Apple's Distraction Control Feature: A New Way to Hide Cookie Preferences, Sign-In Pop-Ups, and More

Apple is enhancing its Safari browser with a new feature called Distraction Control, aimed at improving user experience by hiding unnecessary webpage elements. This innovative feature is designed to eliminate annoying static pop-ups, making browsing smoother and more focused.

We’ve all been irritated by random pop-ups while browsing the web. Apple has now addressed this common issue. The Distraction Control feature, currently available for iOS 18 beta users, aims to minimize distractions by concealing elements such as sign-in windows, cookie preference pop-ups, newsletter signup banners, autoplay videos, and more.

However, it's important to note that Distraction Control is not an ad blocker. According to MacRumors, while this feature can temporarily hide ads, they will reappear upon refreshing the page. The feature targets static elements that don’t change regularly, ensuring a cleaner browsing experience without permanently removing ads.

Distraction Control for Developers and Public Beta Testers

Distraction Control is currently accessible to developers through the fifth beta release of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. A public beta release is expected soon, allowing a broader audience to experience this feature.

How to Use Distraction Control on Safari

Using Distraction Control is straightforward. To activate it, access the Page Menu and choose "Hide Distracting Items." Then, select the static content you want to hide, and it will remain concealed. This is particularly useful for eliminating pop-ups that interfere while shopping online, reading articles, or performing other tasks. For Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Macs, users can hide specific page elements, ensuring that only selected items are hidden, giving users full control.

When hiding a cookie banner or GDPR pop-up with Distraction Control, it functions like closing a banner without submitting any website preferences. The settings for Distraction Control are on-device and do not sync across devices, so you will need to hide website elements on each device individually. If you want to view all hidden elements on a webpage, simply go to the Safari search field and select "Show Hidden Items."

New Safari Features in iOS 18

Distraction Control is just one of the new features Apple is introducing in Safari. Other upcoming features include Highlights, a redesigned Reader interface, and a new video viewer. The Highlights feature allows users to quickly access important information on a website, while the redesigned Reader interface presents content with tables and summaries for easier reading. Similar to Distraction Control, the new video viewer will remove distractions when watching videos on a webpage.

Apple's new Distraction Control feature promises to make web browsing more pleasant by hiding unwanted static elements that disrupt user experience. This, along with other enhancements in iOS 18, shows Apple's commitment to providing a smoother and more user-friendly browsing experience. As Distraction Control rolls out to a wider audience, it’s set to become an essential tool for those seeking a distraction-free browsing experience.