Apple to enable iPhone users to block ads

Apple has paved the way for iPhone users to block online advertising on its Safari web browser, in a move that threatens to hurt digital media companies including Google. Changes planned for iOS 9, the operating system that will be pushed out later in 2015, include “Content Blocking Safari Extensions”, according to documents shared with appmakers this week at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. “Content blocking gives your extensions a fast and efficient way to block cookies, images, resources, pop-ups and other content,” Apple said in documentation for developers. Ad-blocking has been available on the desktop version of Safari for several years, but the new tool opens up the possibility for users to install an app that would block advertising and associated tracking technologies on the iPhone’s browser for the first time.