How to block pop-ups on iPhone

(Image credit: iMore / Stephen Warwick)

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Block pop-ups on Safari
Block pop-ups on Google Chrome

Pop-ups can be the most annoying thing on the internet as they bombard your attempts to browse the web. iOS 16 does an excellent job of blocking pop-ups out of the gate, but sometimes you need to ensure the settings are correct to block pop-ups rather than allow them.

Luckily, it's easy to block pop-ups on iPhone in just a few simple steps, regardless of what web browser you choose to use on your device.

How to block pop-ups on iPhone with Safari

Safari is currently the fastest way to browse the internet on your iPhone, and luckily it's super easy to allow pop-ups with just a few simple steps.

1. Open Settings

2. Tap Safari

3. Scroll down and toggle On Block Pop-ups under the General section

Just like that, you won't have any pop-ups on your iPhone using Apple's first-party web browser. It's an easy toggle to find, so you can decide on the fly if you want to block or allow pop-ups while browsing the web on your iPhone.

How to block pop-ups on iPhone with Google Chrome

If you use Google Chrome on iPhone, the world's most used web browser with over 3.3 billion users, then blocking pop-ups isn't any more difficult. You can allow block pop-ups on your iPhone with just a couple of simple steps.

Open Chrome

Tap the three dots icon in the bottom right corner

Swipe on the menu bar at the top and select Settings

Tap Content Settings

Toggle On Block Pop-Ups

Pop-ups be gone!

I hate pop-ups. They cause my web browsing to feel like a chore, and they're just plain annoying. Luckily iOS 16 blocks pop-ups straight out the gate, but you might need to double-check your settings occasionally if you're noticing a lot of annoying pop-ups on your iPhone.

If you own the best iPhone at the moment, the iPhone 14 Pro, you don't want pop-ups slowing down your browsing experience, so make sure they're blocked and out of sight.

If, for whatever reason, you want to allow pop-ups, we have a How to guide that will help you out. You can always switch between both options depending on your scenario.

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.