Removing the iAd Banner on an iPhone

While you can opt out of all Apple-provided ads by configuring the Limit Ad Tracking setting on your iPhone, in-app ads and non-Apple ads will still appear, and the banner placeholder will remain intact on the device. You can also remove iAds from your iPhone with an app, such as Weblock or AdBlock for iOS, or use the Cydia Hacks online tool. However, if you use the online tool, the iAds will return when you reboot the iPhone; if you install an ad blocking app, the banner placeholder will usually still be visible at the top or bottom of the screen.

Tap the “Settings” icon on the home screen to launch the Settings app.

Tap the “Privacy” tab, and then tap the “Advertising” option.

Slide the “Limit Ad Tracking” switch to “On.” Interest-based Apple iAds will no longer be pushed to your device.

Download and install one of the ad blocking apps from iTunes (see Resources).

Open the app’s Blacklist feature. For example, tap the “Blacklist” tab in Weblock to open the Blacklist settings screen.

Type the following URLs in the Domains field to add them to the blacklist. These domains are the iAds servers:

iadsdk.apple.com qwapi.com

Enable the “Include Subdomains” option for both URLs to disable iAds in the ad blocking app on the iPhone.

Open the Cydia Hacks online tool in the Safari browser (see Resources).

Click the “Disable All Ads” option to install the app on the iPhone. The installation fails, but the Done icon appears.

Click “Done.” All iAds are removed from your device until you reboot the phone.