Show HN: MadBlocker — iOS 8 Ad and Tracking Script Blocker

Can you explain a little more how this works? Can specific requests be routed to a specific connection in iOS, at the device level?

If it's a "hack", won't the possibility be blocked by Apple eventually?

Also, you say on the App Store page that using a big list can slow down browsing, as (I'm paraphrasing) the app has to scan each page against the list; why is that the case? Shouldn't request be redirected the moment they are made, and not before?

Great idea in any case! Will probably try it, as many sites are already almost unusable because of ads (and when using Chrome on iOS the problem gets worse; Safari must block more by default).

I'd really need some data to be convinced.

e.g. videos showing popular pages loading quicker, load times measured and compared, CPU etc.

Like this one: https://github.com/chrisaljoudi/uBlock/blob/master/README.md...

(blocking is important, but it doesn't worth it if it makes things slower for example)

Will you make the App available in other countries? In the Dutch App Store it's currently not available...

Why is your App trying to install a root certificate alongside the VPN settings? Is that certificate unique per device?

It's definitely a concern, especially since I run a side project for STEM education that has ads[1]. My site doesn't break even at all from ads, but they help offset the running cost (revenue is in the single-digit dollars-per-month range). Ad revenue has fallen greatly though for sites displaying ads, I believe owing to the fact that online ads have been found to be much less effective at driving sales than they were once thought to be (though they may still buy mindshare). Current ads are more flashy, more annoying, and are a greater source of frustration. On desktops that's one thing, were the cost of viewing the ad is largely paid with your attention. On mobile though, they take up even more attention but they also use expensive mobile data and drain precious energy from the battery.

I'm not sure of how things will look in the future, but it will probably be a more heterogeneous mix of funding sources. We'll see more subscription-based sites, we'll see more sites run as cashflow-negative hobby projects, and we'll still see ads. We will also certainly see another category: sites the sell your info for money. We'll see sites that combine all of these. I suspect we'll also see more content distributed solely in app form, with in-app purchases buying more content. Since operational costs have fallen and continue to fall, the world won't look so different for a while. I think the best model for consumers is one where ads are the default, and a cheap subscription can be paid to remove them. Microtransactions are an alluring solution, but no one has really made them work yet. There is also a growing trend of sponsoring content before it is created, via sites like Patreon.

1. https://www.takeitapart.com/

Interesting. Did you restart Safari before trying it in iOS9?

I haven't tested it yet in iOS9 yet because the VPN system doesn't work in the simulator, and I haven't installed the beta on my personal phone yet since I value stability. Once iOS 9 is out to the public I'll do some testing and make any updates necessary.

I hadn't seen that; thanks. I like their comic book explanation.

It looks like their VPN profile is not included with the app though, and is instead sourced from their website[1]. That means that a) Apple has not inspected the block list (they specifically asked me via the resolution center to list which domains were blocked), b) that the VPN profile is subject to interception or changes of control since it is sourced from a website, c) that updates to the block list require a new download of the block list from their website, d) that an uninstall of their blocklist requires the installation of a new (presumably blank?) blocklist, and e) when you uninstall their app, the VPN profile remains on the device (it is removed upon uninstall of MadBlocker).

1. http://kids.disconnect.me/profile?block_ids=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,...

Thanks, me too!

That's a valid question, and it is always the challenge of closed-source software; it's a black box. So you either have to trust me, or you could have your iPhone connect to a wi-fi access point on a network you are monitoring and check for requests to anomalous domains. You could also probably install it on a managed iOS device and then inspect the VPN profile with Apple Configurator.

Ad blocking isn't a system feature in iOS 9. The publicity is about an API that makes it easier for developers to write ad blockers.

There are also plenty of apps that duplicate system features.

Minimal with the regular block list, noticeable with the "mega" or Privacy Protection lists. See my comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10066131

That may be an early bug, my apologies. You should be able to enable both. Please message me at the email listed in my HN profile and we can troubleshoot.

The nice thing about MadBlocker using the VPN is that it works for cellular connections as well.

I wonder why proxies would be wi-fi only. Do you know?

Creator here. It's up for me on the US App Store. It just went live though, so it's possible it hasn't made it out of all of Apple's CDN just yet.