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Block ads... and whatever you want.
On any iOS device, in any browser or app.



hxxps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/weblock/id558818638?mt=8


hxxp://www.weblockapp.com/

 

Why do companies release a iOS exclusive product, knowing 80% of the devices sold in the last 12 months were AndroidOS?

Doesn't make any sense at all.

 

Apple is giving them better offers obviously. Or just a case of iSheep.

 

Installed and running, however it does not block ads when connected with 3G. (at least ads within apps).
Maybe it blocks in wi-fi only, I did not check yet.

 

Yeah I've noticed all those apps block WiFi only adds. No 3G or 4G adblocker yet...

 

Their website says on the main page:

Their FAQs state they don't currently support 3G/LTE:

 

Maybe because they love iOS, and hate Android, and don't care about usage statistics?

Just to make it clear, I own several Android devices, and have never owned an iPhone or iPad, so I see the sense in developing for Android personally.

 

I just checked it out. If you want to create an adblocking program for iOS you can't just easily block ads. 2 ways are frequently used; 1. Create a special browser app that blocks ads, but other browsers are usually better and it doesn't work for other apps.
2. Sent all traffic through a http proxy which blocks the ads, but there is a huge privacy and security downside there, plus more latency.

This app uses a third way. It uses the proxy mechanism, but only for the domains that serve ads, but instead of directing to a real proxy it uses a dead end. So all good traffic is normal, without proxy and ad domains are not loaded. Much better solution that the other two IMO, only downside is that it only works through WiFi for now.

There are already enough adblocking softwares on Android.

 

The problem is - iOS and Android devices are specifically engineered to make adblocking difficult.

I talked with Jeff at Admuncher about this in detail. They basically cannot release Admuncher on Android until they find away around the built in limitations, or AndroidOS's are changed. Also, most Android adblockers require rooting, and rooting isn't practical for MOST people. So most people are left with half arsed solutions to adblocking on Mobile. Not a good situation.

 

Doc, I'm not disputing that statement, but I'd appreciate it if you would point me to your source.

Cruise

 

i am surprised by J_L's strange answer. maybe they chose iOS because people spend more on app store than on the play store..

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...-the-revenue-of-app-store-with-more-downloads

 

It makes no sense to not do both if they really cared about money. Does that article mean that Android isn't profitable? Heck the first comment already undermines the article's strength.

Lucrative company offers of exclusivity and overwhelming fanboyism are the only reasons I can think of for being exclusive to any non-monopolistic platform.

 

maybe they will make it for android too. its not uncommon for dev's to release on iOS first and then to android i.e instagram

http://www.shellypalmer.com/2013/03/android-app-versions/

there is no denying that the app store is a bigger income generator for dev's than the play store. a look at the official figures will tell you that

 

I've been using Weblock for quite a while. I think it's a good app but it's true that it only works in Wi-fi.

Regarding adblocking: You could use iCab Mobile as an alternative browser which offers several features not available in other browsers. And: Aside from the fact that it has already built-in adblocking filters, you can also import fanboy's adblocking list which improves its adblocking capabilities considerably.

EDIT: You can also manually add new adblocking filters quite easily.

 

A different assumption than matt's that I was not replying to.

And incomplete figures portray reality for everyone without error, sure.

 

who is matt?

incomplete but.. strong evidence > some evidence > no evidence

there are hundreds of reports proving people spend more money on iOS even though it has a much lower market share and none for the other way around which is why you have not been able to cite anything thus far. instead you have chosen to make a non coherent post.

not surprising having read your amazingly childish and intellectually revealing first post.

 

That's just plain stupid. While I use Android and not iOS (and also don't use any ad blocking software), 99% of the time I'm connected to the internet I'm using mobile data and not WiFi. When I'm at home I rarely use my phone other than for actually making and receiving phone calls. When I'm out, I use the internet and apps, but no WiFi access.

I am wondering if this is a limitation of iOS, as there is not logical reason as to why a developer would choose to exclude mobile data from its ad blocking software.

 

mattdocs12345

Guess I have to spell it out for you:
1. Android is a viable market, hell it's close to monopoly.
2. Those reports fail to incorporate ad-revenue, making incomplete a compliment. Nor do they apply to everyone.
3. You don't get why people choose to be exclusive to any non-monopolistic platform. It's not for money (with the exception of special offers), unless you're blind to anything other than those reports.
4. Hypocrisy is abundant as usual, using childish insults to claim someone else is childish. Doesn't say anything good about your intelligence either.

How you cannot comprehend my posts in their entirety shows the futility of continuing this further. It's all off-topic anyways, nothing meaningful to be gained either.

 

Most likely just limitation of iOS. It's plain stupid for us but pretty damn genius for advertisers. Im still hoping that some kind of non-google related smartphone is going to take off. If Im switching out of Apple im not gonna be switching to an Orange. It needs to be a completely different genus.

 

what has mattdocs12345 got anything to do with our conversation?

1. no one said it was not a viable market.
2. from both sides making it a more level playing field. however you keep on failing to comment on the 'official' figures apple/google themselves which confirm all other semi accurate reports.
3. development costs/time. so basing assumptions on reports shows i am 'blind'? as opposed to making assumptions on no reports? lol
4. baseless generalizations are childish, i have not made any unlike you. i apologize if you feel as if i insulted you in my previous post

i agree, way off topic

 

for those wanting to block ads on both WIFI and the mobile network, the Atomic Web Browser has a built in adblocker which is 'off' by default. pretty good browser regardless of the adblocker

 

Ah, I wasn't aware it's such a hurdle on Android as well.
I don't know how well funded the organization/devs behind this App are, but if they are small I can imagine them focusing on getting a userbase on iOS first, getting more well known with this limited free offer etc, and then later develop a version for Android.

It sends the ad domains through a http proxy. I'm not sure, but I think you can't specify a http proxy when on mobile internet.

How does it work?

Every time you visit a website or launch an app, your device connects to multiple locations over the Internet. That includes downloading of media, text, scripts, etc. In most cases and by default all these connections are made directly with different servers. All modern operating systems (including iOS) allow you to configure a PAC script, which defines how you connect with the Internet. The PAC (Proxy Auto Configuration) file tells you device how to connect to different locations, depending on the URL or IP adress of the destination server. Weblock creates, manages and hosts you personal PAC file. Anytime you attempt to connect to some Internet location, it's address is matched with your custom PAC file. If this location is blocked - your connection will automatically be routed through a dummy proxy server. This makes the connection impossible, so all the undesired content get's blocked This method gives you the possibility to block only specific parts of websites/apps. Weblock allows you to route requests for this undesired content through the dummy proxy, while keeping the direct connection for everything else.

What do you mean by "dummy proxy"?

Every time Weblock blocks some content, it's because your device tries to get it through a proxy server, which is not able to handle this a connection. That's what we call the dummy proxy. By default Weblock uses IP of 8.8.8.8 and port 53. This IP actually belongs to multiple DNS servers worldwide, which are operated by Google. We've decided to use this particular IP for several reasons: 1. iOS requires the dummy proxy to be a valid IP address accepting connections (so it's not possible to use local IP address of your device, since there is no open port to connect to). 2. It's really responsive, fast and stable anywhere in the world. 3. It's NOT ABLE to handle HTTP/HTTPS traffic and it immediately closes the connection (perfect!). 4. It's widely recognised and well known IP, so you don't have to be concerned about your privacy. We're really sure Google is not logging all web connection attempts made while blocking content from your device, since this dummy proxy is actually a DNS server supporting very different protocol. If for some reason you would like to use different dummy proxy, please go to Setup -> Settings to set your custom dummy proxy for blocking content. Please notice, that using a proxy which does not accept incoming connections may result in content blocking failures.
http://www.weblockapp.com/faq/

Keep in mind that you configure the auto-proxy for a specific WiFi network, so you'll have to configure it again if you connect to another WiFi network.

 

Atomic is good for iOS, but it's not available for Android.

Android really comes down to Opera, Dolphin, Firefox, and a few forks off of those. The only one with extensions at this point is Firefox. Firefox + Bluehell Firewall provides very good browsing experience w/ad+tracker blocking on Android, especially Kindle. However Firefox is pretty slow, and lackluster - and also breaks pages, and video playback on many devices. Adblock w/Proxy configuration + Lightening Browser I find offers the best compromise of fast browsing, blocked ads, and correctly formatted pages/videos.

As of right now, that's really the best choice for most people. Rooting isn't a good idea for most folks, and rooting is a hideous idea for Kindle. So rooted solutions aren't generally considered for a wider audience.

 

Thank you for the suggestion for using Atomic browser. I will try it. Also are there any iOS browsers that have extensions?

 

Try free Ghostery-browser version 1.4.1 for iOS. I blocked all trackers and no ads to be seen. Be careful with Ghostrank.

Experimental feature Ghostery 1.4.1: "This update includes the most expansive improvements since the initial release of Ghostery for iOS. We are very excited about the new “PAC” (proxy automatic configuration) file feature. It lets you block trackers across ALL your apps! This means if you can now block tracking when you’re using your favorite apps like Angry Birds, Weather Channel, or any other app. Please keep in mind that this does require additional setup, which is detailed in the app itself. Another important note is that this is an experimental feature and may not be for everyone. There are instances when it may not behave as intended and need to be disabled. It is also recommended that you use Chrome browser for iOS or our Ghostery browser when surfing with the pac enabled. Mobile Safari does not like blocking content so it tends to hang, causing slowness issues. If you want to find out more about how this feature works this page might be informative."