Seems to be happening when I'm running the Fun Difference game on my 9th generation iPad, OS is almost up to date (18.3, latest update to be installed tonight). I've looked around at the Safari settings, there doesn't seem to be a setting that addresses this.
iPad (9th generation)
I blocked the site on my iPad by doing the following:
Settings
Screen Time
Content & Privacy Restrictions (turn it on, if it isn't On already)
App store, Media, Web & Games
Web Content
Limit Adult Websites
Add Website
Now type the following: trafficshield.xyz (then tap Done)
It doesn't stop the game from trying to access the website, but instead of opening the suspicious website you will get a message saying that the site is restricted.
Also, there is another thread in this community (under the "iPad" category) where it says that Zynga has been contacted and are working to resolve the problem.
I blocked the site on my iPad by doing the following:
Settings
Screen Time
Content & Privacy Restrictions (turn it on, if it isn't On already)
App store, Media, Web & Games
Web Content
Limit Adult Websites
Add Website
Now type the following: trafficshield.xyz (then tap Done)
It doesn't stop the game from trying to access the website, but instead of opening the suspicious website you will get a message saying that the site is restricted.
Also, there is another thread in this community (under the "iPad" category) where it says that Zynga has been contacted and are working to resolve the problem.
Not the game presenting the page, it's a page (tab) in Safari. However, the trafficshield.xyz page is popping up in Safari when running the game. So, I'm playing the game, and suddenly the Safari app is the foreground app presenting a page from trafficshield.xyz.
You have a choice here. Play the game, and that with all that the game might do including popping up this brand-new ~four-day-old website, or do not play that game.
If you have a complaint about the game and its popups, contact the game developer.
You’re not the first to note this popup, too.
You can block the website, or block it at a firewall you control, but the game is still going to try, and the game may well try some other website, too.
Apple Arcade has a collection of games that don’t have add-on costs or ads, if you want a different gaming experience.
d f clark wrote:
You say this authoritatively, like you perhaps know that the game app is indeed the culprit. But, as you also point out, "You’re not the first to note this popup,". But you'll notice that the popup in all of the reports that I've seen happens when apps other than the game I reported are running. Plus, the game app hasn't been updated in a year, and this popup just started happening a few days ago. I suppose it's possible for several game developers to build in this behavior to activate in a year, and all about the same time, but that seems unlikely.
Since this popup has been reported by several people, and the apps involved are all different, it appears more likely that there has been some corruption caused by a third party, perhaps the developers of the trafficshield.xyz page.
Ad networks too often get junk ads, or the ad networks get exploited, and it’s the game developers that embed the calls to the ad networks, or it’s the game developers that embed compromised third-party frameworks, or whatever is summoning Safari to visit that website. So yes, it’s the game developers that have the controls here.
Even if this is an Apple bug — and it doesn’t look like such here — it’s still the game or app developers that are in the best position to report the issue to Apple, which makes the game or app developers the best contact for even Apple issues arising within a game or other app.
You say this authoritatively, like you perhaps know that the game app is indeed the culprit. But, as you also point out, "You’re not the first to note this popup,". But you'll notice that the popup in all of the reports that I've seen happens when apps other than the game I reported are running. Plus, the game app hasn't been updated in a year, and this popup just started happening a few days ago. I suppose it's possible for several game developers to build in this behavior to activate in a year, and all about the same time, but that seems unlikely.
Since this popup has been reported by several people, and the apps involved are all different, it appears more likely that there has been some corruption caused by a third party, perhaps the developers of the trafficshield.xyz page.
One last question: are you speaking for Apple, or for yourself?
Anon9129 wrote:
Happening on Words with Friends. Deleted the app, rebooted the phone, downloaded the app, and still comes up
You will want to discontinue use of the game pending changes by the game developer, and you can express your displeasure over this particular game feature to the game developer.
Nobody around here can change how this game operates.
Nor can Apple.
Only the game developer can do that.
Though the domain might change, you can add the current domain to the local filter:
Anon9129 wrote:
Happening on Words with Friends. Deleted the app, rebooted the phone, downloaded the app, and still comes up
Yep, it will continue until the developer resolves the problem. The last statement I seen from them was they were working on it. You can report the ad as inappropriate in the game even if you wish.
Feel free to let other users know what they say. There has been very few people who have actually contacted Zynga and offered any information from what they told them. If no one makes the effort to contact them, there is no incentive for them to make any changes. They will just sit back and collect the ad revenue as long as the users are fine with it.
If it’s the game presenting this, you’ll need to discuss that behavior with the game developer.
Happening on Words with Friends. Deleted the app, rebooted the phone, downloaded the app, and still comes up
trafficshield.xyz keeps popping up a web page in Safari at random
