How to Block Apple’s Own Ads on Your iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Apple devices are famous for privacy… and also for occasionally trying to sell you something while wearing a privacy tuxedo. The “good” news: Apple’s ads are usually less creepy than the broader internet’s ad circus. The “annoying” news: some of Apple’s ads live inside Apple apps (like the App Store), so you can’t always erase them the way you’d zap banner ads in Safari.

What you can do is (1) stop Apple from personalizing ads using your data, (2) cut down the recommendation systems that feel like ads in disguise, and (3) silence the promotional pings that make your phone feel like it joined a marketing team without telling you.

This guide walks through the settings that matter on iPhone, iPad, and Macplus a few optional tactics if you want to go full “no thanks, Tim.”

First, What Counts as “Apple’s Own Ads”?

When people say “Apple ads,” they’re usually talking about a few places:

• App Store ads (especially search ads and promoted placements in browsing areas).
• Apple News and Stocks placements that look like typical in-app advertising.
• Apple service promos that behave like ads (recommendations, “Try Apple One,” “Get Apple TV,” subscription nudges, etc.).

Important reality check: turning off personalization can make ads more generic, but it may not reduce how many ads you see. Think “same volume, less mind-reading.”

The 3-Layer Strategy (Because One Toggle Isn’t Enough)

1. Stop personalized ads: tell Apple not to use your data to target ads.
2. Turn off personalized recommendations: reduce “Suggested for You” style nudges in Apple’s stores and services.
3. Shut down promo delivery: disable notifications and suggestion surfaces that keep advertising you from the lock screen.

iPhone & iPad: Reduce Apple Ads in 10 Minutes

1) Turn Off Apple’s Personalized Ads

This is the big one. It doesn’t delete ads from the App Store or Apple News, but it prevents Apple from tailoring them to you.

• Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising
• Turn Personalized Ads Off

If you don’t see “Privacy & Security,” your iOS version may label it a little differently. If you see “Privacy” instead, that’s the older naming. Same idea, different outfit.

2) Turn Off Personalized Recommendations for Apple’s Stores

Separate from ad targeting, Apple also personalizes recommendations in places like the App Store and other Apple storefronts. Turning this off won’t magically make the App Store boringbut it can make it less “I noticed you blinked at a meditation app once.”

• Open Settings → tap your name (Apple ID)
• Tap Media & Purchases → View Account
• Find Personalized Recommendations and turn it Off

Pro tip: if you share an Apple Account across devices, this helps across the whole ecosystemso your iPad doesn’t “learn” new interests just because your iPhone had a late-night app-browsing phase.

3) Mute App Store Promotional Notifications

Some “ads” aren’t bannersthey’re notifications. And notifications are basically ads that can interrupt dinner. Let’s fix that.

• Open Settings → Notifications → App Store
• Turn Allow Notifications Off (or keep it on and disable marketing-style categories if offered)

If you still want update alerts but not promo stuff, keep notifications on and reduce alerts to a quieter style (for example, no lock screen, no banners). The goal is “security updates: yes” and “random hype: no.”

4) Calm Down Apple News (If You Use It)

Apple News can feel like a beautiful magazine… with a megaphone taped to it. You can’t always remove all in-app ads, but you can stop the app from acting like a pushy friend who “just wanted to share this article.”

• Disable notifications: Settings → Notifications → News → Allow Notifications Off
• Fine-tune News alerts inside the app: Open News → Following → scroll down → Notifications & Email and disable categories you don’t want

If you subscribe to Apple News+, you may still see advertising in some contexts depending on the content source. A subscription helps with access, but it’s not a universal “ad force field.”

5) Turn Off Siri Suggestions That Feel Like Ads

Siri suggestions are helpful… until they’re basically “Would you like me to advertise something in the exact spot your brain automatically looks?”

• Open Settings → Siri (or Apple Intelligence & Siri)
• Look for suggestion toggles such as Suggestions in Search, Suggestions in Lookup, Suggestions on Home Screen, Suggestions on Lock Screen, or Suggestion Notifications
• Turn off the ones you don’t want

You can also go app-by-app (still in Siri settings) and disable “Suggest App” or “Show on Home Screen” for apps that keep popping up like an overeager intern.

6) Bonus Privacy Move: Block Third-Party Tracking Requests

This doesn’t block Apple’s own ads directly, but it reduces the overall tracking ecosystem on your device, which can cut down on targeted marketing behavior across apps.

• Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking
• Turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track

Mac: The Settings That Actually Matter

1) Turn Off Personalized Ads (Apple Advertising) on macOS

• Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising
• Turn Personalized Ads Off

If you don’t see this section right away, macOS may only show it after Apple News or Stocks asks permission to deliver personalized ads. (Yes, that’s a very “You can’t quit until you try the free sample” vibe.)

2) Tame App Store Behavior (Less Hype, More Utility)

Open the App Store app, then go to App Store → Settings. Here you can reduce noise (like auto-playing previews) and keep the store from feeling like a video billboard.

Also consider reviewing your Apple Account’s Personalized Recommendations setting (the same Apple Account toggle you can change on iPhone/iPad). It’s one switch that influences multiple storefront experiences.

3) Shut Off Promotional Notifications

On Mac, notifications are often the sneaky delivery method for promotions.

• System Settings → Notifications
• Select apps like App Store, News, Stocks (and any others that annoy you)
• Turn notifications off or reduce them to a non-intrusive style

4) Safari Content Blockers (For Web Ads, Not App Store Ads)

If part of your frustration is Apple’s own promotional content on the web (or just ads in general), Safari content blockers can dramatically clean up browsing. But be clear about the limitation: a Safari content blocker can’t reach into the App Store’s built-in ad placements because those aren’t web pages.

Optional: DNS-Level Blocking (Powerful, But Not Magic)

If you want to go beyond device toggles, DNS-based ad blocking can sometimes reduce ad loading inside certain apps by preventing calls to known ad domains. This can help in some scenarios, but it comes with tradeoffs:

• It may break app features (news images, embeds, tracking links, or even sign-in flows).
• It won’t remove “built-in” ad slotsthe space can remain even if the content doesn’t load.
• Apple uses first-party infrastructure in ways that can make clean blocking tricky without collateral damage.

If you try DNS blocking, treat it like hot sauce: start with a small amount and don’t be shocked if your eyes water. When something breaks, roll back and rely on Apple’s own toggles.

What You Can’t Fully Block (Unless You Go Off the Rails)

Let’s say it plainly: you can’t reliably remove all Apple ads from Apple apps using only normal settings. Apple’s own documentation notes that turning off personalized ads limits targeting but may not reduce ad volume. Some ad placements are simply part of the user interface.

Anything promising “100% remove all Apple ads everywhere” usually involves jailbreak-style modification or fragile hacks. Besides being risky, those approaches can create security and stability problems. For most people, the best win is: generic ads + fewer promotional interruptions + fewer personalized nudges.

Troubleshooting: When the Toggle Is Missing or Grayed Out

The “Apple Advertising” option isn’t there

• On Mac, it may appear only after News or Stocks asks permission for personalized ads.
• On iPhone/iPad, menu names vary slightly by iOS version (Privacy vs Privacy & Security).

You can’t change Personalized Ads

This can happen if you have a managed account (school/work device), Screen Time restrictions, a child account, or region-based limitations. In some cases, Apple notes the personalized ads option may be unavailable for minors or managed accounts.

Quick Checklist: The “Less Apple Ads” Setup

• iPhone/iPad: Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising → Personalized Ads Off
• iPhone/iPad: Settings → Apple ID → Media & Purchases → View Account → Personalized Recommendations Off
• iPhone/iPad: Settings → Notifications → App Store/News/Stocks → reduce or disable
• iPhone/iPad: Settings → Siri (Apple Intelligence & Siri) → disable suggestion surfaces you hate
• Mac: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising → Personalized Ads Off
• Mac: System Settings → Notifications → App Store/News/Stocks → reduce or disable

Experience Notes: What It Feels Like to Actually Do This (500+ Words)

Here’s a realistic “day one” experience many people have when they finally decide to rein in Apple’s own ads. It usually starts with a small annoyancemaybe you searched the App Store for a flashlight app and suddenly your “Today” tab looks like it’s sponsored by every productivity startup on earth. Or you open Apple News for one story and spend the next 30 seconds playing “Is this a headline or an ad?” like it’s a game show you didn’t audition for.

The first changeturning off Personalized Adsfeels satisfying, like flipping a switch that says, “I’m a person, not a demographic snack.” But the emotional payoff is bigger than the visible payoff. You might still see ads in the same places, because the spaces are built into the apps. The difference is subtle: the ads feel less eerily aligned with your recent interests. Instead of “the exact app category you were just thinking about,” you get more generic promotions. It’s not glamorous, but it’s a meaningful privacy win.

Next comes the underappreciated MVP: turning off Personalized Recommendations. People often forget this exists because it’s tucked in the Apple Account area, not the privacy menu. In practice, it can make the App Store feel a little less like a personalized storefront and a little more like a catalog. You may notice fewer “because you downloaded X” vibes and more broad suggestions. It won’t erase promoted placements, but it can reduce that sense that the store is shaping itself around your past behavior.

The biggest quality-of-life improvement, honestly, is notifications. Promotional notifications don’t just show you somethingyou’re forced to acknowledge them. Once you turn off App Store and News notifications (or at least strip them down to quiet delivery), your devices feel calmer. The lock screen stops acting like a billboard. Your focus returns. You don’t pick up your phone to see a promo and then accidentally lose 12 minutes scrolling. (Yes, that happens. No, you don’t get those 12 minutes back. Time is rude like that.)

Siri suggestions are the wild card. Some people love them; others feel like they’re being followed around by a helpful but overenthusiastic concierge. The experience of turning off suggestion surfaces is immediate: fewer “Suggested App” pop-ups, fewer surprise recommendations in Search, fewer random nudges on the lock screen. You don’t lose Siri entirely; you just stop it from advertising your own habits back to you.

On Mac, the experience is similar but more “set it and forget it.” Once Personalized Ads are off and notifications are quiet, most of the remaining “ad feeling” comes from the App Store itselfbecause it’s designed to promote discovery. The goal isn’t to make Apple’s stores blank; it’s to make them feel like tools again instead of a shopping mall that keeps trying to walk beside you holding a smoothie sample.

The final “experience lesson” is expectation management: you’re not installing an ad-free operating system. You’re shaping your devices to be less personalized, less interruptive, and less pushy. And once you do, the whole ecosystem feels more premiumbecause it stops trying to upsell you every time you tap the wrong corner of an app.

Conclusion

You can’t completely delete Apple’s own ad placements from Apple apps with standard settings, but you can absolutely make them less personal, less noisy, and less in-your-face. Start with Apple Advertising (Personalized Ads off), then disable Personalized Recommendations, then silence promotional notifications and suggestion surfaces. The result is a calmer iPhone, a less salesy iPad, and a Mac that behaves like a computer instead of a polite marketer.