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Apple is set to release a new “Distraction Control” feature, introduced with iOS 18 in the fall, allowing users to hide elements from web pages.
How could this new feature impact your Consent Management Platform (if at all), how does it work exactly from the users’ side, and what can you do to prepare for it before iOS 18 is released? Let’s look at it together.
What is Apple’s Distraction Control feature, and how does it work?
Among several new functionalities announced by Apple for the next update to its operating system iOS 18, the new Distraction Control feature understandably caught the attention of many of our peers and customers.
This new functionality available in Apple’s Safari browser will give users the ability to dismiss specific elements from a web page, such as images or menus. According to a video from MacRumors reviewing a beta version of iOS18, users will be able to get started in a few steps:
- Clicking on the setting icon in the URL bar of their Safari browser (on iPhone, iPad, or Mac)
- Selecting “Hide distracting items” from the list
- Reading an information message ("Hiding distracting items will not permanently remove ads and other content that update frequently")
- Selecting specific elements on the web page to ignore.
- Tapping “Done” to return to browsing or “Cancel” to undo changes.
Although we have yet to confirm exactly how it will work once it’s officially released, some critical points are already worth mentioning based on what we know so far about the feature:
- Hidden items have to be selected on each individual website
- Hidden items do not sync across devices
- Distraction Control is not meant to be an ad blocker and won’t remove ads
Naturally, the next question is: How can this new feature potentially impact your digital operations and, more specifically, your consent banner?
What does that mean for your organization and your CMP?
Based on current information, Distraction Mode might allow users to dismiss your consent banner. According to a Wired article, when users choose to do so, websites appear to act as if they’d never interacted with the banner.
This could, in theory, impact your organization's opt-in rate and, in turn, monetization. However, we anticipate it won’t present a significant adoption volume, as the process is relatively cumbersome, asking users to go through multiple steps on every single website they visit.
This feature is likely to be favored by technical users who usually refuse to grant their consent, which will, as a result, have little impact on opt-in performance for most organizations.
What should Didomi customers do today to prepare?
As of today, Didomi customers don’t have to take any specific steps regarding their CMP to prepare for Apple’s upcoming Distraction Control feature. Our team is committed to developing solutions to help you maintain and optimize your consent and preference operations via our Consent Management Platform (CMP) or innovative solutions like server-side tracking.
For publishers and advertisers, Apple's move is another reason to consider migrating to a server-side implementation. This could be a potential solution to this type of initiative and give them more control over what happens on websites.
As with other large digital players like Google, we will engage with Apple directly and through the trade bodies and industry associations we work with. Some, like our Chief Privacy Officer, Thomas Adhumeau, are already questioning Apple’s move and the actual privacy and monetization implications of this new feature:
“Apple’s decision, under the guise of protecting users, actually removes transparency. We don't know exactly how Apple detects and blocks certain tags or scripts rather than others.
What if, in iOS19, Apple removes the manual steps required in the current feature and allows users to automatically remove parts of every website? This one-sided decision from Apple is very concerning for the entire industry.”
- Thomas Adhumeau, Chief Privacy Officer at Didomi
To learn more about these developments and discuss any questions you might have, please reach out to your Didomi account manager or book a time with our team:
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Frequently asked questions
What is Apple's Distraction Control feature?
Distraction Control is an upcoming feature for Apple’s Safari allowing users to hide certain elements on web pages, such as images or menus, directly in their browser.
How does Distraction Control work?
Users can activate it by clicking the settings icon in Safari, selecting "Hide distracting items," and choosing which elements to hide on a web page one by one.
Can Distraction Control block ads?
Distraction Control is not an ad blocker, and is not meant to remove ads or content that updates frequently.
Will Distraction Control impact consent banners?
Users could potentially dismiss consent banners, but this may not affect opt-in rates significantly due to the feature’s complex steps.
Do Didomi customers need to prepare their CMP for this feature?
Immediate changes are not needed as far as your CMP. Didomi is monitoring the situation and will offer solutions if required.
