Apple lets users hide distractions with new ad blocker-like feature

In the future, Apple users could block unwanted and distracting information while searching in Safari.

The iOS 18 beta 5 test variant includes the “Distraction Control” feature, which lets users block unwanted elements while browsing on Safari.

The new feature is available on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia developer betas.

To use the feature, users can go to the Safari page menu, select “hide distracting items,” and enable Distraction Control. Once it’s enabled, users can select the items they find distracting and have them removed.

Users can manually choose what they want to hide, and the feature will stay on if the selected elements don’t change.

While the new feature might resemble an ad blocker, it was created more as a tool to remove distracting elements such as ads, pop-ups, banners, and more. Users can hide ads but not permanently, as they will return by refreshing or reloading a page.

With cookie-related banners, Distraction Control dismisses the option to either agree or decline the request.

The “banned” elements can be unhidden by going to the menu and clicking on “Show Hidden Items.”