The news: Ads on Apple devices are about to get a lot harder to see, and advertisers’ in-app ad budgets may already be misfiring as a first-of-its-kind ad blocker for apps, Filtr, comes to market.

Available as an option within the $5 Wipr Safari ad blocker app, the Filtr extension costs $5 per year or $25 for a lifetime via in-app purchase. Filtr blocks ad networks systemwide on iPhones, iPads, and Macs without collecting a user’s personal data, per TechCrunch.

• Filtr delivers immediate ad removal in most apps, replacing ads with blank, gray placeholders in some cases. The tool maintains a blocklist updated twice a week, per app notes on the Apple App Store. 
• It uses functionality from existing browser ad-blocking tools (Safari content blockers, DNS/VPN blockers) and presents them as a mainstream, non‑technical option targeted at apps.

Some apps—like Facebook, Google, and Reddit—may retain ads when served directly from first-party domains because blocking those could break an app’s functionality. 

Zooming out: Nearly 70% of US mobile users say they are at least somewhat likely to install an ad blocker on their device, per CivicScience. That intent is no longer just theoretical—apps like Wipr and its add-on Filtr make it frictionless and inexpensive to block most ads permanently.

For marketers, this presents a market shift for audiences who are actively choosing to opt out of traditional ad exposure, and the low-cost, set-it-and-forget-it nature of these tools means this behavior will likely accelerate, not plateau.

Recommendations for marketers: Audit which portions of mobile media budgets are most vulnerable to blocking (e.g., third-party ad networks) and shift spend toward channels like social media and in-game advertising like billboards or partnerships, provided these are compatible with brand voice. 

• Use first-party data strategies and focus on contextual advertising, in-app brand sponsorships, and owned channels (email, SMS, push notifications, and newsletters).
• Test ad formats that function with privacy-centric attribution data, such as Apple’s native SKAdNetwork, or server-side placements in Facebook, Google, and Reddit to maintain reach.