Apple’s new iPhone tweak empowers users and marks an advertising watershed

Last Wednesday Apple rolled out the latest version of its iOS operating system, and it came with a very nasty sting in the tail for newspapers, magazines and online publishers everywhere. A relatively small tweak means iPhone and iPad owners can now download apps that will block ads on web pages on their phones. The apps notice when an ad is being delivered to a web page alongside an article, and simply stop it ever getting there.

Following the release the apps almost immediately rose to the top of the download rankings. Many commentators who anticipated the software would only block annoying, intrusive ads (unlike their own sleek, pretty ones) were surprised to find it doing what it said it would – provide an ad-free experience on the web.

Related: What lies behind the boom in mobile adblocking?