Ad blockers top Apple’s most popular apps after iOS launches

UPDATED 19/9 11am

Mobile applications that kill advertisements have soared to the top of Apple’s most popular paid apps following the launch of iOS9.

But the most popular ad blocker, Peace, has been pulled after its creator said he "just doesn't feel good."

Ad blocking software is downloaded as an add-on for internet browsers and is used to kill most advertisements on websites, effectively starving the websites of revenue.

Apple’s latest software iOS9 launched two days ago and added a feature allowing the Safari Web browser to integrate third party ad blocking software.

Peace was the number one paid app in the US App Store for 36 hours. It promised to “dramatically speed up web browsing by blocking most ads and privacy-invading trackers on web pages” and cost $US2.99.

Developer Marco Arment apologised in a blog post, saying he didn't expect the app to be so popular and, while ad blockers benefit many people, "they also hurt some, including those who don't deserve the hit.

"Peace required that all ads be treated the same — all-or-nothing enforcement for decisions that aren't black and white. This approach is too blunt, and Ghostery and I have both decided that it doesn't serve our goals or beliefs well enough.

"I still believe that ad blockers are necessary today, and I still think Ghostery is the best one, but I've learned over the last few crazy days that I don't feel good making one and being the arbiter of what's blocked."

He has offered refunds.

Mr Arment suggsted people use ad blockers Purify Blocker and Crystal instead. They are number six and 43 on Apple's store, respectively. Blockr is next on the list at number 58.

However, ad blockers do not make an appearance in the top free apps.

Until recently, ad blockers haven’t been able to touch native advertising or mobile ads.

Native ads blend in with surrounding content. Examples include advertorial or paid-for promoted posts in a social media news feed.

Mobile is the fastest-growing channel for advertising, forecast to grow 38% to $US71 billion in 2016, according to ZenithOptimedia Advertising Expenditure Forecasts. Adblock Plus had also recently launched an Android internet browser that automatically blocks ads.

The move to allow ad blockers by the world’s most profitable company has increased its tensions with publishers in Silicon Valley, according to the Wall St Journal.

New Zealand has leapt into the top 10 for ad blocking software usage worldwide, with the highest percentage of users in any country outside Europe, according to the latest Adobe/PageFair Ad Blocking Report.

PageFair makes money from publishers seeking to tackle ad blockers.

The report says the penetration of ad blocking in New Zealand is as high as 22% or 912,000 users.

The eighth place ranking is higher than in Australia and the US but, behind some European countries, with the report stating penetration rates peak at 37% in Greece.

Globally, the number of people using ad blocking software grew 41% year on year and the estimated loss of revenue from blocked advertising was $21.8 billion.

The two most popular ad blocking companies, AdBlock and Adblock Plus, previously told NBR they have a combined 480,000 New Zealand active users (280,000 and 200,000 respectively).

ZenithOptimedia plays down the threat of ad blockers.

“The majority of mobile adblockers will work on mobile browsers but not in-app. And 84% of mobile time spent is in-app (source: Flurry). With that in mind the initial impact of iOS9 will be limited.”

However, the media buying agency says Apple’s move will accelerate the death of the mobile web banner and accelerate the growth of in-app native advertising. As a result, the creative process of making ads will need to adapt.

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