Apple iOS 18 beta 5: Apple introduces new ‘Distraction Control’ tool for Safari - All you need to know

With the launch of iOS 18 beta 5 and macOS Sequoia beta 5 developers, Apple is unveiling a new tool for its browser Safari known as Distraction Control. This tool is developed to enable users to block certain elements on web pages like sign-in popups and other content overlays and provide more control over their web browsing experience. Distraction Control can be accessed through the same Page Menu interface in Safari browser as Reader and Viewer, where users will have a new “Hide Distracting Items” choice to activate Distraction Control. Then, users will be directed to choose various elements on a webpage, which are disturbing and will be able to block them.

Safari users need to manually select each item on a webpage, which they want to conceal. Distraction Control will continue through page refreshes and reloads as well, meaning the hidden item does not change. The tech giant claims that no item is persistently hidden with this feature; items that are manually chosen by users are only hidden.

Apple also highlights that the new tool is not meant to function as an ad blocker. Although a user can officially use Distraction Control to hide an advertisement on a website provisionally, that ad will show up again when the page is reloaded or refreshed. When a user activates Distraction Control for the first time, the browser will show a pop-up, which will underline that the feature will not permanently hide ads or other regions of a website that often change.

If a user selects to hide an item like a GDPR banner or a cookies request pop-up, Distraction Control will act in the same way as if the user physically clicks to terminate that pop-up, which means Distraction Control will function as neither an “Accept” nor “Decline” for that cookies request. If users wish to unhide certain items, they can hit back into the Page Menu interface in the Safari browser and select ‘Show Hidden Items’. The new feature is accessible in iOS 18 beta 5, iPadOS 18 beta 5, and macOS Sequoia beta 5. Apple is launching these upgrades for registered developer beta testers.