Mozilla is bringing a feature to Firefox on iOS that many users have been waiting for. The browser now has a built-in ad blocker, giving iPhone and iPad users an easier way to block ads without installing a separate extension.
The new ad blocker uses Apple’s WebKit Content Blocker framework along with EasyList filter rules. These rules identify common advertising elements and prevent them from loading or appearing on websites.
However, Mozilla’s ad blocker does not block every type of advertisement. Ads shown in Google and Bing search results can still appear. Ads served directly by the website may also get through the filter. Mozilla will also continue showing its own sponsored shortcuts on the Firefox Home and New Tab pages.
Mozilla calls these its “Respectful Ads.” The company says these ads do not use cookies or tracking pixels to follow users around the web. It also says participating advertisers do not receive users’ raw IP addresses or device fingerprinting information, as the ad targeting is handled locally on the device.
Users who do not want to see these sponsored shortcuts can turn them off from Settings > Home by disabling Sponsored shortcuts. The new ad blocker is also disabled by default. iPhone and iPad users can enable it by going to Settings > Browsing > Ad Blocker.
The timing is interesting because Firefox has been behind some competing browsers when it comes to built-in ad blocking on iOS. Opera, for example, has offered native ad-blocking for years. Mozilla is now making the feature part of Firefox itself instead of requiring users to look for another solution.
Mozilla is also preparing another useful addition for Firefox users. Later this month, Firefox 157 will add support for JPEG XL, a modern image format designed as a more efficient alternative to formats such as JPEG, PNG, GIF and WebP.
JPEG XL can offer better compression while maintaining image quality. One of its more interesting features is support for lossless JPEG transcoding. An existing JPEG can be converted to JPEG XL and later reconstructed back into the exact original JPEG file.
