Update notifications seem to be delayed in iOS. Batches of devices get them at different times for A/B testing and reduce bandwidth requirements.

This is based on my personal observation of different devices. I could be wrong.

You'been answered already about the support periods in Android, but let me add more for you (and others mentioning support times of the system): in Android this problem doesn't exist to begin with. The fact that getting a new web browser version is anchored to getting a whole new operating system version, is preposterous and absurd, pure planned obsolescence from Apple. You would just upgrade your Chrome, Brave, Firefox, or whatever browser app, and do with them what your were trying to do. (in this case install a browser extension, for which the best one qould be Firefox).

This situation with iOS sounds as ridiculous as if it was mandatory to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 in order to update the Edge browser. (Edited to remove useless rant)

9 year old phone? Don't worry, google won't care about you either.

I gotta say, using full fat uBlock Origin in Firefox on my android is pretty great.

I don't know which version of the iPhone SE you have, there have been several over time. Mine is from 2016 (had to look that up). No update to iOS 18, true.

In your specific case you have to look very carefully in the Android world to avoid an even worse situation. I think there are a few Android models now that promise several years of updates, remains to be seen, though. If this is your beef with Apple, then I doubt you will feel much better with Android.

Apple has way better backwards compatibility than Android. Your 9 year old iPhone SE is still getting security updates.

iPhone SE 1st edition?

2nd edition here, and I updated to 18.6 days ago.

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> Why can’t extensions be a standalone thing in the store?

1) Because then you need a whole parallel set of processes for configuring, updating, and uninstalling those things, distinct from the existing processes for apps. And you need to make that process accessible to users who may be used to everything being an app.

2) A nontrivial number of browser extensions on iOS are part of standalone apps anyway, like password managers or bookmarking tools. It'd be very strange to have both app-with-browser-extensions and browser-only-extensions, or to require some extensions to be installed and updated in tandem with a companion app for expected functionality.

Because Apple's distribution model centers around everything being bundled as an app

One time until Wipr 3, coming from a Wipr 1/2 user, just to be clear.

Seconded. It’s so very great! I finally switched off 1Blocker to use it.

Firefox Focus has this feature too! (ie: play YouTube videos from lock screen controls, keeps playing with screen off)

Brave is awesome. Skip the silly crypto integration and enjoy the amazing integrated ad-blocking.

Trying to actually write one before, it's incredibly frustrating experience, as you still need to have some weird native glue code in in Swift/Obj-C. And everything is under-documented, as it the true Apple Experience. (I forgot the details. I can find the code on github, maybe.)

If you ask yourself why there are so little Safari extensions, this is why.

edit: I look at the code now... I needed to wrestle with BOTH cocoapods and npm, at which point I gave up

Even better, thanks for the correction.

There was a bug in Safari's registerContentScripts that was only just recently fixed in 18.6. uBOL needs that bugfix.

The oldest supported iPhone is nearly 7 years old. Can you point to another officially supported phone that’s older?

So you never got gatekept by Apple from accessing a feature unless you had a specific version of the OS? Heck, even macbooks get killed every year by not allowing them to build for newer iOS versions.

The whole point of Apple, one could say, IS to make sure to forcibly make you update to access a new feature. That way either you can update or you've got to buy a brand-new device.

The whole point of using an iPhone is that you don't have to update it?

>The whole point of going iPhone is not to have to deal with these kinds of situations.

This is actually really funny because Android users have had the ability to use any browser they want for like a decade+, including browsers with adblock built in, and browsers with fully featured extension systems supporting all major desktop ad blockers, and it all just works. One click download, no setup, nothing.

This is one of those places where Apple has intentionally made a terrible UX for you to steer you into their walled garden / first party products. You have to use Safari, you have to dig around in settings, you have to make sure your versions all line up, it's pointless rigamarole that will mean the majority of users stick with stock Safari, just as intended.

In many ways, things "just work" on any platform Apple product managers aren't allowed to muck with...

Bad news: these kinds of situations are inevitable. You've abdicated control of your digital life for a comforting lie