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Apple Cracking Down on VPN-Based Ad Blockers That Work in Third-Party Apps
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And so many users have gone overboard in their policy of avoiding to pay for any app. This might not apply to you, but overall, free apps have displaced paid apps on a large scale. Ideally, every free app with ads would have a paid, ad-free version. But even if not, there usually are other apps with similar functionality that either are paid upfront or via an in-app purchase, or at least use less obnoxious ads.
1. Because they made the app, and its Apple's system. Apple can set the rules and control them as they wish, within the law. You have every right not to buy an Apple device if you have a problem with it, as you have every right not to buy an app if you have an issue with it. In my eyes using an ad blocker to block ad's in app that is ad-supported is no different than theft. You know full well that the app is "free" in return for viewing ad's.
2. It exists, and don't be surprised within the next few years seeing it become more of a thing. And although WinRar doesn't have Ad's in the traditional sense, how is the popup reminding you of the trial period and telling you to purchase much less annoying? Again, you know what your getting into with the app.
3. Why not just stop using the app? I get it, you don't like the idea of your data being sold, then why not simply stop using the app, or not download it to begin with? It's no different than people who complain about google using your surfing habits for ad purposes.....stop using google products...its not complicated.
4. Now let me know how a developer can legally force you to view their ad's in an app, while at the same time you are supporting a product (vpn blockers) that block those same ad's? You can't have it both way, and what apple is doing in part helps make sure you are forced to view ad's in those apps.
Free apps are free in the sense you are not monetarily paying for them.
So then the user can still configure the DNS servers of Adblock under Settings > WiFi?
Utorrent is one. Didn't always have ads, then it did, and yes you can purchase the pro version and no more ad's.
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Why not simply just stop using the apps?
I wish all games were like this, Real Racing 3 is one of the worst, it's well known for being heavily stuffed full of IAP and now a days it ALSO is full of ads! So many would actually buy the game, but that's not as lucrative for EA OR Apple.
Game loft are just as bad, they release Modern Combat 5 as a paid for premium app, then change it later, including the ones already bought, to a freemium IAP and advert stuffed game! You buy it, then they stuff it full of ads and make you pay to play..
I'm not surprised in the slightest people try to stop these ads and neither am I surprised Apple is blocking them from doing so.. 30% cut and all.
I use Adguard on both my iPhones and Android phones. This is something I refuse to stop using and doing. I block ads in all apps and if I can no longer do that on iOS, it's a good enough reason for me to move to Android 100% and never buy an iPhone/iPad ever again.
Ive been saying for years that format minimum, Apple needs a native VPN functionality and maybe even own Adblock.
Ads and tracking both destroy the user experience and bring security risks.
Ads and tracking both destroy the user experience and bring security risks.
Blocking ads is not illegal, and since data isn't free, and ads consume data, you are in fact also paying for the ads that are displayed.
So, "armchair technologists" please explain why regular VPN apps are still allowed then? This has absolutely nothing to do with a security vulnerability but rather Apple securing from apps with ads that have paid versions (hint there is no incentive to pay if you can adblock).
Not to mention, if your bank isn't using a https/SSL protocol you should probably stop banking with them! At best the adblock vpn's will know what site you access (from DNS), everything else is encrypted between you and the endpoint.
Pro tip for people wanting to still block ads: host an open vpn server at your house, make your phone always connected to your home vpn and block ads from your router/pc that the data is being tunneled through.
If an app is usefull i pay by clicking the ad-free or donate button. But i hate hate hate hate ads!
Have you ever tried to use Pinterest on mobile Safari?
Tumblr?
Yelp?
Tons of websites essentially make their mobile website unusable, telling you "you'll need to install the app"
If apple resricts blocking to safari only, this problem will only increase.
Who isn't sick of the "install the app" spam everywhere? Especially on sites that literally do not need an app, and when the app is just a native-ish mockup of the mobile website (aka tumblr, pinterest, etc).
Apple should be getting their 30% cut of ad revenue just like an iap. Just like they're blocking tips as a loophole.
Devs: if you don't want freeloaders using your ad-supported app, it's super easy to block those users. Check for connectivity to a non-advertising api. If your ad api call then fails, then politely tell the user to uninstall or turn off ad blocking.
Just like you accuse users of breaking the contract with you regarding ad-supported apps, you are breaking the social contract by selling out their personal information to the highest bidder. It's quite hypocritical of devs to complain that users are doing something shady when you've been selling their data to the highest bidders for years without their knowledge.
Devs: if you don't want freeloaders using your ad-supported app, it's super easy to block those users. Check for connectivity to a non-advertising api. If your ad api call then fails, then politely tell the user to uninstall or turn off ad blocking.
Just like you accuse users of breaking the contract with you regarding ad-supported apps, you are breaking the social contract by selling out their personal information to the highest bidder. It's quite hypocritical of devs to complain that users are doing something shady when you've been selling their data to the highest bidders for years without their knowledge.
Who cares of devs can’t make money so long as an end-user is an inconvenienced by an ad.
I wish Apple stopped allowing free apps. You want an app at a minimum it should cost you $.99.
Not quite, in https requests (the protocol these ads usually come of the network) the hostname is not encrypted (sniff your own network to find out). Also, VPN on demand (which is used by the ad blockers) is given the hostname to determine if the request should go through the VPN connection or direct. The way the adblock app works is that it registers a bunch of ad hostnames to go through the on demand VPN server. Note that the VPN server is (currently) to a non existent domain, so the requests for the ads go into the abyss. This is how they work. None of your network data goes through a VPN server somewhere.
Note also, I would be more concerned if your banking software didn't use SSL pinning to ensure that the server it is talking to is the real server.
Why not just use a free torrent app that doesn't have ads and doesn't mine Bitcoins on your computer?
Is there an option to overcome the restrictions imposed by Apple, like, trying to install the VPN profile with required values from a web URL, Older version of AdBlock used this method to add the VPN profile
Read the post I was replying to...I never said blocking ads was illegal. If you are so worried about draining data, pay for apps!
Never said I used uTorrent, just that it is a desktop app with ad's. Personally I use qbittorrent.
Actually, I do not use any of those app's, specifically Yelp because i do not want to install their app. I guess I still don't see your issue however, If you've got problems with ad's in those apps you listed, simply don't use them.
Who cares of devs can’t make money so long as an end-user is an inconvenienced by an ad.
I wish Apple stopped allowing free apps. You want an app at a minimum it should cost you $.99.
sure, have a 99c minimum and ban ads, Ill take it!
We are surprised, to say the least.
On Monday we will try to get an updated version through review and see how it goes. There is a small chance that they decided to banish apps which use the old "mobile config" profile installing option.
However, I tend to believe that the article is true and they've made the decision to ban all the device-wide ad blockers. Unfortunately, there's no easy side-loading on iOS, and we can't just live without the app store as we do on Android. So it is more likely that we'll have to re-think the "Pro" app and think up a new set of premium features, which will distinguish it from the free version. I hope they will at least allow us to have the DNS settings functionality.
The old "Pro" app will be left as it is now.
Source: https://9to5mac.com/2017/07/15/appl...-policy-to-stop-adblockers-outside-of-safari/
Update: When reached for clarification, Apple said “This is not a new guideline. We have never allowed apps on the App Store that are designed to interfere with the performance or capabilities of other apps.” It also said it would remove other apps that offer features that block advertising in third-party apps if they “may have snuck on to the App Store.” Apple added, “We have always supported advertising as one of the many ways that developers can make money with apps.”
Update: When reached for clarification, Apple said “This is not a new guideline. We have never allowed apps on the App Store that are designed to interfere with the performance or capabilities of other apps.” It also said it would remove other apps that offer features that block advertising in third-party apps if they “may have snuck on to the App Store.” Apple added, “We have always supported advertising as one of the many ways that developers can make money with apps.”
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Hey, many of you guys indicated in another thread you just love Apple's monopoly-like control over iOS content (which is supposedly "not" violating tying clauses or trust rules of any kind, you insist) whereby they are the ONLY provider of content for iOS devices and have NANNY (I would say FASCIST) level control over EVERYTHING YOU DO! Now you see an example of just one tiny thing they can do to make your life a fracking miserable experience!
What's next? No Facebook apps unless they go through Apple's moderator team? No tweets unless they conform to Apple guidelines for the equal treatment of animals as people or whatever crap Tim "Cooks" up? This is why some of us want OPEN PLATFORMS so no single person or company can decide what is and isn't allowed on a device you bought and paid for! (and yeah that goes for "trumps up" too; the 1st Amendment guarantees free speech/expression. Tim Cook doesn't get that at all, apparently except when it suits him personally).
Tim Cook doesn't want me or the government or anyone else to tell him whom he is allowed to sleep with and uses Apple as his own personal megaphone on LBTGQ rights, but he thinks he's allowed to tell me/you/us what we can and cannot do on the Internet (and I don't mean illegal activities). Hypocrisy at its finest. No more iOS devices for me EVER. Just wait until this policy applies to macOS in the coming years....
ENJOY THE FASCISM!!!
What's next? No Facebook apps unless they go through Apple's moderator team? No tweets unless they conform to Apple guidelines for the equal treatment of animals as people or whatever crap Tim "Cooks" up? This is why some of us want OPEN PLATFORMS so no single person or company can decide what is and isn't allowed on a device you bought and paid for! (and yeah that goes for "trumps up" too; the 1st Amendment guarantees free speech/expression. Tim Cook doesn't get that at all, apparently except when it suits him personally).
Tim Cook doesn't want me or the government or anyone else to tell him whom he is allowed to sleep with and uses Apple as his own personal megaphone on LBTGQ rights, but he thinks he's allowed to tell me/you/us what we can and cannot do on the Internet (and I don't mean illegal activities). Hypocrisy at its finest. No more iOS devices for me EVER. Just wait until this policy applies to macOS in the coming years....
ENJOY THE FASCISM!!!