Thanks to iOS 9, iOS devices now have access to apps that helps to block ads on Safari. This is something that users on Android have had for a while, and let’s not forget that ad blocking has been on PCs for the longest time ever as well. However it seems that a couple of developers are now expressing their reservation at the feature.
For example the top app at the moment is Peace, and while iOS 9 has only been out for a couple of days, it seems that its developer Marco Arment will not be updating his app anymore in the future. Taking to his blog, Arment wrote down how he felt about his app, and that even though it achieved top spot, he didn’t really feel like it was a “win”.
According to him, “Peace required that all ads be treated the same — all-or-nothing enforcement for decisions that aren’t black and white. This approach is too blunt. Even though I’m ‘winning,’ I’ve enjoyed none of it. Achieving this much success with Peace just doesn’t feel good, which I didn’t anticipate, but probably should have.”
Crystal, another content blocker which will take the place of Peace as the top app, also saw its developer have mixed feelings about its success. Speaking to Mashable, Dean Murphy, the developer of the app, said, “The success of it is kind of bittersweet because I love the Internet and I love the websites that are on it. But at the same time, I hate the mobile ads industry…I just find it very intrusive and very hostile.”