This iOS 26 Trick Lets You Effortlessly Block Ads On Your iPhone

At this point, advertising is inescapable. Billboards, TV commercials, and print ads have been around forever, but they've become increasingly invasive in the digital age. The websites you visit, social media feeds you scroll through, and even home appliances you need — a strategy that likely earned Samsung the title of "worst refrigerator" — are littered with companies and individuals begging you to give them money. Thus, some folks have had to get creative to try and reduce some of these ads. For instance, users have discovered an iOS 26 trick that allows for the blocking of ads on iPhones, albeit with some effort.

This ad-blocking strategy was shared by Redditor u/MeditatingLemur, who exposed a crafty workaround using the iOS 26 Screen Time feature. This setting is for limiting app usage, but iPhone users can also use it to keep ads at bay. All you have to do is add advertising host websites to the App Limit settings and set the allotted time to zero seconds per day, every day. You then won't have to worry about that source's ads anymore.

The setup process can get tedious should you decide to silence multiple ad hosts, but for many users, the effort is worth it to reduce the number of ads they encounter. As effective as this method currently seems to be, though, it might take too much time and effort for some. It also requires knowledge of these ad hosts in the first place. Fortunately, there are other ways to reduce ads on an iPhone.

There are a few simple strategies to combat ads beyond this Screen Time hack. Safari users, for example, can use the browser's pop-up blocking feature. This is done by going to Settings on an iPhone or iPad, navigating to Apps, and selecting Safari. There, the option to block pop-ups can be toggled on. Through this menu, you can also disable cross-site tracking, which is used for data collection and, in turn, the creation and pushing of targeted ads. Hiding your IP address, which you can also do in Safari's settings, can also limit targeted ads.

Beyond this, there's always the option to download an ad blocker. There are actually a surprising number of reasons to use an ad blocker beyond limiting ads, though in this context, its namesake is the biggest reason. Like any other app, these can be downloaded from the App Store, oftentimes for free. Before getting one, though, it's a good idea to do some research. Factors like functionality, user reviews, and — in the case of those requiring payment — price, to name a few, should all be considered. 

Alternative browsers are an option, too, as the likes of Brave Browser have built-in ad-blocking abilities, along with numerous other privacy-oriented features. Again, be sure to research these browsers thoroughly before downloading. While ads aren't likely to go away anytime soon, there are at least various ways to limit how prevalent they are.