Help
Hi, I am Mikail. I make So Annoying! on my own, from Sweden, next to a normal job. Below are the questions I get most. If yours is not here, write to support@soannoying.app and I will answer myself. It might take a day or two, but it is me reading it.
Getting it to work
I installed it and nothing happens. Why?
Because Safari does not let an app turn itself on. Every content blocker on iPhone starts switched off, and So Annoying! is five of them, so there are five switches to flip. It takes a minute and you only do it once. The app walks you through it on the Home screen, but here it is in full.
On iPhone and iPad:
- Open Settings, then Apps, then Safari, then Extensions.
- Tap So Annoying! and turn it on.
- On that same screen, tap Other Websites and choose Allow. This one matters. Without it the app can see nothing after a page has loaded, so cookie banners stay and nothing gets counted.
- Go back to Extensions and turn on the four called 1, 2, 3 and 4.
On Mac:
- In Safari, open Settings, then Extensions.
- Tick So Annoying! and 1, 2, 3 and 4.
- Select So Annoying! and set Other Websites to Allow.
If you use Private Browsing, or profiles on the Mac, those keep their own switches. Turn them on there too, otherwise it will look like the app stopped working the moment you open a private tab.
How do I know it is on?
Open soannoying.app/test in Safari. It either says Working, or tells you which switch is still off and where to find it. The Home screen in the app says the same thing.
Why five switches? That is a lot.
I agree. Safari puts a cap on how many rules one blocker can hold, and the lists So Annoying! uses do not fit in one. So they are split over four, plus the fifth which is the part that actually looks at the page and removes banners. Which rule sits in which list is a technical choice and would mean nothing to you, which is why they are just numbered.
Why does it want access to all websites?
Because I cannot know in advance which site will throw a cookie banner at you. The extension needs to be allowed to look at the page you are on, whichever it is, to remove what is in the way. It does not send the pages anywhere. What actually leaves your device is on the privacy page, and it is short.
Money
What is free and what costs?
All of the blocking is free, all the time. Ads, trackers and the cookie banners the lists already know about never cost anything and never count. What counts is the harder work, when the extension has to step in on a page that loads and remove something the lists could not, like a fresh overlay or a banner drawn after the fact. You get an unlimited first week of that, then five a day. Unlimited takes the limit away. The prices are on the PLAN screen in the app, for a month, a year, or once and never again.
I bought Unlimited and it says I am on the free plan.
Open PLAN in the app and tap RESTORE PURCHASE. That happens after a reinstall or on a second device. Unlimited follows your Apple Account, so it works on every iPhone, iPad and Mac signed in to it. If Restore does not help, mail me and tell me which device.
Does it support Family Sharing?
Yes, all three plans. Your family group gets Unlimited with you. If a family member does not see it, Apple's purchase sharing needs to be on for the family, that is in Settings under your name, then Family.
How do I cancel?
Through Apple, like any subscription. On iPhone or iPad: Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. On Mac: System Settings, your name, then Media and Purchases, then Subscriptions. It keeps working until the end of what you already paid for.
Can I get a refund?
Apple handles the money, so refunds go through Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com. I never see your payment and I cannot refund it from my side, even when I would like to.
When something is wrong
A site still shows a banner or an ad.
Tell me, right there on the page. Tap the So Annoying! button in Safari's toolbar and choose Something got through. You can add a note. Or share the page and pick So Annoying! in the share sheet, that one lets you leave an email if you want an answer. Or in the app, open ABOUT, then REPORT, and type the site.
I read every report. Sites change all the time and some are built to get around blockers, so the app is not magic and it will miss things. The reports are how it gets better.
A site broke. Buttons do nothing, or the page is blank.
First pause So Annoying! for that site: tap the toolbar button and choose Pause on this site. The app stands down on that site and remembers. Then report it with This site broke, so I can fix it and you can turn it back on.
What is the LEARNING switch?
When it is on, the app learns from what you close by hand and sends me a short note about it, so the same fix can reach everyone. It sends the site name and a description of the element, not the page, not what was on it, not who you are. It is on from the start. Turn it off under Settings, then Learning, and the app stops sending those. Anything you report yourself still goes through, because you pressed send.
Safari says the extension does not have permission to read content. Is that bad?
No. That message is Safari's wording for a content blocker, which by design cannot read anything. The four numbered ones are like that. Only the fifth one, So Annoying! itself, needs Allow on other websites, and that is the one that removes banners.
Things people ask
Does it see what I browse?
No. The blocking happens on your device. Nothing about which pages you visit is sent to me. The privacy page lists everything the app sends, and it is a short list.
Does it block ads inside other apps?
No. It works in Safari, and in the pages other apps open with Safari's own viewer. Apps with their own ad networks are outside what a Safari extension can reach.
Can I add my own rules or block one element myself?
No, and that is on purpose. There are no settings to get wrong. When something gets through, report it and I fix it for everyone instead of everyone fixing it for themselves.
Which block lists does it use?
Well known open ones, EasyList and friends, plus my own rules on top. The full list with licences is in the app under ABOUT, then LICENCES.
Is there a version for Chrome, Android or Windows?
No. It is built on Safari's content blocker system and would have to be rewritten from nothing for anything else.
Does it accept cookie banners for me?
It rejects when there is a reject button, and otherwise gets the banner out of the way. On the sites that offer only accept or pay, it takes the free accept, because the alternative is that you cannot read the page. The trackers behind it are blocked either way.
This site says pay or leave. Can you get me past it?
No. Paywalls are not annoyances, they are how the site gets paid.
Can I talk to the person who handles this?
You are. support@soannoying.app.