Peace Ad Blocker Pulled From Apple App Store By Creator After Soaring To Top Of iPhone Paid Apps

Peace is no more on the App Store. The content and ad blocker for iOS 9 was pulled just two days after its debut by its developer and Instapaper creator, Marco Arment.

In a blog entry on Friday, he explained that he had had a change of heart and didn't feel comfortable about making an ad blocker while also being a gatekeeper for what is and isn’t displayed on the Web. “Even though I’m ‘winning,’ I’ve enjoyed none of it,” Arment wrote. “That’s why I’m withdrawing from the market.”

In the brief two days that Peace was on the App Store, it soared to the top spot for paid apps, followed closely by a few competing content blockers such as Purify, Crystal and Blockr. Since Peace was removed from the App Store, the $0.99 Crystal app has taken its place as top Paid iPhone app, followed by the $3.99 Purify at fourth place.

Previous versions of Apple’s mobile operating system had no official support for ad blocking. But with iOS 9’s launch on Wednesday, the company introduced a feature that allows developers to build content blocker apps that can filter out ads, scripts and images in the built-in Safari Web browser. While users can benefit from them through faster mobile loading times, the ad blockers are a potential threat to Google, as well as publishers, which rely on mobile and desktop ads to generate revenue.

While Peace is now gone from the App Store, those that still have it installed will be able to use the app. It just won’t receive any updates. Arment has advised customers that want a refund for the app to contact iTunes support through Apple’s Report a Problem website.

If you’re still looking for an ad blocker, read our guide on how to get started with iOS 9 content blocking.