
Ah, I’m on 18.5. Didn’t realize I’m not current. I’ll do the update and see if uBO works after that!
Is there anything for older iOS versions? I’ve got an old iphone on a version of 16 in case my daily driver gets messed up and I could never figure out a reliable way to block ads on it.
Older iOS/iPadOS versions can still use DNS level adblock services like AdGuard. It's what I have on my older iPad. IME, they don't work nearly as well as browser extension blockers though.
Great to know that we have the option to use uBOL on Safari. uBO is arguably the best adblocker on Firefox (and on Chromium browsers still on manifest v2.)
Not to be a downer, but why should I use this over existing well performing content blockers like Wipr 2 or Adguard? But yes, more the options for us users the merrier!
I was using (and satisfied with) Wipr 2 and went immediately to uBO for these reasons:
Wipr 2 is awesome (and arguably a better extension) for those who can't bother fiddling with options and block lists.
I’m guessing there’s no way to get this on iOS Firefox?
No, you can't install browser extensions on iOS/iPadOS other than on Safari.
Closest solution for firefox with content blockers is firefox focus.
Using a DNS-level content blocker, such as NextDNS, also helps a lot. Plus, you get ad blocking in apps as well.
Absolutely.
I would also add Adguard DNS and ControlD as the other alternatives.
I am not a fan of how the extension asks for permission to view a webpage's data. Other Safari blockers avoid this by splitting the non-intrusive functionality from the intrusive functionality, so a user has the option to decide their risk tolerance. Ublock Origin Lite made the change to request the permission months ago and I had to remove the Chrome extension from my work laptop as a result.It appears the extension will work with basic filtering even if you never click it to give it permissions, which is good. It does pop a little blue notification indicator if it blocks things though, presumably because it wants me to activate more powerful blocking?