Apple Bans Updates for Third-Party iPhone Ad Blockers

Apple is reportedly going after third-party ad blockers published in the App Store, as the company no longer allows updates for VPN-based solutions that can prevent ads from showing at an operating system level.

A report from 9to5mac reveals that several popular apps, including Adblock and Weblock, can no longer be updated in the App Store due to what appears to be revised Apple guidelines that no longer allow VPN-based adblock applications installing certificates on the device.

Specifically, Apple is rejecting updates for this type of apps because of section 4.2 of its App Store Developer Guidelines, which reads the following:

“Your app should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website. If your app is not particularly useful, unique, or ‘app-like,’ it doesn’t belong on the App Store. If your App doesn’t pro...