Banner Be Gone

Eliminate intrusive "Open in App" banners and Smart App Banners from your Safari browsing experience.

🎯 Overview

Banner Be Gone is a lightweight browser extension that automatically removes annoying "Open in App", "Get the App", and Smart App Banner prompts from websites. Enjoy a cleaner, distraction-free browsing experience across all your favorite sites.

✨ Key Features

• 🚫 Automatic Banner Removal: Instantly hides app download prompts and Smart App Banners
• 🔄 Dynamic Detection: Monitors DOM changes to catch banners added after page load
• 🌐 Universal Compatibility: Works on all websites with configurable permissions
• 🎨 CSS-Based Blocking: Efficient styling rules for comprehensive banner blocking
• 🔒 Privacy Focused: No data collection, works entirely locally
• 📱 Cross-Platform: Available for both Safari (macOS/iOS) and Chrome/Edge/Brave
• ⚡ Performance Optimized: Minimal impact on page load times

📦 Installation

Safari (macOS & iOS)

1. Download from App Store: Search for "Banner Be Gone" in the Mac App Store or iOS App Store
2. Install the App: Click "Get" and install the application
3. Enable Extension:
   • macOS: Safari → Settings → Extensions → Check "Banner Be Gone"
   • iOS: Settings → Apps → Safari → Extensions → Toggle "Banner Be Gone" ON

Chrome/Edge/Brave (Development)

1. Clone Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/iuzn/banner-be-go.git
   cd banner-be-go

2. Load Extension:

   • Open chrome://extensions/ (or edge://extensions/)
   • Enable "Developer mode"
   • Click "Load unpacked"
   • Select the project folder

🚀 Usage

Automatic Operation

Once installed and enabled, Banner Be Gone works automatically:

• Removes existing banners when pages load
• Monitors for dynamically added banners
• Applies CSS rules to hide banner elements
• Removes Safari-specific meta tags

Per-Site Control (Safari)

• Click the "AA" icon in Safari's URL bar
• Select "Website Settings"
• Toggle "Banner Be Gone" on/off for specific sites

Extension Status

Open the Banner Be Gone app to check extension status:

• Green: Extension active and working
• Red: Extension disabled
• Gray: Extension needs activation

🛠️ Technical Details

Architecture

• Content Scripts: Run on all websites (<all_urls>)
• Execution Timing: document_idle for optimal performance
• DOM Monitoring: MutationObserver for dynamic content
• CSS Injection: Custom styles for comprehensive blocking

Targeted Elements

The extension removes banners using these selectors:

.smartbanner, .smart-banner, .smart-app-banner
.app-banner, .appbanner, .native-app-banner
[data-testid="app-banner"], [class*="AppBanner"]
meta[name="apple-itunes-app"]

🔧 Development

Prerequisites

• Safari Extension: Xcode 12+, macOS Big Sur (11.0)+
• Chrome Extension: Chrome 88+, Manifest V3

Building for Safari

1. Open project in Xcode
2. Select "My Mac (Designed for iPad)" target
3. Build and run to test in Safari
4. Archive for App Store submission

Testing

• Visit websites with app banners (Reddit, Twitter, Instagram)
• Verify banners are automatically hidden
• Check browser console for debug messages: [Banner Be Gone]

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Development Guidelines

• Follow existing code style and structure
• Test on multiple websites and browsers
• Update documentation for new features
• Ensure compatibility across Safari and Chrome

Adding New Banner Selectors

To block additional banner types, add CSS selectors to:

• SELECTORS array in banner-blocker.js (Chrome)
• Style rules in Style.css (Safari)

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙋‍♂️ Author

Ibrahim Uzun

• GitHub: @iuzn
• X (Twitter): @ibrahimuzn

Follow me on X for updates and tech discussions: x.com/ibrahimuzn 🚀

🐛 Bug Reports & Feature Requests

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue on GitHub:

• 🐛 Report a Bug
• 💡 Request a Feature

📊 Browser Support

Browser	Version	Status
Safari (macOS)	12+	✅ Supported
Safari (iOS)	15+	✅ Supported
Chrome	88+	✅ Supported
Edge	88+	✅ Supported
Brave	Latest	✅ Supported

🎉 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by the need for cleaner web browsing
• Built with Safari Web Extensions and Chrome Extension APIs
• Thanks to the open-source community for tools and resources

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⭐ If you find Banner Be Gone useful, please consider starring this repository!

Made with ❤️ for a better web browsing experience