As we’ve all heard over the past few months, iOS 9 is allowing app developers to make a wide range of different types of ad blockers that will severely limit the ads that are displayed on Apple devices. This certainly sounds like a great thing to many users since they won’t have to have advertisements interrupting their browsing, YouTubing or other activities that take place on the phone. Even many marketers aren’t too worried about it because they think that it won’t cause any significant disruption since ad blockers on PCs aren’t a major concern.
The reality is, however, that the new ad blockers have a lot of potential to cause some very significant problems. Many of these issues are already forming even though iOS 9 has only really been out a short time.
AdBlocker Blackmail
One of the biggest issues for many major ad networks is going to be the issue of ‘blackmail.’ OK, maybe it is not legally blackmail, but it amounts to the same thing. AdBlockers being developed and released on iOS 9 such as AdBlock Plus are blocking most ads except those they deem to be ‘non-intrusive.’ Those that are considered non-intrusive include ads from major networks like Google and Microsoft, which have paid to have their own feeds white listed.
You can see where this is going. Any ad blocker that gains any sort of traction on the app store will begin demanding big payments from the major networks in order to allow their ads to display again. This is not only bad for the networks but also for the users who will constantly be looking for the AdBlocker that actually blocks the ads.
No Money Flow
The Internet is paid for by advertisements. Nearly all of the profits from Facebook and Google are directly related to advertisements, and not an insignificant portion of that is from mobile ads (specifically iOS ads). If the ad blockers start eliminating a decent percentage of the ads, this will cut off the money flow to these companies.
Like it or not, you can’t have a free Internet without ads. It costs millions of dollars to create and maintain your favorite websites and without ad revenue, they would literally have to close shop (or start charging a fee to use them).
It Is a Real Risk
Some people think that this won’t happen because ad blocking never got too popular on PCs. Most people on PCs that use ad blocking are the ‘tech nerds’ who took the time to look into it and figure out how to set it all up. For iOS devices, however, it will be much easier. Download a simple app and you’re good to go without the ads. In addition, ad blocking is getting a lot of attention right now, which will drive many people to get these apps.
The risk is real that a large percentage of iOS 9 users will be blocking ads, and that could cut billions of dollars’ worth of ads from displaying. Obviously this is a real risk for marketers, site owners and ad networks alike.
It is not yet clear what is going to happen of course. The fact is, however, that the ad blocking options on iOS 9 could be one of the most significant events in the mobile web. Whether you are a marketer, a website owner, an ad network manager or even just an iOS user, this is something to be aware of.
