What's this about?
Mozilla shipped a built-in ad blocker for Firefox on iOS.
Why is this notable on iOS specifically?
Because on iOS every browser is Safari underneath — Apple requires WebKit, so Firefox for iOS is a Firefox-branded shell around Apple's engine. That means Mozilla cannot ship its own extension model or its own network stack, and has to work through Apple's content blocker API, which uses a declarative rule list with a cap. The result is the same architecture Chrome's Manifest V3 imposes on the desktop — which is what makes the timing of this, a day after uBlock Origin was pulled from the Chrome Web Store, worth noticing.
Why is it worth noticing?
HN 321 points, 110 comments
- It lands the day after Google removed the MV2 extensions, which was the top thread yesterday.
- Built-in rather than an extension is the only route available on iOS, and it means it works without users configuring anything.
- Part of a Firefox cluster today — "Hang on to Your Firefox" also drew 601 points.