Google controls the world’s most popular mobile operating system, web browser, video platform, and search engine. This also makes Google the biggest digital ad platform in the world. So, it’s not surprising that Google makes it very difficult for users to block ads on its platforms.
They’ve tried to block video playback for ad-blocking users on YouTube. Chrome’s new extension platform is not very ad blocker-friendly, and there is no decent ad blocker on the Google Play Store that works well.
But we can’t blame only Google here; Apple puts the same restrictions on ad blockers on the App Store. Android is a much more open platform than iOS, which gives us many different ways to block ads.
How to Block All Ads on Android?
This is the easy three-step way to block ads on Android.
- Download and Install Total Adblock
- Give it all the necessary permissions
- Turn on ad-blocking
Now, if this is too basic for you or you’re stuck during the process, don’t worry; we’re getting to a more detailed guide. But first, let’s talk about how this works.
How does Total Adblock work on Android?
Total Adblock is not on the Google Play Store, which means it doesn’t have to adhere to Google’s rules. After sideloading the app, you must give a few permissions and install a few additional things.
First, you need to manually install a CA certificate. The app will give you instructions on how to do this, and we will cover it, too. This certificate helps them block ads by monitoring the incoming data. So, it partially works like a firewall. Access to all the incoming data lets it identify the ones that push ads. The blocking comes after this.
The second step is to install a VPN profile. There’s not much to it. The app will trigger a system prompt for you to set that up. Why does it need a VPN profile? While the CA certificate lets Total Adblock monitor your incoming data, a VPN profile allows it to control your traffic. That way, it can ensure none of the ads are making it through your network.
This process allows Total Adblock to get rid of not only browser ads but also in-app ads and trackers. The only thing it cannot do is block YouTube ads. But we’ll get to that later.
A detailed step-by-step guide on how to block ads on Android
- Download the Total Adblock .apk from their website. Based on your browser, you may get a “this file may not be safe” prompt. Just choose to “keep” the file.
- Once downloaded, open the file to start the installation. You may get another prompt warning about installing files from unknown sources. To resolve this, go to settings and allow the installation from an unknown source.
- Once installed, it will run you through a setup wizard. This is where the app will guide you through the certificate and VPN profile installation process. The notification permission is optional.
- To install the certificate, you must first save the .crt file to an easy-to-locate folder on your phone. I usually use the downloads folder.
- Then go to your phone’s settings app. From there, go to Privacy & Security > More security settings > Install certificates from device storage > CA Certificate > Install Anyway. The wording for these settings may be a bit different depending on your phone’s OEM.
- Then select the .crt file you just saved, and you’re good to go.
- Once you’re all set up, just turn on ad blocking.
Note: Total Adblock requires a subscription to work on Android. The Android app does not offer a trial. However, the Google Chrome browser extension offers a 7-day trial if you want to try it out.
How to block ads on Android without sideloading?
Total Adblock is our top pick because it’s the most reliable. However, you are too worried about sideloading there are a few other options. Also Total Adblock uses VPN for ad blocking, which means you can’t use a real VPN and block ads simultaneously. So these other methods should help with that too.
How to block ads on Android using DNS?
This method is one of the best kept secrets. You don’t need to install any third-party application and it works like magic. While Total Adblock uses a VPN profile to intercept your network traffic, similar results can be achieved using a private domain name system (DNS).
A DNS is a directory that indexes all websites with their designated IP addresses. So, when you type in a URL, it takes you to the right place. Ad blockers like AdGuard, Blokada, and NextDNS offer private DNS that can block ads for you before they can even reach your network.
Now, the process of setting up the DNS for each of these providers is a bit different. So, I’m just going to show you how to set up AdGuard DNS on your Android phone. While you can get a customisable DNS from their website, I will use their public DNS address. This simple trick should block all ads on your phone, including the in-app ones.
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Go to Connections > More connection settings > Private DNS
- Select “Private DNS provider hostname”
- Paste dns.adguard-dns.com
- Tap “Save” and you’re all set
Note: You may need to give it some time (usually 5-10 minutes) before the DNS resolver starts doing its thing.
How to block ads on rooted Android devices?
Alright, I’ll be honest here. Rooting your Android phones in 2024 is a really bad idea. Rooting in the earlier to mid 2010s would give you access to a lot of functionalities that come built in with Android phones now. So it only makes sense if you have a really old phone. For example, Phones running Android 8.0 or lower do not support private DNS.
So if you have an old rooted phone, you can install AdAway. AdAway is a free and open-source ad blocker that makes modifications to your “hosts” file to block ads on a system-level.
Best Ad-Blocking Browsers on Android
If you’re not too worried about in-app ads, you can opt for a browser with built-in ad blocking. There are quite a few available on the Play Store. These are my top picks:
- Brave Browser: Brave offers the best ad blocking built into a browser. It covers all the basics, includes a built-in VPN, and even protects from fingerprinting. And the best part? It blocks YouTube ads too. So if you’re cool with using the YouTube on a mobile browser, Brave is an excellent choice. While I’m not a big fan of all the crypto wallet features, they can all be disabled.
- Avast Secure Browser: As the name suggests, Avast’s offering prioritises privacy and security. The browser comes with password and biometric lock, ad blocker, VPN, and web shield. Their VPN offers more than 30 locations and the web shield blocks phishing links and other unsafe sites. All of this can be controlled from a dashboard.
- DuckDuckGo Private Browser: This browser offers comprehensive online protection all bundled up into one app. With DuckDuckGo you will get a private web browser and search along with email and app protection. DuckDuckGo search as already established itself as a strong competitor to Google, especially when it comes to privacy. The browser not only blocks ads but also prevents third-party apps on your phone from tracking your browsing activities.
How do you add Ad-Blocking extensions to Android browsers?
Not all Android browsers support ad block extensions on Android, but more and more are starting to. Firefox supports many of its desktop extensions on Android. Edge is also beta-testing a similar feature. Here are my top browser + extension combos.
- Firefox with uBlock Origin: uBlock Origin is the best ad blocker for Firefox. It removes almost every unnecessary element from your browser screen, down to tiny little annoyances. The same is true for Firefox Android.
- Samsung Browser with AdGuard: AdGuard’s Play Store version works as an extension for Samsung Browser, so if you’re a Samsung user, this should be a good option.
How to block YouTube ads on Android?
There are four ways to block YouTube ads on Android, two of which we have already discussed. Browsers with built-in ad blockers and browsers that support ad-blocking extensions will block YouTube ads.
However, if you want to block ads on the YouTube app, you can install ReVanced Manager. ReVanced is an open-source project that takes the YouTube apk and modifies it to allow ad blocking. Google keeps taking down links to these projects, so you will have to find it yourself. However, always make sure to get the files from verified sources. And this project lets you compile your own .apk. So, instead of downloading a random .apk file off the internet, you should compile it yourself.
The other way is to download a YouTube wrapper app like NewPipe, SkyTube, or LibreTube. These are also open-source projects. However, unlike ReVanced, they have a different UI and they do not support logins. Which means your subscriptions won’t be easily carried over.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this guide covers all the bases on how to block ads on Android phones and tablets. Total Adblock makes things really easy, but if you want to take a different route, you can’t go wrong with DNS ad blocking. YouTube ad blocking is still the hardest on Android. But based on where you live, the YouTube Premium might actually offer great value, especially as it comes bundled with YouTube Music. And if all you care about is getting rid of ads when browsing the web, Brave is a solid option.
Whichever way you go, always make sure that if you’re sourcing apps from outside of the official stores, you verify their authenticity before installing them.