Some time ago I had a request from a reader and today the question came up again: Why is it that some people see a white bar above the darkened content of my articles in the mobile view on iPad and iPhone? This happens, for example, when people click on a post in my newsletter and then go to the corresponding blog page. The result looks like this:
The content behind the white bar is darkened and inactive and you can neither scroll nor do anything else.
Chapter in this post:
In both cases I know of, it was due to an adblocker (in today's case to AdGuard). These content blockers seem to be the Borlabs cookie box as critical content and try to filter it out. The result is that you remove the contents of the box, but leave the box itself inside - you can see it as a white stripe.
Unfortunately, the box cannot be clicked away because the ad blockers have hidden the corresponding control panels. As a user you are in a dead end and cannot get to the article that you actually want to read.
The solution: uninstall adblocker or reduce strength
My reader Achim informed me that he has six levels in his content blocker “AdGuard” that he can activate. After disabling the AdGuard Social level, the white bar was gone and he was able to view articles normally again.
The alternative to weakening the sensitivity of the content blocker is of course to completely deactivate this software for certain sites (such as sir-apfelot.de). With my blog, you don't have to worry about advertising tracking and the like. I have only integrated Google Analytics, but even this can be deactivated with the Borlabs cookie box and will only be implemented if the reader has consented. Otherwise a tracking pixel of the VGWort is still running, but that was all that tracks visitors to me.
I know that other websites - especially large magazines like ComputerBild, Chip, Heise or similar - work massively with advertising trackers from a wide variety of providers. You just have to install the browser plug-in Cookie Quick Manager for Firefox and see how long the list of cookies is that you get there:
I would definitely not deactivate the ad blockers there, because there your data migrates massively and continues to be used for advertising purposes.
I use the widespread one to show the cookie window (in which you can also reject cookies) Borlabs cookie plugin. My blog software runs WordPress, which can now be found on more than half of all domains worldwide. This is a mixture that you probably see more often in the wild - this is why I wrote the article here.
Tip for bloggers and website owners
Webmasters who use these two systems and who occasionally get feedback from their readers that they only see a white box in front of the article should perhaps check whether the readers in question are using ad blockers.
If this is the case for you (or not!), I would be happy if you write me which adblockers or content blockers are problematic here. Maybe you can create a "whitelist" with programs that work.
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Jens has been running the blog since 2012. He acts as Sir Apfelot for his readers and helps them with technical problems. In his spare time he rides electric unicycles, takes photos (preferably with the iPhone, of course), climbs around in the Hessian mountains or hikes with the family. His articles deal with Apple products, news from the world of drones or solutions to current bugs.
Good evening, I don't have an adblocker and I also have a white bar. Is there a guide for me to get the settings right so that the bar is removed?
LG
Hello Lukas! Can you tell me where exactly you see the bar and what device and browser you are using?