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Posted by mumber_typhoon 6 hours ago

uBlock Origin Lite Apple App Store(apps.apple.com)
169 points | 63 comments
tech234a 4 hours 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 54 minutes 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.
Mistletoe 12 minutes ago||
Gmail insists on doing this and always screws it up.
lapcat 29 minutes 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.

HelloUsername 4 hours ago||
Previous discussions of some months ago:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44795825

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44335664

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43976898

latexr 1 hour 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 58 minutes 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.

prodigycorp 2 minutes ago||
I've been using it for a few months and i'm disappointed as well. It seems to totally break google.
trenchpilgrim 4 hours 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 3 hours 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.

latexr 1 hour ago||
Yes. I used to use Wipr 1 and also found it underwhelming, eventually settling on 1Blocker. Eventually I decided to give Wipr 2 a shot and it’s much improved.

It also now allows blocking even outside of Safari. Though that requires iOS/macOS 26, which I have no intention of installing any time soon, so can’t speak for how effective that is.

https://kaylees.site/wipr-filtr.html

rckt 1 hour 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 1 hour ago|||
Adguard works well and is free. I did pay for Wipr 1 but now switched to Adguard.
Mistletoe 10 minutes ago||
Yeah AdGuard seems to work great for me. Any reason to switch to unlock Origin Lite?
tapete2 3 hours ago|||
Imagine paying for not having to view ads.
nxpnsv 3 hours ago|||
Yeah, the ad situation really is so horrible it is worth paying to get out of it. Also supporting an inde dev to provide a useful app with the equivalent of a nice cup of coffee doesn't feel all that bad.
teekert 2 hours ago||||
I think this is sarcastic?

I mean I pay on several websites to not see ads, so it (paying to remove ads) seems like the normalest thing. And it should be the normalest thing.

The only weird thing here is that we pay a party that is not the one serving the ads, so the primary misses income from ads and potentially paying customers.

But I suspect that is what you meant with your remark.

Moreover, paying on every website is just insane overkill and very expense compared to the value you get from occasional visits (the sites I subscribe to I visit multiple times a day and they provide business value).

Something like Alby [0] could solve this though. But Crypto currency has become a dirty word around here ;) (Alby does allow fractions of cents to be transferred, like a stream, on website visits, it (among others) also powers per-second paying for Podcasts streams, splitting revenue between multiple podcast hosts, the podcast app and the central index if set up that way. It's hard to set up though, something fiat-currency, based with 0 overhead would be nice...).

[0] https://getalby.com/

MangoToupe 3 hours ago||||
Better than viewing ads.
mrklol 2 hours ago||||
I mean… putting the app onto the store costs a yearly fee + development costs. I don’t think the dev should pay that out of their own pocket.
troupo 3 hours ago|||
Imagine you're entitled to free work by others
fsflover 1 hour ago|||
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45177601
pasteldream 2 hours ago|||
Imagine asking the browser on my hardware to do things I don’t want it to do, and acting shocked when I tell it not to.
threatofrain 2 hours ago||
Imagine there's a business that can't really enforce whether you walk out without providing compensation. You realize you have the home court advantage on enforcement and guess what, you don't want to pay. It's your browser/wallet and that's your prerogative. But what does that mean about how tempting their goods are? Do we have prerogative to these goods?

Should we live in a world where we only permit business models that require customers pay directly or don't enter at all?

pasteldream 2 hours ago||
You know, I do not actually know that a website had ads before clicking on a link to it; I would be happy to only visit websites without ads.

It’s scummy to shove ads in my face without at least warning me and giving me a chance to leave, I think.

threatofrain 2 hours ago||
Fair point. There should be a header to reveal whether the payload has ads. Then you can refuse right there.
seivan 4 hours ago||
[dead]
joak 2 hours 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 1 hour 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.
islon 1 hour ago||
Yeah, I have the same problem. Had to stop using Orion because it always heated up the phone too much. A shame. Hopefully they fix it.
ornornor 3 hours 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)
8fingerlouie 3 hours ago||
If you're in Europe, there's the newly launched DNS4EU project which is free for personal use, and also includes adblocking at the DNS level like NextDNS.

I use it in conjunction with Adguard and secure DNS, but they also publish configuration profiles for iOS.

https://www.joindns4.eu/

https://www.joindns4.eu/dns-guidelines

pprotas 36 minutes ago|||
Did some research on this DNS since it seemed promising. Apparently they rely on non-EU services? https://cybernews.com/security/european-independent-dns-reli...
nottorp 1 hour ago||||
Humm they only mention wifi. Can't do it on [3-4-5]G?
Havoc 2 hours ago|||
Thanks for pointing this out
dry_soup 2 hours ago|||
I block YouTube ads on iOS by watching in the browser (with no YouTube app installed) and using AdGuard.
ornornor 2 hours ago||
YT in the browser on iOS is torture.
cassianoleal 1 hour ago||
It's fine if you use Vinegar [0]. No ads and you can even lock your phone and keep listening to the videos.

[0] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vinegar-tube-cleaner/id1591303...

wasting_time 1 hour ago|||
Why not just pay for a subscription instead of VPN?
ornornor 1 hour ago||
Because I don’t want to give google any money. And mullvad has many other uses besides blocking YT ads.
moontear 3 hours ago|||
How does the Albanian VPN help? No ad revenue in Albania?
ornornor 2 hours ago|||
For some reason there are no YT ads in Albania. It’s refreshing.
jim180 2 hours ago|||
The CPM difference in US vs. rest of the world is huge. If Albania has cpm near zero, it's not worth to show ads there.
v7engine 3 hours ago||
Safari ads are not blocked when using NextDNS. Is it just me?
latexr 1 hour ago|||
Safari does not respect the operating system’s DNS settings, it uses its own. I have seen several reports online that you can disable this behaviour by turning off iCloud Private Relay or disabling Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint Protection, but was never able to do so with various combinations.
drcongo 1 hour ago||
iCloud Private Relay is the only thing that stops Safari using your NextDNS config, turn that off and you're golden. I've been using NextDNS since it launched, I love it.
latexr 1 hour ago||
> iCloud Private Relay is the only thing that stops Safari using your NextDNS config

Maybe that’s true for the NextDNS configuration—I don’t know, I haven’t tested, so I’ll take your word for it—but not true for DNS settings in general.

> turn that off and you're golden.

Unless you want iCloud Private Relay, in which case you’re not.

ornornor 2 hours ago|||
It’s is.
latexr 1 hour ago||
It’s not, and a basic “Safari DNS” web search shows you it’s not.
eptcyka 4 hours ago||
Is this legitimate? I can’t find any reference to this on Raymond Hill’s github or ublock’s web site.
boomboomsubban 3 hours ago||
https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBOL-home mentions it.
JSR_FDED 2 hours 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)?

SG- 5 minutes ago||
yes this blocks YouTube ads in the browser.
cassianoleal 1 hour ago|||
I don't know about YT Shorts but Vinegar [0] blocks ads.

[0] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vinegar-tube-cleaner/id1591303...

reddalo 2 hours 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.

ge96 3 hours 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 3 hours ago||
Why use lite on Firefox/android, considering the normal one is available too?
ge96 2 hours ago||
Oh yeah my bad I mis-rememebered, I use lite on chrome pc and the regular mobile firefox
aucisson_masque 56 minutes ago||
So you are using Firefox on Android which is frankly janky but not on computer where it actually shines ?
f4uCL9dNSnQm 1 hour 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.
totostache 2 hours ago|
Would it work with Firefox iOS?
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