There are tons of ways to block ads on Android. The easiest one is to use a special browser extension that will block all advertisements on the Internet by default. Another thing is that it has a couple of rather tangible shortcomings. Firstly, it blocks ads only in the browser, and, secondly, it is not suitable for Chrome in principle, because the mobile version of the browser does not support them. Therefore, Android users have to look for the best alternative ways to block ads. I’m talking about the simplest, most reliable, and universal.
It’s about using a private DNS address. Wikipedia says that DNS is a computer distributed system for retrieving information about domains. That is, a kind of distribution point that processes information about sites, and then gives it to you in one form or another. One of the functions of DNS is the ability to block certain types of sites or the content they contain at the traffic level. Thanks to her, by the way, we can block all ads on the smartphone.
In order to block ads on Android devices, we gonna use Adguard’s DNS service only, not their application nor their interface. Adguard is among the top adblocking services that can help you get rid of annoying advertisements on Android devices, including both, browsers and applications/games. So, once you get started with it, you should be able to block ads on your mobile. Going forward, we gonna discuss how to use this service/application.
How to block ads on Android Phone (Apps, games and websites)
The site of Adguard, an ad-blocking service, says that in order to successfully block ads, you need to install their app. Here it is. But I succeeded without this app, keep that in mind.
Go to the “Settings” application on your smartphone;- In the “Wi-Fi & Internet” section, open “Private DNS“;
- Scroll through the available items and open the “Private DNS” tab;
- Click “Set up a private DNS» and put this dns.adguard.com.
This image is my OnePlus 5. If can’t find this option, just open the Setting, and Search for “Private DNS” and put this DNS value into it.
That’s it, now just open YouTube and try playing videos, you’ll see that ads are not serving. And same goes with rest of applications and games.
This is the most easiest way to remove ads on Android smartphones.
Depending on the smartphone and the firmware you are using, you may need to click on the “Save” button. But, apparently, on some devices, this button ceases to be highlighted immediately after registering a private DNS address. I don’t know what it’s connected with, but it doesn’t matter, because it doesn’t interfere with the achievement of the goal. In this case, just leave the settings without saving anything – all changes will be applied automatically and will not go anywhere.
The best ad blocker
As I said above, DNS is sort of an allocator. When we use DNS from AdGuard, it starts analyzing all traffic that seeks to go through our smartphones and block those that come from ad networks. The fact is that there are relatively few ad networks, and almost everyone is known for AdGuard. Therefore, you can be sure that 95% of all advertisements that you see on the Internet, in applications, and even more so in games, will be blocked.
If you need to set up additional filters, for example, to deny the ability to enter certain sites or, on the contrary, add some URLs to the whitelist, you will need to install the AdGuard application. The most common application scenarios are blocking adult websites on children’s smartphones or allowing ads to be displayed in games, where they give in-game currency or other goodies for viewing ads. To do this is as easy as shelling pears – just go to the “Filters” section and configure everything as you need.
DNS ad blocking is a very handy thing due to its versatility. That is, you can register the private DNS address of AdGuard in the settings of all your devices and never see most of the advertisements again. In addition, in a similar way, you will be able to block ads that are spread by adware malware. They often infiltrate users’ devices under the guise of benign software and then embed banner ads in notification curtains, settings items, and system applications.
So, that ends this guide here that details how to use AdGuard to block advertisements on Android-based devices. We hope that our readers would find it helpful. You can share your thoughts in the comment section below. We would be happy to hear from you. Enjoy the ad-free experience on your smartphone!
