How to block ads on Android in 2023

Why advertising has become so intrusive and how to deal with it

Owners of devices based on the operating system Android face aggressive marketing every day. Pop-ups, full-screen banners in free apps, and personal information tracking make using a smartphone an ordeal. In 2023, advertising network algorithms have become even more sophisticated, adapting to user behavior.

Blocking unwanted content is not just a matter of saving traffic, but also an important aspect. digital hygiene. Many malicious scripts disguise themselves as advertisements in an attempt to steal your data or install hidden software. Therefore, installing protection becomes a necessity.

There are several effective levels of protection: from simple DNS settings to the installation of specialized software. The choice of method depends on your technical literacy and goals. For some, it’s enough to remove banners in the browser, while others need global filtering all traffic.

The simplest method: setting up a private DNS

Let's start with the most accessible method, which does not require installing third-party applications. Modern versions Android 9 and higher have a built-in “Private DNS” function. This is a system mechanism that redirects all domain name requests through a secure server.

Using public servers with a blocking function, you can cut off most of the advertising traffic at the system-wide level. This works both in the browser Chromeand inside many free games and utilities. However, you should understand that this method will not remove advertising that is “built into” the application interface by the developer.

To activate the function, go to Settings → Connections → Other connection settings → Private DNS. In the menu that opens, select the “DNS provider host name” mode and enter the address of a reliable filter.

dns.adguard.com

After saving the settings, the phone may lose its connection to the Internet for a few seconds, after which work will be restored with active protection. This solution consumes minimal battery resources and does not require constant monitoring.

⚠️ Attention: If you entered the address incorrectly or the server is temporarily unavailable, the Internet on the device may completely stop working. In this case, return the setting to “Auto” mode.

Specialized blocker applications

If the system settings are not enough, powerful utilities that create a local one on the device come to the rescue. They analyze all passing traffic and block requests to known ad servers. The leader in this niche is the application VPN tunnel on the device. They analyze all passing traffic and block requests to known ad servers. The leader in this niche is the application AdGuard.

Such apps work without root access thanks to the use of a local VPN interface. This means that all traffic passes through the app filter before entering the network. You get granular control over which connections are allowed and which are blocked.

However, this method has its own characteristics. Active filtering may slightly reduce connection speeds and increase battery consumption. In addition, some banking applications may conflict with local VPN certificates.

• 🛡️ AdGuard: a powerful solution with flexible filter settings and phishing protection.
• 🚫 Blokada 5: a lightweight open source application, ideal for weak devices.
• 🔒 DNS66: a simple tool that works exclusively through DNS filtering without deep packet analysis.

When choosing software, pay attention to the presence of the “Bypass for applications” function. It allows you to exclude from filtering apps that require direct access to the network to work correctly.

Blocking ads inside browsers

A significant part of banners attack the user while surfing the Internet. A standard browser Chrome has built-in protection against “intrusive” advertising, but it often misses many formats. For comfortable viewing, it is better to use specialized solutions or extensions.

The optimal choice is a browser Brave or DuckDuckGothat block trackers and advertising out of the box. If you are used to the interface Chrome or Firefox, the situation can be corrected by installing add-ons. In mobile Firefox classic addons for PC are supported.

To install the extension in Firefox, click the menu, select “Add-ons” and find uBlock Origin. This is one of the most effective filters that consumes little RAM. Once installed, it will automatically hide most banners on visited sites.

⚠️ Attention: Avoid installing several blockers simultaneously in one browser. This can cause script conflicts and cause sites to stop loading correctly.

It is also worth checking the settings of the browser itself. In the Privacy & Security section, make sure the Tracking Protection option is turned on. This will prevent advertising networks from collecting data about your preferences.

Why do ads still appear on YouTube?

Blockers at the DNS or browser level are often powerless against video advertising inside the official YouTube application, since the video stream and advertising come from the same domain. Blocking requires a modified client, for example, YouTube ReVanced.

Disable personalized advertising and identifiers

Even if you have hidden visual banners, advertising networks continue to collect information about your interests through a unique device identifier - GAID (Google Advertising ID). Resetting or disabling this code makes your profile less valuable to marketers.

To limit targeting, go to Google Settings on your smartphone. The path usually looks like this: Settings → Google → Advertising. Here you'll find a toggle for "Turn off ad personalization." Activating this option prevents your data from being used to select ads.

It is also recommended to reset your advertising ID regularly. This action generates a new random code, breaking the connection with the previously accumulated user profile. While this won't remove ads completely, they will become less relevant and perhaps less annoying.

Action	Ad Impact	Difficulty
Reset ID	Disconnects with profile	Low
Disable personalization	Advertising becomes random	Low
Deleting Google account	Full stop targeting	High
Use of de-Google firmware	Lack of tracking ecosystem	Extreme

Remember that completely get rid of data collection in ecosystem Google is difficult without radical measures. However, the combination of disabling personalization and using private browsers significantly increases the level of anonymity.

Fighting viral advertising and push notifications

Sometimes the problem lies not in ad serving systems, but in malware that you accidentally installed. If banners appear on the desktop or on top of other applications, most likely adware is installed in the system. First of all, check the list of installed applications. Look for apps without an icon, with a blank name, or ones you don't remember installing. Viruses are often disguised as “Memory Cleaners”, “Flashlights” or “QR Scanners”. advar (adware).

First of all, check the list of installed applications. Look for apps without an icon, with a blank name, or ones you don't remember installing. Viruses are often disguised as “Memory Cleaners,” “Flashlights,” or “QR Scanners.”

Also a common cause of pop-up windows are permissions to send notifications that users give to dubious sites in the browser. Go to your browser settings, “Notifications” section, and revoke permissions from all suspicious sites.

• 🔍 Checking the application manager: remove all unknown utilities.
• 🚫 Block installation from unknown sources: disable this feature in the security settings.
• 🧹 Antivirus scan: use Malwarebytes or Dr.Web to scan for threats.

If you cannot remove the application (button "Delete" is grayed out), check the "Accessibility" or "Device Administrators" section. Malware often gains administrator rights to protect itself from being deleted. Disable these rights, and then deletion will be possible.

Advanced methods: _hosts_ file and ADB

For users who want to achieve maximum system cleanliness, there are methods for editing system files. Blocking via file hosts allows you to redirect requests to ad servers to nowhere (to the address 127.0.0.1). The classic method requires root access.

However, in 2023 you can do without rooting, using USB debugging and the tool ADB (Android Debug Bridge). This method allows you to disable system components and Google services responsible for advertising without violating warranty obligations (although there is always a risk).

To work, you will need a computer, ADB drivers installed and USB debugging enabled on your phone. Once your device is connected, you can run commands to block ad service packages.

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.adservices

This command disables Google's ad service service. Be extremely careful: disabling critical system components can lead to unstable operation of the smartphone or “bricking” the device.

⚠️ Attention: Using ADB and editing system files requires high qualifications. Incorrect actions can disrupt the operation of the Play Market store or other Google services.

An alternative to manually entering commands is graphical shells for ADB, such as Universal Android Debloater. They provide a convenient interface for disabling pre-installed software (bloatware), which often contains advertising modules.

Is it safe to use free blockers from the Play Market?

Most popular blockers in the official app store have restrictions due to Google policies. They can't block ads inside other apps deeply. Full versions are usually available on the official websites of developers.

Will ad blocking slow down the Internet?

On the contrary, page loading speed often increases, since the browser does not need to download heavy advertising banners and scripts. However, using VPN filters may add a slight delay (ping).

Do you need root access for complete blocking?

For basic protection via DNS and browser extensions, root is not needed. To deeply clean the system from system advertising and edit the hosts file, superuser rights are desirable, but not always required thanks to ADB.

Why did the banking blocker stop working after installing the blocker?

Some bank security applications detect the presence of an active VPN connection (even a local one) as a threat. Add the banking application to the whitelist in your blocker settings.