Apple’s soon-to-launch iOS 18 software could include an exciting AI-based privacy feature as part of an overhaul of the Safari browser. The new iPhone feature, dubbed Web Eraser, allows you to browse the web while removing portions of the page, such as ads or other content you don’t want to see.
Web Eraser comes as part of a wider AI-based browser overhaul in iOS 18, according to Apple-focused website Apple Insider, which first reported the news.
Apple’s soon-to-launch iOS 18 software could include an exciting AI based privacy feature as part of ... [+]
Currently being tested by the iPhone maker, the overhaul includes the advanced content blocking features enabled by Web Eraser, as well as UI tweaks and AI-powered Intelligent Search. The changes to Safari will be included in iOS 18 and macOS 15, according to the report, which cites “people familiar with the matter.”
What Web Eraser Does In iOS 18
From the looks of it, Web Eraser in iOS 18 is a pretty cool feature, building on privacy tools already built into the iPhone maker’s Safari browser. Specifically, it's “designed to allow users to remove, or erase, specific portions of web pages,” including banner ads, images, text or entire page sections.
Apparently, Safari will remember your preferences so they aren’t limited to one specific browsing session. “When visiting a web page with previously erased content, Safari will inform the user that the page has been modified to reflect their desired changes. The browser will also give the user the option to revert changes and restore the webpage to its initial, unaltered state,” Apple Insider writes.
The new controls will be easy to access in the Safari Settings menu.
Exciting New iOS 18 Features Coming Soon
Web Eraser comes alongside multiple new AI-based iOS 18 features for your iPhone, most of which will be processed on the device, at least initially.
It looks like Intelligent Search will use Apple’s large language model Ajax to identify topics and key phrases within a web page.
Essentially, Web Eraser in iOS 18 is an ad blocking feature as offered by many companies, but it’s built into the Safari browser. It’s a great move for privacy—and ease of use since it’s ready made. However, it could create problems for publishers, who rely on web ads for their business revenue.
Apple of course, values privacy as one of its key marketing messages and iOS 18 seems to embrace that ethos wholeheartedly. Apple’s new iPhone operating system will launch in just over a month at its Worldwide Developers Conference and there’s a lot to look forward to for privacy-conscious users.
