An ad blocker needs a way to repair websites
Less advertising is the goal. Keeping websites usable matters just as much to me. That is why repair belongs in the ad blocker from the beginning.
RiffBlock has been on my list for a while. The current version is not about a big switch with the most impressive possible counter. I want to know whether protection is really set up, and what I can do when one website has a problem.
More than an enabled switch
The foundation is three native Safari content blockers: advertising, privacy and appearance. After setup, the app checks their actual effect on an allowed Safari page. The result belongs to the active filter generation, so an old saved state cannot simply stand in for a fresh functional check.
It is less eye-catching than a success animation, but more useful to me in practice. The numbers shown are rule counts. I do not turn them into an invented total of removed ads or a claim about battery savings.
Repair the current site first
The extra Safari extension handles dynamic pages and certain video states. If it interferes with a site, I can first relax the extra logic for that site. Further repair steps selectively remove relevant rules. Pausing protection for the website remains a clear final option.
Custom selection rules can be previewed and undone. I want repairs to remain understandable, without secretly changing protection on other sites. Settings and learned rules should also be possible to back up locally.
More languages without reporting visited sites
The current build adds local language packages to the international filters. Selection can follow device languages. Visiting a site does not trigger a spontaneous package download for that purpose. Neither the selection nor visited websites are sent to me.
Regular filter updates still connect to their public sources. Deliberately created issue reports remain local in the current product. There is no active reporting service yet.
A development version with clear limits
The current test version is 1.0.0, build 2. These images show the app and Safari popup in the iPhone simulator. More physical devices and real Safari situations need checking before a public release.
Video advertising in particular does not come with one simple promise for every provider. Some ads can be removed; others can only be covered quietly while they run. That does not remove an unavoidable waiting period. I would rather show those limits and improve individual workflows than promise perfect detection.
