Firefox users on iPhone finally get something that Android and desktop users have been enjoying for a while: a real way to block ads without looking for a separate add-on for Firefox. Mozilla officially launched Ad blocker for Firefox on iOS today after testing it for the past few weeks.
How the new ad blocker works on iOS
The feature relies on Apple’s WebKit Content Blocker technology paired with the EasyList filter, a community-maintained list that identifies known advertising and tracking sources. This combination allows Firefox to remove most third-party ads and trackers before they even load, reducing clutter and saving bandwidth. This is the latest step in Mozilla’s years-long campaign against ad-based tracking.
However, you also need to know what this feature can (and can’t) do. Ads served directly by the site will continue to appear, as will ads within search results. Firefox’s own sponsored shortcuts are also managed separately in the new tab, so don’t expect them to disappear.
How to Turn on Firefox Ad Blocker on iOS
You have to turn this on yourself, as Mozilla turns it off by default. First, go to Settings, then Browsing, then Ad Blocker to enable it, or quickly switch from the website menu when you’re browsing.
The ad blocker works in conjunction with Firefox’s existing enhanced tracking protection, giving iOS users two layers of privacy protection. It’s notable that Firefox is actually late to this party, as Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi already offer built-in ad blocking in their respective iOS browsers.
Firefox 155 update: what else is new?
This is next to the introduction Firefox 155which brings a handful of other changes as well. Smart Window, Mozilla’s artificial intelligence-powered browsing feature, is expanding to more users in the US, Canada and France, providing faster responses and smarter page organization.
The Tab sorting function has also become smarter. It now suggests better grouping for related tabs and gives each group a clear descriptive name. The update also adds a number of visible trackers to the title bar, as well as a bunch of minor bug fixes on desktop and mobile.
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