409 pointsby Squarex6 days ago30 comments
  • HexDecOctBin6 days ago
    It's a shame Firefox on iOS has failed/refused to support third-party content filters [1] since 2019. Just because they can't bring Gecko doesn't mean they shouldn't try to gain mindshare for the Mozilla Firefox brand on one of the biggest platforms, yet they refuse to put in the resources.

    1: https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/firefox-ios/issues/5198

    • freeAgent5 days ago
      Somewhat ironically, you can install and use the Firefox uBO extension on Orion for iOS. Orion/Kagi figured out how to do it before Firefox/Mozilla.
      • graynk5 days ago
        except it doesn't work. but you can install it, yes.

        I want to like Orion but I've seen the same bugs for a year now.

        • Aerbil3135 days ago
          I'm using Orion as my daily driver on iOS mainly because of a Safari bug[1]. It used to be very buggy, had frequent app crashes for no reason at all but nowadays (since a year?) works pretty fine, even the UBO plugin works fine.

          1: You can long tap and select "Download Linked File" on any link in Safari, including links that are forbidden by Content Restrictions, such as a news.ycombinator.com link from google search. Ping me if a Safari engineer sees this and fixes it!

          • hedora5 days ago
            I use Orion. I hit some crashes until I told it to autoclose tabs after a few days. I’d rather leave that off, but it’s a minor problem.

            I run three firefox plugins. They all work correctly.

          • akmann5 days ago
            What is it with said bug, that makes you use another browser because of it? Seems not like a big deal..
          • dylan6045 days ago
            A bug that happens for no reason? Aren’t these typically some sort of memory access violation, or am I just showing my age of what used to be the cause? I know nothing of iOS inner workings, but is illegal memory access still possible where this would be the behavior?
        • jeffhuys5 days ago
          It does work tho. Just not consistently lol
          • graynka day ago
            Here's my test: I install Firefox version of the plugin and enable additional filter lists like "annoyances" and "cookie notices", then go to eurogamer.net

            1. I still see cookie notice

            2. I open uBlock and it says "blocked on this page: 0"

            That's "doesn't work" for me.

      • eddythompson805 days ago
        Last I tried Orion was a couple of months ago. I wouldn't really say "figured out" per se. Like I see the vision, I like the vision, but I'm waiting.
        • freeAgent5 days ago
          I mean that they figured out how to support (most) browser extensions on iOS in their browser, unlike Firefox. They haven’t figured everything out, but I do daily drive Orion on iOS. I still prefer Firefox on desktop due to stability (and Orion’s extension advantage in mobile doesn’t extend to desktop).
          • SG-5 days ago
            Not most, they have figured out a few and they don't work very well.
            • jeffhuys5 days ago
              Really all I wanted was uBlock and that works.

              That being said, after being my daily driver for almost a year, I went back to safari about a month ago with Wipr. 3x speedup and battery efficiency. Unfortunately, it became buggier instead of less buggy :(

              Still use it on mac tho - vertical tabs are a game-changer.

            • freeAgent5 days ago
              What do you need that doesn’t work?
              • graynka day ago
                uBlock does not work. I don't know how people check that it works for them, but for me it definitely does not. Neither does e.g. https://getindie.wiki/ - redirects don't work and I can't even get to the settings page from the menu (it does open once after install, but afterwards the button that's supposed to open it does nothing)

                UPD: Somehow installing indie wiki extension second time (without deleting it, just pressing "add to orion" a second time) partially fixed it. Redirects now works, banners are broken, showing "visit $destination$ instead"

      • toofy5 days ago
        from what i understand orion is overflowing with bugs.

        even without the bugs, after everything we’ve been through with crazy shit from closed sourced browser companies, the last thing i’d install would be orion/kagi. lol nuh uh.

        not a chance i’d trust an ai company with almost the entirety of my online existence—especially when they close off and hide what they’re doing.

        • handsclean5 days ago
          Orion is not made by an AI company, it’s made by Kagi.

          If you’re an open source or non-profit diehard then yes, it’s not that, but as far as closed source for-profit businesses go, they’re a lot better than most. They are a public benefit corporation that has rejected VC funding, and their main pitch is aligning user and company benefit, despite the mainstream currently railing against it.

          I’m not affiliated, just a user.

        • JumpCrisscross5 days ago
          > from what i understand orion is overflowing with bugs

          I use it as a daily driver on macOS. Not noticing the bugs anymore.

          • trws5 days ago
            I just started giving it a try again about a week ago, and I second this. A year ago it was nearly unusable for any extension outside their preferred list, now it’s largely a pleasant experience.
          • godelski5 days ago
            I use it on iPhone, it has lots of bugs. But it's worth it for the ad blocking
            • Larrikin5 days ago
              Why not just use AdGuard or PiHole?
              • godelski5 days ago
                Those are DNS blockers. You're not going to block YouTube ads with those.

                Plus, I want blocking when I'm outside of my house. I don't always want to run everything through Tailscale and Apple doesn't always make that easy. It'll turn off your VPN quite frequently...

          • hoistbypetard5 days ago
            Do you use Bitwarden with it, by any chance? I daily drove it for quite a while, about mid 2022-late 2023. Poor bitwarden support plus a pile of paper cuts drove me away. When it worked as intended, I liked it, and I'm not opposed to paying for a good browser, but it was too buggy at that time for a subscription to feel like a good deal.
        • 472828472 days ago
          Not having any issues at all with Orion on iOS. And yeah like others said Kagi is not “an AI company“?
        • int_19h4 days ago
          Vivaldi is closed source as well, yet it's one of the better browsers around.

          (and has integrated ad blocker that is "good enough" for all practical purposes)

        • stranded225 days ago
          AI company?

          I thought Orion is made by Kagi?

          • hoistbypetard5 days ago
            They started peddling an AI assistant a while back:

            https://help.kagi.com/kagi/ai/assistant.html

            I don't think I'd have called them an AI company on that basis any more than I'd call JetBrains an AI company for the same reason. But I can see why someone might call them that.

    • rs1865 days ago
      People who install Firefox on iOS is likely a very small number. If I were the project manager of Firefox, and with such limited resources and Google's cash going away any day, I would not put in any work either.
      • HexDecOctBin5 days ago
        Sure, in which case they shouldn't have released it at all. A substandard product simply reduces the brand value.
        • rs1864 days ago
          Adblock feature!= Firefox on iOS
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    • account424 days ago
      On the contrary, caring about their "brand" more than the actual Firefox software effectively describes what is wrong with Mozilla.

      iOS "Firefox" shouldn't be a thing in the first place - definitely not with such a misleading name.

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    • neuroelectron5 days ago
      Apple really isn't that important.
  • jen729w6 days ago
    1Blocker has worked tremendously well for me for what feels like a decade now.

    https://apps.apple.com/au/app/1blocker-ad-blocker/id13655310...

    • xnx6 days ago
      Look like that costs money though?
      • gruez6 days ago
        It's absolutely bonkers that an adblocker needs to cost $15/year, when the actual filter lists are maintained by volunteers and there's (presumably) very little in the way of code changes needed.
        • GeekyBear6 days ago
          If you don't dont see any additional value, then chose choose one of the free ad blocking options.

          One of the nice things for developers working in the Apple ecosystem is that users are willing to support well crafted software.

          Although, sometimes you do run into developers as selfless as Gorhill who still craft excellent software.

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          • Krasnol5 days ago
            Don't you have to pay money to host your app there in the first place which is why there is so few good, free applications?

            Also: what would be "additional value" in an adblocker? Either it works or it doesn't.

          • wooger3 days ago
            The restrictions on iOS content blockers mean that it's not possible to add value, it's just basic competence to apply pre-existing filter lists maintained by someone else.

            Gorhill's browser extensions are great, have actual features. This isn't possible in iOS.

        • el_benhameen6 days ago
          I dunno, I’m not a fan of paying for wrappers but I get a lot from 1Blocker and I’m happy to pay for it. As far as I know it’s just one dude who builds the app, and he spends a lot of time keeping it working in the face of YouTube tactics, etc.
          • gruez6 days ago
            >and he spends a lot of time keeping it working in the face of YouTube tactics, etc.

            Does he? Is he doing original research, or just copying whatever ublock origin/easylist puts out? After all, all the bypass methods are just javascript snippets that extensions inject into the page, so it's not like you have to spend much time porting to iOS or whatever.

            • MBCook6 days ago
              You think that doesn’t require time? Doing user support? Keeping up with API changes, etc?
              • gruez6 days ago
                I'm not claiming it requires 0 time, only that it's nowhere near the amount of time that would justify a $15/year price tag.
                • mynameisbob5 days ago
                  You’re assuming that the price for a product should be based on the cost to offer it. In most markets, price is a function of the value perceived by buyers and relative pricing of similar products. Cost doesn’t enter into the equation.
                  • gruez5 days ago
                    I'm well aware of how markets work, but that doesn't make it less bonkers. Bottled water companies take municipal water, do some "filtering", and sell it for a 10x-100x markup. I'm sure the people buying the water thinks they're getting their money's worth, but that doesn't mean we can't point out how absurd it is, nor is " in most markets, price is a function of the value perceived by buyers and relative pricing of similar products" a satisfying counterargument to that.
                    • hombre_fatal5 days ago
                      I don’t see what’s absurd about paying a buck for the convenience of bottled water when and where you want it.

                      Or paying $15 for a year of someone keeping a content blocker up to date.

                      Maybe you are completely desynchronized from what people find valuable.

                      That you start valuing software at $0 because someone is producing it for free is a sad part of open source.

                • brookst5 days ago
                  How many hours a month do you think is needed to “justify” charging $1.25/month?

                  If your time has so little value, please do create an alternative and offer the same level of support and updates for a price that seems more fair to you. $0.50/month maybe?

                  • gruez5 days ago
                    >If your time has so little value, please do create an alternative and offer the same level of support and updates for a price that seems more fair to you. $0.50/month maybe?

                    This thread is literally about someone providing a free alternative.

                • selcuka5 days ago
                  Unless someone else makes an equivalent product and sell it for $14/year, and every user switches to the new product, this statement is moot. A product justifies its price tag as long as people are willing to buy it at that price.

                  Revenue optimisation is a different concern. Would they sell more if they priced it at $10? Maybe. Would the total revenue ($10 * number of users) be higher than now? Maybe not. There is a local maxima and it appears that they calculated this to be ~$15.

                  • gruez5 days ago
                    >Unless someone else makes an equivalent product and sell it for $14/year, and every user switches to the new product, this statement is moot. A product justifies its price tag as long as people are willing to buy it at that price.

                    adguard is free and I don't think I've encountered an ad that it didn't block. There's also open source adblockers like ublock origin lite, and some other one that was mentioned earlier this year but I forgot the name of.

                    • selcuka5 days ago
                      > adguard is free [...] open source adblockers like ublock origin lite [...] and some other one

                      Yet not "every user has switched to these free products". Apparently the consumers don't feel the same way as yourself, or they are not aware of those options (marketing costs, too). Hence (quoting myself):

                      > A product justifies its price tag as long as people are willing to buy it at that price.

                      I'm not a 1Blocker user, but 1Blocker definitely doesn't have to price match anyone else if their customers are happy to pay despite there are many free options.

                • bartvk5 days ago
                  How many developers do you think would work even a single hour for that price tag?
                  • gruez5 days ago
                    I'm sure the app has at least 1000 paying subscribers? Take out Apple's 30% cut, and that's more than $10k a year.
                    • bartvk5 days ago
                      I found that over the years, it's easy to look at someone's business and conclude they're making bank.
        • ctippett6 days ago
          I use 1Blocker and I'm on a grandfathered plan that's $5 per year. It's absolutely worth it (even at $15).
        • dylan6045 days ago
          Having the lists freely available is only part of the battle for the end user. There are different ways of using that free data, and that takes time to develop. A good blocker can also do more than just utilize that free data as well
        • lupusreal5 days ago
          Charging money fits iOS user culture though. They might even have fewer users if it was free.
      • browningstreet6 days ago
        Yup and it works on my family plan. No brainer. It’s a set-it and forget-it install. Recommended.
      • phire5 days ago
        The free functionality works well enough for me that I never saw the need to look further (until now).

        You can only enable one filter list, but "Ads" is a single filter list, so I just enabled that. Just means I can't enable the "Trackers" (though safari has some built in tracker blocking) or "Annoyances" lists, or add Custom rules.

        Though, it's going to be a deal-breaker for anyone outside of the English speaking world, because the regional filters count as a second list.

      • internet20006 days ago
        It’s okay, you can afford it.
      • Destiner5 days ago
        I bought a life-time plan a few years ago.

        Feels like a no-brainer investment.

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  • azretd6 days ago
    I have used Wipr for years, and now Wipr 2. Worth the small amount to keep intrusive ads, and it is cross platform.
    • VignuB5 days ago
      One of the better install and forget it content blocker. The cherry on the top of the cake is that the developer is pretty responsive too.
    • wao0uuno5 days ago
      Yeah Wiper 2 works really well but it slows down my iPhone 12 considerably. I guess there’s not enough ram for all these filters. Still faster than AdGuard.
    • walterbell5 days ago
      Seconded. Small one-time license fee per major version.
  • daakus5 days ago
    Mostly using Wipr 2. Brave works very well but Safari seemed maybe slightly snappier (I know the browser engine is the same). Tried this but seems like it blocked less than Wipr 2 in a quick spot check.
  • sandstrom5 days ago
    On this topic, I have to recommend Hush! It is an excellent free, open-source and well-maintained app for iOS.

    https://oblador.github.io/hush/

    • junaru5 days ago
      iOS Safari 18.5, installed and enabled in both normal and private modes.

      Opened a private tab and navigated to youtube.com - got cookie consent regardless.

      Closed every app, restarted safari fully - same results. Same on google maps.

      Uninstalled.

      • gaws5 days ago
        I had the same experience and wouldn't recommend Hush.
    • Marsymars5 days ago
      > On this topic, I have to recommend Hush! It is an excellent free, open-source and well-maintained app for iOS.

      Is it? I don’t see any maintainer activity is the past six months.

    • whstl5 days ago
      It used to be nice but it breaks too many websites lately for me, unfortunately.
  • martin_a6 days ago
    Project page should be this?!?

    https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBOL-home

  • arthurtully5 days ago
    AdGuard on iOS has worked for me for years in it's free form. It's script based so works like uBlock Origin on desktop.
    • leokennis3 days ago
      Liking AdGuard too. Both their DNS offering (basically a Pi-Hole in the cloud), and their iOS content blocker. Especially because I can subscribe to third party blocklists like HaGeZi, and AdGuard will load/transform them into Apple's custom content filtering syntax.
    • dawnerd5 days ago
      I ended up just paying for it due to how much I use it. Their dns is also great at blocking I’m app ads.
    • Mistletoe5 days ago
      Yep love it. Any reason to switch to this?
      • vachina5 days ago
        Probably less reason to switch, because AdGuard can no longer command any price for their current offerings.
  • temp08266 days ago
    I like that I can use uBlock Origin in Orion on iOS but interacting with any addon in it feels finicky, so I keep it at a pretty minimal level (compared to how aggressively I block on desktop, anyways). Anything else is definitely welcome though so looking forward to it.
  • elektor6 days ago
    Is this any better than AdGuard?

    I’ve heard it’s best to avoid running both but unsure whether this version of uBlock is worth it.

    • soraminazuki6 days ago
      gorhill has proven his integrity time and time again, and that's hard to beat. He works on uBO because he believes in it and not for profit. It's the one thing that I would value, especially in an ad blocker. This isn't to say that there's anything wrong with AdGuard though.
      • SOLAR_FIELDS6 days ago
        Yeah honestly unless the developer can demonstrate that they don't allow ads through from who pay them to be allowed, pretty much no adblocker is going to be fully trustworthy. There will always be an incentive, if the adblocker is popular enough, for the dev to take money from an advertiser to bypass the block.

        If I did have to trust any adblocker though, it would be gorhill's.

    • vehemenz6 days ago
      Adguard works better right now, at least for my purposes.

      I'm not sure why, but uBO Lite randomly stops working at times. I've had to fire up the test page (https://ublockorigin.github.io/uBOL-home/tests/test-filters....) many times after enabling experimental filters, but it just doesn't seem to "stick."

    • Squarex6 days ago
      uBlock is open source. Some people might object AdGuard Russian foundation, but they have distanced themselves from the conflict and employ people in Ukraine.
      • slowmotiony5 days ago
        Adguard is Russian? Thanks, just cancelled my subscription.
        • subjectsigma5 days ago
          So I did some research into this and it’s complicated. Seems as though the founder is Russian, the business is registered in Cyprus and is under EU jurisdiction, and the team is all over the world with the majority based in Russia.

          Relevant post on the topic: https://www.reddit.com/r/Adguard/comments/1lgxza0/seeking_cl...

          That’s enough for me to not use Adguard, but wanted to clarify so others can make their own decision

    • plutokras5 days ago
      I have no complaints about AdGuard, but I will switch to this. uBlock is the best ad blocker across platforms, and gorhill is a legend.
    • gruez6 days ago
      It's worse IMO because it doesn't allow for custom rules, which AdGuard does.
    • 655 days ago
      I've been using Ad Block Pro without any problems.
  • HelloUsername6 days ago
    Previous discussion on 13-may-2025:

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

  • 6 days ago
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  • wao0uuno6 days ago
    It’s fast but doesn’t block all ads for me.
  • ivanjermakov6 days ago
    > Compatibility: Requires iOS 18.0 or later and visionOS 1.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision. Requires macOS 15.0 or later and a Mac with Apple Silicon chip.
  • pmdr5 days ago
    Firefox Focus as a content filter has always worked for me on Safari. Nowadays I mostly use Brave, though.
    • dylan6045 days ago
      I get too many anti-blockers when using Firefox focus to make it anything other than something a specialist would use as a daily driver
  • thenthenthen5 days ago
    This beta is full :(((
    • TheDong5 days ago
      The code's all open source: https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/blob/e33bfc1f0176e56d479f0...

      Just build your own copy, give apple $100/year for a developer license, move to a country in the EU, and then you can "sideload" this open-source code onto your device. You also need something running macOS.

      • viktorcode5 days ago
        … or sideboard for free for a week.
        • saintfire5 days ago
          Not sure if this was a sarcastic jab or an genuine proposed solution but I laughed either way.
      • thenthenthen5 days ago
        Thanks for the giggle. I built a few apps back in the day, back then you could build and deploy on local device, no need to pay 100$, isn’t this still the case if you do not want to deploy on the appstore? Anyway, your comment is worthy of a xkcd.
  • pea5 days ago
    I’ve been using the mullvad adblock via pure dns on iOS and I haven’t seen an ad in years. Is there a reason others are installing a separate app?
    • subjectsigma5 days ago
      YouTube ads are notoriously tricky to block and can’t be blocked by any DNS-level ad blocker I have tried. If you don’t use YouTube then they probably work well for you, but a lot of people do use YouTube and want those ads gone
    • uselesswords5 days ago
      Not everyone has mullvad, corporate VPNs can’t be run concurrently with mullvad, not all networks allow a VPN, not all sites can be accessed through a VPN like mullvad, not all countries allow VPNs, etc.
  • xoatic5 days ago
    Works great both on my mac and iphone. Raymond rocks!
  • jjice5 days ago
    uBlock is fantastic at what it does. I'm looking forward to this. I'm currently using both Wipr 2 and AdGuard together which has worked well. AdGuard allows user defined cosmetic filters that I've come to rely on more and more in the browser, and it makes certain mobile sites so much better. Will uBlock on iOS support this?
    • ents5 days ago
      I run only Wipr2 and am happy with it, even if its $5 vs free, I'm happy to support a dev who makes a great app. I'll try UBOL for iOS when its available.
      • jjice5 days ago
        Agreed, it blows my mind that more people aren't willing to pay $5-15 ($15 in my case of running Wipr 2 and AdGuard) to clean the web on your phone. The same people in my life who wouldn't think twice about a $15 cocktail.

        Nothing wrong with either, but damn the value equation is out of wack to me, it's just so worth it.

  • rsync5 days ago
    It is deeply disappointing how poorly Apple implements privacy tools and technologies.

    To wit:

    It is 2025 and you cannot configure a DoH endpoint in Safari on either iOS or OSX.

    Further, enabling DoH in iOS involves an experts-only plist file download which has many esoteric failure modes that are difficult to track and have poor (nonexistent ?) documentation.

    Finally, any regular person (like my wife) will have an almost immediate need to toggle adblocking DNS on and off for (weird site that breaks) but, of course, that is not possible without going through the entire plist file workflow twice (once to remove (not disable) the existing profile and once to re-download it).

    Ridiculous. Embarrassing.

    • viktorcode5 days ago
      I might be misunderstanding your problem, but if you want to easily switch DNS there is an iOS app I was using. Sadly, don’t remember what it was called, but I’m sure an AppStore search will yield possible solutions
      • rsync5 days ago
        We should not need an app - nor a fraught trust model and software supply chain analysis - to set a basic network setting.

        I appreciate your help but I'm not downloading some rando app to set a DNS server.

        Your child is getting flagged/downvoted for pointing out that Android has actual DNS settings and that person is correct.

        • viktorcode5 days ago
          Maybe we should not have the app to do that, but we can have it and personally I missed that one tap convenience on my Mac.
      • inquirerGeneral5 days ago
        [dead]
    • oktoberpaard5 days ago
      FWIW: you can disable DoH without uninstalling the profile. General -> VPN & device management -> DNS -> automatic.
  • 6 days ago
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  • flixing5 days ago
    arrghh it's full - how to get in?
    • TheDong5 days ago
      First, clone this repository and run 'make mv3-safari' https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/blob/e33bfc1f0176e56d479f0...

      Now you have the extension built, and you have two options for getting it onto your device:

      1. Pay $100/year for a developer license, create your own testflight for yourself and your friends, upload it, there you go

      Or

      2. Move to a european country to enable side-loading, pay $100/year for a developer license so you can sign it, and then sign + sideload it. (it's not really true sideloading, but if you're in the EU you can at least do it without testflight https://doesioshavesideloadingyet.com/ )

      Oh, also, if you don't have a mac of some sort, you'll have to buy one. A mac mini is pretty cheap.

      You can also buy an android device and install any extension on firefox-for-android for free without paying apple, or anyone, $100/year.

  • swasheck5 days ago
    i’m currently just using a nextdns profile after using adguard for a long time. i switched because i hoped that i would stop getting the annoying admiral modals telling me to turn off my ad blocker. do any of the these solutions trick the anti adblock solutions?
  • scosman6 days ago
    Works on MacOS as well. Not just iOS.
    • Squarex6 days ago
      Yes, but adblocking options on iOS are way more limited so it is more notable.
  • erdaltoprak6 days ago
    Works fine so far! I wish they could add the main settings in the app view but that’s a minor point
  • shpx5 days ago
    It's annoying how this adds a puzzle piece icon next to the url all the time.
    • gessha5 days ago
      Yeah, that happens when you install any extension for Safari iOS. I’ve learned to ignore it.
    • 5 days ago
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  • dom966 days ago
    Nice, seems to work pretty well
  • toastal5 days ago
    I want any version of uBlock on the Sailfish OS browser
  • seam_carver5 days ago
    AdGuard doens't work for me so I'm excited on macOS
  • scosman6 days ago
    oh happy day
  • isaachawley6 days ago
    Can we get a link directly to the project instead of this testflight page?
    • altairprime6 days ago
      The project page newsworthy isn’t newsworthy in any obvious way on its own, though of course anyone (including OP) could post a link to it as a helpful comment. An iOS beta signup link for it is surprising news, though!
    • medlazik6 days ago
      The news is "uBlock Origin Lite Beta for Safari iOS" not "uBlock Origin Lite exists"