Apple's new Safari feature removes distracting items from websites
Apple's new Safari feature, Distraction Control, allows users to hide specific webpage elements. Available in iOS 18 betas, it doesn't sync preferences across devices or remove ads.
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Apple has introduced a new feature in Safari called Distraction Control, designed to help users remove distracting elements from websites. This feature is part of the early rollout in the developer betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. Users can access Distraction Control from the Page Menu in the Smart Search field, allowing them to select and hide specific items on a webpage. Safari will remember these preferences for future visits, although the settings do not currently sync across devices. The feature does not remove ads or sections with frequently changing content, and it remains unclear if it can eliminate static sections like "Who to follow" on social media platforms. Alongside Distraction Control, iOS 18 also includes a redesigned reader for improved listening and font controls, as well as a Highlights feature that surfaces important information from web pages.
- Apple has launched a new Safari feature called Distraction Control to enhance user experience by removing distractions from websites.
- The feature is available in the developer betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.
- Users can hide specific elements on a webpage, but preferences do not sync across devices.
- Distraction Control does not remove ads or dynamic content sections.
- iOS 18 also introduces a redesigned reader and a Highlights feature for better information access.
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9 commentsWhat I really wish was a way to subscribe to a list of common elements to block: Distracting videos, content that shows up when you highlight text, ect. Maybe even block stuff like this by default, kind of like blocking popups.
(I also think a lot of the lower-level APIs should require some oversight, like intercepting right-click, manipulating the clipboard, ect. IE, at a minimum, these actions should also be treated like popups and disabled by default.)
Hopefully this does end up syncing between devices and just isn't possible during the beta.
Now if Safari could just identify and get rid of whatever element is suddenly pushing my content down to show an ad that would be amazing!
Apple has mastered taking what should just be a customizable plugin and making you wait 10 years for it.
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