Online Shop: Ad-blocking app removed

SAN FRANCISCO: A top iPhone ad-blocking application was pulled from the App Store by its creator, amid a surge in interest in new programmes to thwart marketing messages. Programmer Marco Arment removed the Peace app after it spent more than a day as the most downloaded paid application at Apple’s online shop. “Achieving this much success with Peace just doesn’t feel good, which I didn’t anticipate,” Arment said in a post at Marco.org. “Ad blockers come with an important asterisk: while they do benefit a ton of people in major ways, they also hurt some, including many who do not deserve the hit.” The $2.99 app jumped to the top of the charts after the Wednesday release of updated iOS 9 Apple mobile operating software that allows the use of programmes blocking ads from popping up while visiting websites using Safari web browser.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2015.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.