System-level ad-blocking in Android

(kevinboone.me)

4 points | by birdculture 29 minutes ago ago

3 comments

  • figmert a minute ago ago

    I can't recommend AdGuard enough. It works across devices, and just does all the DNS level blocking everywhere. I've been able to install it on my parents' devices, my siblings' devices, and more places. They have apps for just about any device. On top of that, you can install user scripts and use them on your mobile phones even if your browser doesn't support them (does require a CA cert being trusted).

    My biggest issue is I can't use it while I'm connected to Tailscale, but my plan is to install AdGuard Home on my homelab and have that take over instead. It does remove many of the functions, but it's better than the alternative

  • alekescu a few seconds ago ago

    There is a special irony to an article about ad blocking containing an apparent undisclosed ad for Nord.

  • Onavo a few seconds ago ago

    Sigh, that's a lot of words to describe DNS based adblocking.

    In Android you can either set your DNS server in the system settings or via the VPN API. They both do the same thing. There a local device only resolver apps like

    https://rethinkdns.com/

    https://github.com/m66b/netguard

    Another famous one is DNS66 but it's sadly unmaintained. Avoid apps with the word "ad" in their name, they are usually semi commercial and can't be trusted.

    Do note all of these methods can be overridden on the app level e.g. a lot of browsers come bundled with first party VPNs or use their own local resolvers.

    If you want something more reliable, Firefox on Android with the UBlock Origin and Sponsorblock extensions is still the gold standard. Though do note the Android Firefox is extremely slow compared to the Chromium based browsers.

    For app level ads, use an app patcher like https://github.com/morpheapp which can remove all in-app advertisements and inject sponsor blocking code.