Ad Blockers- Can You help Me?

[CHILLYWILL_95831]

I used to use Firefox with the Adblock Plus and Ghostery extensions, but I got totally sick of how Firefox does not work with the LastPass app, and how Firefox kept deleting my cookies even when it should not have.

Now I use the Ghostery browser, which, not surprisingly, has Ghostery's tracker-blocking functionality built in. It's not primarily intended to block ads, but in my experience it does block a great many of them, simply as a side-effect of blocking trackers.

In addition, the developer of the fantastic NetGuard no-root firewall is working on a version that will be able to block ads (and any unwanted hosts) by employing support for the importing of a HOSTS file. The version with this HOSTS functionality is still in beta, and to get it, you will have to sideload NetGuard from GitHub. (The reason for this is that Google will not allow this ad-blocking functionality on the Play Store.)

Here's the NetGuard thread on XDA.

Thanks for the info. Have you tried AdGuard? It seems to me to be quite efficient and it blocks all of the Ads while I'm browsing in chrome. You do have to give it permission but it works. I'm used to chrome and I've tried several other browsers, but I just like that chrome works for me everywhere. I was trying to avoid installing another browser. AdGuard has given me that!

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[crosspatch]

Have you tried AdGuard? It seems to me to be quite efficient and it blocks all of the Ads while I'm browsing in chrome. You do have to give it permission but it works. I'm used to chrome and I've tried several other browsers, but I just like that chrome works for me everywhere. I was trying to avoid installing another browser. AdGuard has given me that!

No, I hadn't even heard of Adguard. I don't like the subscription license, and of course the fact that I'd have to pay in the first place. NetGuard is a firewall (which lets me block apps entirely; good luck loading an ad when you can't even access the internet at all) and blocks ads across the board (albeit with the ongoing requirement that I update the HOSTS file from time to time), and is supported by a great developer. My HOSTS (which I use under Windows as well) also blocks malicious sites, tracking domains, and one-off domains I want to block for whatever reason, so there's not a chance I'm switching away from this solution. The new version of NetGuard also lets you block on a per-app/per-domain basis and view access attempts, export PCAP, etc.

 

[oneeyecarpenter]

Hi all,

This is the best global Android blocker around. It's free, no subscription, and open source. There are threads on xda developers website as well as the GitHub pages. Here is the home page:

https://block-this.com/

And the forums can be reached from there too. Read the whole page for just how this apk works, and he is also looking for developer's who are interested in helping.

 

[crosspatch]

I have not used Block This, but it is noteworthy that the app works by routing all DNS requests to the author's own DNS servers.

 

[pamelany80]

Make sure you update the filters and choose the filters you need. It works great for me.

 

[neo905]

No, I hadn't even heard of Adguard. I don't like the subscription license, and of course the fact that I'd have to pay in the first place. NetGuard is a firewall (which lets me block apps entirely; good luck loading an ad when you can't even access the internet at all) and blocks ads across the board (albeit with the ongoing requirement that I update the HOSTS file from time to time), and is supported by a great developer. My HOSTS (which I use under Windows as well) also blocks malicious sites, tracking domains, and one-off domains I want to block for whatever reason, so there's not a chance I'm switching away from this solution. The new version of NetGuard also lets you block on a per-app/per-domain basis and view access attempts, export PCAP, etc.

Block This doesn't play nice with Nougat so you won't be able to use Google Play as everything you try to download will hang there. I use Adguard. I stopped using it for awhile because it was killing my battery but it is great on Nougat. You don't even get a adblocking message when you download on APK Mirror. I paid for a lifetime licence. I don't mind supporting developers that put forth a great effort with their product. I tried Netguard as well. Adguard does everything Netguard does but has a much better interface. If you just want to block ads on browsers Adguard does that for free, it is the app ads blocking and firewall that you have to pay for.

 

[ggendel]

ublock origin is available for firefox and chrome. It replaced my use of adblock plus once they started letting "approved" ads through.

 

[neo905]

ublock origin is available for firefox and chrome. It replaced my use of adblock plus once they started letting "approved" ads through.

For desktop but when was this available for mobile browsers? Aside from that, there are as many ads in apps themselves I would want to block.

 

[crosspatch]

Block This doesn't play nice with Nougat so you won't be able to use Google Play as everything you try to download will hang there. I use Adguard. I stopped using it for awhile because it was killing my battery but it is great on Nougat. You don't even get a adblocking message when you download on APK Mirror. I paid for a lifetime licence. I don't mind supporting developers that put forth a great effort with their product. I tried Netguard as well. Adguard does everything Netguard does but has a much better interface. If you just want to block ads on browsers Adguard does that for free, it is the app ads blocking and firewall that you have to pay for.

OK, but how does Adguard block ads and other things? Does it forward DNS requests to its own servers, does it use a hosts file, or something else? Or is it not explained? Does a user have any control over it (e.g. use your own hosts file, block specific host names, etc.)? Seriously wondering.

 

[GSDer]

It replaced my use of adblock plus once they started letting "approved" ads through.

You are aware that you could simply turn that off if you wanted to?

Settings -> Ad blocking -> Acceptable Ads

 

[neo905]

OK, but how does Adguard block ads and other things? Does it forward DNS requests to its own servers, does it use a hosts file, or something else? Or is it not explained? Does a user have any control over it (e.g. use your own hosts file, block specific host names, etc.)? Seriously wondering.

It is explained here.

https://adguard.com/en/adguard-android/overview.html

 

[ggendel]

ublock origin was much faster and lighter weight than Adblock so I'm not going back. BTW, I also use Privacy Badger developed by MIT.

 

[ggendel]

For desktop but when was this available for mobile browsers? Aside from that, there are as many ads in apps themselves I would want to block.

I use it on my mobile firefox fine.

 

[racedog]

It is explained here.

https://adguard.com/en/adguard-android/overview.html

Realize that using the above that you are downloading and installing an app that was disapproved by the app store and while it may stop ads, who knows what else it might be doing on your phone. Use at your own risk.

 

[neo905]

Realize that using the above that you are downloading and installing an app that was disapproved by the app store and while it may stop ads, who knows what else it might be doing on your phone. Use at your own risk.

Google is an ad company. That is how they generate the bulk of their revenue. Google doesn't really support ad blockers on their mobile platform. That is why you won't find many on the app store and most people end up rooting their phones to get it. To be honest, even rooting your phone is "at your own risk" more than an ad blocker but isn't that part of what the Android experience is for millions of people? You do your best to vet these things out on XDA and move on.

 

[crosspatch]

It is explained here.

https://adguard.com/en/adguard-android/overview.html

I saw that, but it doesn't explain how the filtering actually takes place.

For example, if I were to answer the same question with respect to NetGuard, I'd say: The app acts as a VPN, and the blocking is done by NetGuard intercepting all DNS requests on the device, and using a (user configurable) hosts file to block whichever hosts are specified therein. Individual host blocking can also be done on a per-app basis on the main NetGuard screen, under the "Access attempts" section for any app listed there.

 

[dty06]

Quick PSA from your friendly neighborhood IT guy: this won't solve all your problems, but if you'd like to see less ads on your home network (for everything - mobile, desktop/laptop, etc) then I recommend changing the DNS settings on the router itself.

To explain a somewhat complex topic in simple terms: DNS is like the "yellow pages" for computer networks (i.e. the internet). DNS is how your computer/phone etc is able to find the website google.com and connect to the proper IP address for the site. If you change the server where you pull DNS info from, you'll only be able to connect to IPs and servers that the DNS server matches to its name. Some DNS servers (such as Open DNS: https://www.opendns.com/setupguide/) will actually block all known ad servers. This means that, if you set your router to use this DNS server, no computer/mobile device/etc will be able to connect to these known ad servers. In the "yellow pages" analogy, it would be like trying to find a person (the ad server) whose phone number is not listed.

To put it shortly:

1. Log in to your router
2. Find DNS settings
3. Put in OpenDNS server IPs
4. Save settings
5. Reboot router

This will obviously only work while you're connected to your home network, but it works really well for me. I never get ads at home.

 

[neo905]

I saw that, but it doesn't explain how the filtering actually takes place.

For example, if I were to answer the same question with respect to NetGuard, I'd say: The app acts as a VPN, and the blocking is done by NetGuard intercepting all DNS requests on the device, and using a (user configurable) hosts file to block whichever hosts are specified therein. Individual host blocking can also be done on a per-app basis on the main NetGuard screen, under the "Access attempts" section for any app listed there.

Ok. That is the exact same thing Adguard does. You can even choose whether you want to block a particular apps wifi or cellular connection or filter on a HTTPS level or block access to wifi or cellular while the screen is off.