Wipr 2 expands Safari ad blocking to all other apps
Wipr 2, the Safari ad blocker created by Kaylee Serena (and the one I use), got a new feature that extends its functionality system-wide: Filtr.
Developed over the past ten months, it makes use of a new technology introduced in version 26 of Apple’s operating systems, the URL Filter. According to Kaylee, it allows you to “to block network requests system-wide without having access to any network traffic at all, and with more granularity than previous solutions.” She says this is the first app to make use of the URL Filter.
Legacy solutions still used by other apps are almost always a “fake VPN” — one that doesn’t redirect traffic to external servers; instead, it’s used solely to filter tracker and ad domains.
A URL Filter works differently, and it’s an approach sanctioned by Apple. Beyond greater efficiency, the feature is compatible with privacy protections that the old fake VPN solution would break, such as iCloud+ Private Relay and custom DNS resolvers (NextDNS, ControlD).
Once installed and enabled, you can see Filtr listed as a URL Filter in iOS and macOS settings:
- iOS: Open Settings, go to General, then VPN & Device Management.
- macOS: Open System Settings, select Network in the sidebar, then VPN & Filters.
Filtr follows Wipr 2’s general philosophy of being a “set it and forget it” kind of app. There are no options or fine-tuning available, which can be frustrating for those who like to block domains that don’t typically appear on blocklists. (For me, that’s actually a relief — it means I’m not tempted to go down the rabbit hole of endlessly tweaking those things.)
Does it work? Apparently, I guess? Wipr 2’s simplicity is thorough: there are no dashboards or blocked URL statistics. The only way to tell whether it’s working is empirical observation.
Since enabling Filtr on my devices on the day the feature launched (May 22nd), I disabled NextDNS to check whether anything obviously slipped past Filtr. Even though I use few apps that show ads, nothing suspicious stood out during this first week.
Filtr is a separate subscription within Wipr 2 (which is sold as a USD 4.99 one-time purchase). The annual Filtr subscription costs USD 4.99 and the lifetime license is USD 24.99.