Apple’s new Safari feature removes distracting items from websites | TechCrunch

Safari’s newest feature, Distraction Control, can remove distracting elements from a website. The feature follows Browser Company’s Arc Browse’s addition of Boosts last year, which similarly lets users remove features from a site and further customize its appearance.

Apple is rolling out the early version of the feature this week through new developer betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.

Users can access the Distraction Control tool from the Page Menu in the Smart Search field. They then select the item on the website they want to remove. Safari will remember to remove the elements the next time they visit the site. The choice doesn’t currently sync across hardware, however, so users will have to hide the elements on each new device.

Users can click on the blue Hide icon in the search field and select “Show hidden items” to unhide any of the web page’s elements.

Apple said that the feature won’t remove ads or sections that have frequently changing content. It’s not clear if this tool will be able to remove, for example, a section like “Who to follow” or “Explore” on X, as these elements appear in the same place on the home page, but the content within those boxes is dynamic.

Arc Browser’s Boost tool was able to remove these sections during our last testing last year.

With iOS 18, Apple also introduced a redesigned reader for better listening and font controls. It also launched Highlights, a feature that will surface important information from a page, including quick links for driving directions, call information and summaries of TV show reviews mentioned on a page.