The internet and advertising go together like strawberries and cream. These days, it can be tricky navigating online without running into at least a couple of ads, and sometimes they’re so dominating that it can be difficult getting the information you want from a website. Even apps like Apple Maps might start showing ads by 2026. Fortunately, someone has come up with a rather unique solution for your iPhone.
Thanks to the work of Reddit user MeditatingLemur over on r/iPhone, a discovery has been made that allows users to block ads thanks to the App Limits feature within Screen Time. By adding advertising host websites to your App Limits list, you can potentially block ads from a multitude of sources. Though there may be easier methods, it’s rather clever to use a feature in a manner that Apple likely didn’t intend.
If you’re not familiar, Screen Time was introduced within iOS 12 and is typically used to help users better understand and take control of their device interactions, and can be a simple but effective way to simplify the iPhone experience if you get overwhelmed by its features. Screen Time is one of the better ways to protect children online when using an iPhone, but in this instance, you’ll be protecting yourself from being bombarded with advertisements.
How to block ads using iOS Screen Time
Thanks to MeditatingLemur’s discovery, it’s possible to use the iPhone’s Screen Time feature to block certain ad-hosting websites, thereby blocking the ads as well. It’s rather clever, but using it to its full advantage will require a bit of know-how on your end, specifically when it comes to what websites you will need to block.
Here are the steps to enable it:
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On your iPhone, navigate to Settings.
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Choose Screen Time.
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You may need to agree to set up Screen Time if you haven’t already done so. Follow the on-screen instructions to do this.
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Once in Screen Time, select App Limits.
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Choose Add Limit.
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Scroll all the way down and select Websites.
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Choose Add Website.
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Enter the URL that you want to block. The r/iPhone subreddit suggests starting with imasdk.googleapis.com.
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Tap Next.
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Adjust the time to limit the website. In this instance, you’ll want zero hours and zero minutes.
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Confirm your decision.
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Repeat as necessary for other websites.
To delete the Limit, go back to the App Limit section, select the website, and then tap Delete Limit. Many commentators within the r/iPhone subreddit thread have observed that an ad blocker may be easier to use, as you will likely need to enter multiple URLs for larger coverage. However, it can be good for websites that have hard-to-block advertising, such as Twitter/X. MeditatingLemur suggests Obfusgated’s Ad Block Test, which provides a list of ad-hosting sites along with a quick test you can take to see how well your device is blocking ads.
