Reports: Apple's Ad Blockers In IOS 9 Raise Tensions With Publishers

(RTTNews) - Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) war against online advertising is likely to escalate as the next version of its mobile operating system will support blocking of advertisements, according to media reports on Sunday.

iOS 9, the next version of Apple's mobile operating system likely to be launched in September, will enable users to install apps that will prevent ads from appearing in its Safari browser.

The iOS 9 will reportedly be available with a Content Blocker feature that will automatically get rid of trackers, advertisements and cookies as users browse the Internet.

Such ad blocking apps threaten to disrupt the mobile advertising business worth $70 billion annually, according to the media reports. Publishers and technology companies are aiming to generate more revenues from a growing mobile audience.

But mobile users are likely to increasingly adopt the technology as the blocking of ads will reduce the clutter on small screens and help pages load faster.

Apple's move is also seen as a threat to rival Google Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL), which makes more money from Internet advertising than other company. Apple already allows ad blockers on its Safari browser for personal computers.

AAPL closed Friday's regular trading session at $113.29, up $0.37 or 0.33 percent on a volume of 53.16 million shares.