Ads can disrupt your viewing experience, especially when you are watching a favorite show or movie on Apple TV. While many streaming apps offer free content, they often come with the downside of frequent interruptions from advertisements. Apple TV doesn’t include a built-in option to disable ads across apps. Fortunately, there are several ways to block or reduce ads on your Apple TV. In this article, we have covered the two methods to help you eliminate or limit ads on Apple TV.
Different Methods to Block Ads on Apple TV
Below are the two effective ways to restrict or block the ads on your Apple TV. Based on your preference, choose your desired method.
Subscribe to the Premium Plan
The best way to eliminate ads while streaming on Apple TV is to get a premium subscription to the app. You often have two options when you use streaming apps like Hulu, YouTube, Peacock, etc., on your Apple TV.
1. Free Plan (With Ads) – This is the no-cost version where you can access the content, but ads are shown throughout your viewing experience.
2. Paid Plan (Ad-Free): This may be a monthly or yearly subscription that gives you access to the same content without ads.
People mainly opt for a paid, ad-free plan to avoid interruptions caused by ads. Ads can be annoying, especially when it interrupts the flow of a movie or show. With a paid subscription, the entire experience is uninterrupted.
Using a VPN on Apple TV
Another way to block or reduce the ads on Apple TV is to set up and use a VPN. However, most VPNs don’t block ads, but there are specific VPN services that come with built-in ad-blocking features or additional security tools to block unwanted content like ads, trackers, and malware. Here are a few VPNs that offer ad-blocking functionality.
- NordVPN – CyberSec (blocks ads, trackers, and malicious websites).
- ExpressVPN – Has some ad-blocking capabilities, although it may not be as comprehensive as others.
- Surfshark VPN – CleanWeb (blocks ads, trackers, and malware).
The easiest way to make a VPN work on your Apple TV is to install it directly on your router. Once the VPN is installed and activated on your router, ads on your Apple TV will be blocked at the network level. For VPNs that offer ad-blocking, you need to enable the ad-blocking feature in the VPN’s settings.
While a VPN with ad-blocking can block many ads, it may not block all ads, especially those embedded within videos on streaming services. Ad-blocking is more effective at blocking pop-up ads, banners, and trackers.
Streaming services that rely on ads (like YouTube) might still show ads on Apple TV even if you use a VPN. In these cases, a premium, ad-free subscription is usually the most effective way to avoid YouTube ads on Apple TV.
Can I Install Ad-Blockers on Apple TV?
No, Apple TV does not support the direct installation of ad-blocker apps. Apple TV runs on tvOS, and the system doesn’t allow the installation of third-party apps. However, you can jailbreak the Apple TV using software like Cydia Impactor. But it comes with certain risks and limitations. Jailbreaking an Apple TV is not officially supported by Apple, and it voids the warranty. In addition, jailbreaking and installing ad-blockers leave your device more vulnerable to malware or hacking.
FAQ
The easiest way is to use a paid subscription for streaming services that offer ad-free plans. This eliminates ads entirely while watching content on Apple TV.