How do I get rid of ads in chrome?

[Aesteras]

More specifically, popup ads.

I have the "Block popup ads" check-box ticked, but these ads keep up showing and opening new tabs and even redirecting to Google Play Store app pages.

I think it has something to do with Javascript, because disabling Javascript in the same page the "Block pupup ads" check-box is, seems to solve it. However, this is not a valid solution, because Javascript is apparently needed for a lot of other things to work in websites.

I was hoping with this last update Google would either fix that or let us install extensions, but it seems this is never going to happen.

Up until now I've been using Firefox for Android with the Adblock Plus *EXTENSION FOR FIREFOX* (not the app for Android) which is pretty neat and blocks pretty much everything.

Adblock Plus for Android is not an option. It only blocks ads via Wi-Fi and is hella complicated to install in an unrooted phone.

Is there anything I can do to get rid of these annoying intrusive ads? And if the solution involves also getting rid of the so-called "not-intrusive" ads which, however, consume data usage that I'm paying for, I wouldn't mind either. Though I guess I can live with those.

EDIT: I didn't mention it, I'm using an LG Google Nexus 5 with Android 4.4.4 (soon to be 5.0) if that's of any use...

 

[Rukbat]

About the only way to block all (or almost all) ads is to use the hosts file, which you (or an app) need root access to do. That merely redirects the browser, when it's told to go to site X to fill in this spot on the page, to go to itself instead. If the ad was a popup, it will have redirected the browser to open another tab (or another window), but since the browser is looking on your phone for the ad, it'll never see that, so the worst you'll get is some blank space on the page.

It's not a complicated concept, but you can't edit the hosts file without root (or administrative access on Windows). (It's also how some net nanny programs work - sites not sutable for kids are given the computer itself as the address for the site, so the browser never gets there.)

 

[Aesteras]

Hmm... First of all, thanks for replying.

I hear what you say, but some doubts come to my mind:

First, if I were to do that, wouldn't I need to keep track of every address of each ad to redirect it, or is there a way to somehow redirect them all at once? Anyway, if this is true, I'm screwed, since rooting requires a factory reset (which wipes all data) and voids any warranty, if I'm right...

And second and more importantly, how come has no one (Google, app developers, the guys working with the Adblock extensions, anyone really...) come out with a more simple solution to this when other browsers like Firefox allow extensions that immediately and easily fix this? Is the people not having this issue? Is it just me? Otherwise, you would think people would realize this and switch browsers, at least on Android, and Google would be forced to act or something, but no one seems to care... I really don't understand.

 

[Rukbat]

Hmm... First of all, thanks for replying.

You're welcome.

First, if I were to do that, wouldn't I need to keep track of every address of each ad to redirect it, or is there a way to somehow redirect them all at once?

Most programs that do that download a huge list of known ad and spam addresses for you at the start. (a really huge file can run almost 100KB - not much.)

Anyway, if this is true, I'm screwed, since rooting requires a factory reset (which wipes all data)

'No. All it actually requires is copying a file named su to your system folder. But to do that you have to be rooted, so the rooting apps use an exploit - some way to temporarily gain root status - to install su. Then they can run su to do anything else they need. A good rooting app only installs busybox (which gives you the Linux commands that Google left out) and a superuser app. (su normally asks for the root password. Since Android doesn't work from a terminal, the superuser app allows you to grant or reject root status for any app, so that if a virus or rogue app tries to use su, and you know you didn't run the app, you say no, and you're protected.) But that's about it. Nothing happens to your data, your apps - just a little storage space for a few files.

and voids any warranty, if I'm right...

In the US, yes. In the EU, I believe (I could be wrong) that they recently passed a law forbidding that. But ... depending on the phone, there may be an easy way to restore it to out-of-the-box newness. Check on XDA for your model phone and, if there are different models of that model for different carriers, your carrier. (For instance, I'd check the Note 3 forums under AT&T Note 3, because that's what my phone is.) If there's something there, that people have used and reported that it works well, you can always do that if the phone has to go back.

And second and more importantly, how come has no one (Google, app developers, the guys working with the Adblock extensions, anyone really...) come out with a more simple solution to this when other browsers like Firefox allow extensions that immediately and easily fix this?

The phone apps don't allow many extensions, because of the architecture of the device, as opposed to the architecture of a PC. (Truust me, unless you've written code for more than one type of device, the explanation would make less sense to you than a Martian love song.)

Is the people not having this issue? Is it just me? Otherwise, you would think people would realize this and switch browsers, at least on Android, and Google would be forced to act or something, but no one seems to care... I really don't understand.

Well ...

Most people who do more than social networking and email (and very rarely use a web browser) on their phones, do use something else. I have about 6 browsers on mine - different apps for different purposes. One of them is lightning fast, but unless all I'm doing is going from page to page, reading, it's useless. Firefox? Great browser (and linked to the one I'm using right now on my desktop), but large, slow and nowhere near as good as 4.0 was. (The more they "improve" it, the more the "improvements" bother me. (32.0.2 to 32.0.3 and I can't use my favorite weather addon until they rewrite it. Aarrgghh!) But the majority of people use what's on the phone, don't know that there's anything else out there, and don't know that they can install it. (How many people who want a little change in the launcher ask how to put a new ROM on the phone?) Google gives you Chrome. They don't own Firefox, they don't own any other browser, so Chrome is all they can give you.

And the ad blocker in Firefox wasn't written by Mozilla, so blame the people who wrote it for not porting it to the Android version of Chrome - assuming the APIs they need for it to work exist in the Android version of Chrome.)

 

[Farrukh Nizam]

have this problem too