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Steps to reproduce:
Open https://github.com/iamadamdev/bypass-paywalls-chrome/releases/latest/download/bypass-paywalls-firefox.xpi
On Orion on iOS installed via TestFlight. Browse ft.com for instance.

Not possible to install the chrome version as extensions > install from file doesn’t work

Expected behavior
Ft.com paywall ineffective (same version works on different device)

Orion, OS version; hardware type:
Kagi 1.0.3
Ios 15.4.1
Iphone13

Image/Video:
<Copy/paste or drag and drop to upload images or videos (up to 20MB)>

  • fredsmith999 I did some more digging in Orion iOS with Bypass Paywalls extension running, and @fredsmith999 is spot on. In addition to attempting to set the referer to google, there are other HTTP headers it tries to rewrite for some sites (e.g. removing all cookies from ft.com requests). The WebKit framework provided by Apple offers no way to rewrite these before it fetches the pages/data from the site you're visiting, so the site returns the paywalled version.

    If Apple changes their stance on this and provides a way to provide header rewriting to browser apps, we'll be able to take another try at this.

    8 days later

    Tried the extension on macos version. It works as intended for some websites only (WSJ, FT). But breaks for NYT, Bloomberg etc

      8 days later
      17 days later
      2 months later

      I've also tried with the magnolia1234 fork and it also doesn't work on mobile (though it does on mac). Using Orion 1.1.4, iPhone 13 mini on iOS 15.6.1.

        2 months later

        Doesn't work for me on iPadOS 15.7

        ublock origin is also a must. Or adguard, at least.

        Cancel my Amnesty International subscription (they're a fucking joke anyway) and opt-in for kagi pro search instead if you can fix that.

        On Android, Bypass Paywall works with the Kiwi Browser. It's a mobile version of Chrome Desktop accepting extension.

          2 months later

          It doesn't work for me on iOS either.

            7 days later

            not working for me either on ios

              14 days later

              deepswimmer It works perfectly well on nytimes.com and bloomberg.com. I'm running it in Edge on my Surface Pro. It doesn't work in Orion, however.

                  Steps to reproduce:

                  1. Search for bypass paywalls online. (i am using Kagi)
                  2. click on the first link (github) https://github.com/iamadamdev/bypass-paywalls-firefox
                  3. scroll down until you see the install process for firefox
                  4. click on the link
                  5. click add when it prompts it
                  6. go onto wsj.com and click any article
                  7. it won't allow you to see the article

                  alternate way to reproduce:

                  1. Search for bypass paywalls online. (i am using Kagi)
                  2. click on the firefox extension add on link (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-CA/firefox/addon/bypass-paywalls-clean/)
                  3. it will say that your current firefox version is out of date instead of typically allowing you to install it onto Orion. --> see pictures below

                  Expected behavior:
                  After installing, it should allow you to see the article for wsj.com.

                  Orion, OS version; hardware type:
                  Orion:
                  1.1.5 (5) (Webkit 8614.2.4)

                  OS:
                  iOS 16.1 (20B5045d)

                  Hardware:
                  iPhone 13 Mini

                  Image/Video:




                  • Vlad replied to this.

                    strain It looks to me that the extensions install properly. Why it doesn't work on WSJ can be due to extension limitations (does it work for you if you install it on desktop Orion?)

                        Vlad Yes, it does. The extension successfully allows me to read wsj.com articles on desktop

                            3 months later
                            19 days later

                            cele It doesn't work, and this is a showstopper. Bypass Paywalls Clean is the single most important extension there is. Unless Orion can support it, it might as well not bother with anything else.

                            • Vlad replied to this.
                                Merged 5 posts from Bypass Paywalls extension not working on Orion iOS.
                                  16 days later

                                  Vlad A lot of people do see Bypass Paywalls as their most important extension.

                                  E.g. the mozilla extensions site https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/bypass-paywalls-clean/ shows 144k users and 4.8 stars. It doesn't appear in Mozilla's most popular extensions list for some reason but those stats would appear to put it around 30th in user count and top 10-15 in rating - quite an achievement for an extension which only came out a couple years ago (the extensions with more users presumably racked them up back when Firefox was more popular) and which comes in multiple versions (the linked one doesn't request permissions for all sites - there is another which allows custom sites) and is often sideloaded. There is also a chrome version, which needs to be sideloaded, but is likely to have an additional order of magnitude more users.

                                  See these recent posts in reddit r/ios (hardly a bastion of paywall blocking types, you would expect) and - by comparison r/ios posts like about extension support in general only get 5-15 votes.

                                    Vlad, after extensive testing, I can say that there is something wrong with Orion's support of the "Bypass Paywalls Clean" extension on iOS. Please try it for yourself.

                                    Run "Bypass Paywalls Clean" in Chrome or Edge on a laptop. Then, compare the results to the results of running the extension in Orion on an iPhone or iPad. Try these articles:

                                    https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/feds-jerome-powell-to-address-economic-outlook-with-hiring-surge-in-spotlight-11675781503?mod=hp_lead_pos1

                                    https://www.ft.com/content/10b6d4f2-d48f-401f-8407-8d5688d1e226

                                    Why do these work on desktop browsers running "Bypass Paywalls Clean," but they don't work on Orion running "Bypass Paywalls Clean?"