Test the Safari session you actually use
Open Super Adblock Test directly in Safari. A result from Chrome, an in-app browser or a different Safari profile does not tell you what this session blocks.
Keep the browser, profile and network the same while comparing results. If you switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data or turn on a VPN, you have changed the test setup. Record it rather than treating the scores as directly interchangeable.
iPhone: check the extension before running the test
- Open Settings → Apps → Safari → Extensions. On older iOS versions, Safari may appear directly in Settings.
- Select your installed extension or content blocker and check that it is enabled. Use the permissions it needs for the sites you intend to filter; installing its companion app alone does not confirm it is active.
- Open Safari's page menu and inspect Manage Extensions for this website. Check for a site-specific exception. Controls can vary with the extension and iOS version.
- Return to this page in Safari and run the test. Read the blocked, reachable and mixed results.
Apple documents extension activation and website controls in its iPhone Safari guide. If you use Safari profiles, confirm the extension is enabled for the profile you are testing.
Mac: confirm Safari's own settings
Choose Safari → Settings → Extensions, then check the extension you intend to use. Review its website access and any site exceptions. Reload the test after a change. An extension enabled in a different browser has no effect on Safari.
Use Apple's Mac extension guide if the controls differ in your version. If the blocker has its own filter-list updates, use its official update route before comparing results.
Private Browsing is a separate test
Open the same test in a private window only if that is the environment you want to check. Extensions can have separate private-window permissions. Confirm those settings instead of assuming your normal-window rules carried over.
Private Browsing is not a promise that every ad is blocked. It also does not make signed-in activity anonymous. Compare normal and private sessions as two labeled results, not one combined score.
What Safari's result can and cannot tell you
- Blocked: the particular request did not complete as expected. A browser rule, VPN, DNS filter or another part of the path may have caused it.
- Reachable: the probe completed. Check whether that resource is meant to be blocked by your chosen setup before changing rules.
- Mixed or unexpected: check the category details and repeat once under the same conditions. A request failure is not enough to identify the blocker responsible.
A high score is useful evidence about this run. It does not certify ad-free YouTube, filtering inside other iPhone apps, or complete tracking protection. Use the score guide for the measurement limits.
Still seeing ads? Narrow it down
Check whether you are actually in Safari, whether the extension is allowed on that site, and whether an exception is active. If a VPN or DNS filter is part of your setup, check that it is connected and filtering. Do not change all three layers at once.
If the problem is specific to video ads, read the YouTube testing guide. For a wider settings problem, use Why is my adblock not working?. Your next step should follow the failed check, not the size of the percentage.
Questions, answered
How do I test adblock on Safari?
Open Super Adblock Test directly in Safari, confirm the intended content blocker or extension is enabled, run the test and read the category results. Repeat after one settings change in the same Safari profile.
Does Safari Private Browsing block every ad?
No. Private Browsing and content blocking are separate controls. Check whether your extension is allowed in private windows, then test that environment separately.
Does a Safari adblock test measure other iPhone apps?
No. It observes requests from that Safari session. A VPN or DNS filter may affect those requests, but the result does not establish that every other app is filtered in the same way.