SafariBlocker gives jailbreakers more control over pop-ups in iOS’ Safari web browser

As much as I like the native Safari web browser on iOS and iPadOS, I’ve come to recognize that it’s far too easy to be jettisoned over to a new tab upon accidentally tapping on an advertisement or link on a web page.

Some third-party web browsers from the App Store already include native functionality that can stop this behavior from irritating the end user. But having a separate web browser app installed on my phone solely for this purpose just makes me feel like I’m installing another unnecessary app to clutter my Home Screen.

Those who’d like to have their cake and eat it too, that is, use Safari while still putting an end to unwanted new tabs after accidentally tapping on an ad or a link should turn their attention to the likes of a newly released and free jailbreak tweak dubbed SafariBlocker by iOS developer P2KDev.

SafariBlocker does exactly what it sounds like – it blocks the web browser from automatically launching a new tab just because you tap on an ad or a link on a web page. As shown in the screenshot examples above above, the tweak offers a plethora of options when Safari attempts to do this to you, including:

  • Allowing the new tab to launch only this one time
  • Whitelist the domain so that new tabs can launch from this domain at all times
  • Block the domain so that new tabs can’t ever launch from this particular domain
  • Block the URL so that new tabs can’t ever launch from this particular URL
  • Cancel – does nothing and closes the menu

After you’ve installed SafariBlocker, you’ll find a dedicated preference pane in the Settings app where you can view your whitelisted domains, blocked domains, and blocked URLs:

At this time, there doesn’t appear to be a way to add domains or URLs to the preference pane manually. Instead, you’d need to visit a web page in the Safari web browser and see the prompt so that you can choose what to do for that specific domain or URL.

If you’re ready to rid yourself of unwanted annoyances while browsing the web, but don’t want to leave Safari in the dust for another web browser app, then you can download SafariBlocker for free from the Packix repository via your favorite package manager. The tweak supports jailbroken iOS 13 and 14 devices and will be open sourced soon via the developer’s GitHub page.

Do you have any plans to install the SafariBlocker tweak? Let us know why or why not in the comments section down below.