Apple removes ad-blocking apps from App Store

The removed apps are mostly ad blockers who use root certificates, as it allows blocking online ads from within the app itself.

Been Choice offered users the option to either block ads or to provide behavioral data to the app developers in exchange for small cash rewards.

Apple on Friday rid its App Store of a few applications that it said could snoop on people’s data and posed a security threat. He added that they are working closely with the developers to quickly get their apps back on store, while ensuring user privacy and security is not at risk. The root certificates bypass iOS data protection, encryption, and privacy methods installed by Apple to keep users safer on mobile. As such, users can earn a few compensation upon the agreement to share behavioural data with advertisers, publishers, and app developers.

Apple’s admission that its App Store hosted apps that installed such root certificates nearly certainly exposes a hole in the company’s security vetting process. They are capable of blocking ads and other content that annoy users in third-party applications.

Apple has approved an ad blocker that blocks native ads, which may include its very own Apple News.

The applications having the root certificates take the user data to servers. What makes Been Choice unique is that it also blocks ads in native mobile apps, including Facebook and even Apple’s own News app.

Ad blocking was introduced to iOS with the most recent update to Apple’s software and allows users to block ads appearing on mobile websites viewed through the company’s Safari browser.

The developer of Been Choice said that it would be changing its adblocking app to “remove ad blocking for Facebook, Google, Yahoo, and Pinterest apps” and resubmit to Apple in an attempt to be allowed back into the store.

Now, App Splicing has come to iOS that optimizes the way apps use unexpandable storage on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, thus making more space available on the devices. In 2013 it removed ad blockers including Adblock Plus from the Play Store.