AdGuard Mini for Android v3.0: The biggest release in the app’s history
For years, our AdGuard Content Blocker focused on one clear job: blocking ads in supported Android browsers. It did that job well. But over the years, ads and trackers have spread far beyond browsers — into apps, games, and background services. Browser-only blocking simply isn’t enough anymore. So today, the app changed too. Big time!
Meet AdGuard Mini for Android v3.0. This is much more than a new name: it’s the biggest release in the app’s history. We’ve reworked the app from the ground up, kept the simple setup you liked, and added a whole new set of tools — system-wide DNS protection, Video browser, Statistics, and more. What used to be a modest content blocker is now a lightweight version of the full AdGuard app. And here’s the best part: if you prefer to get your apps from Google Play, AdGuard Mini for Android may be everything you need.
AdGuard Mini still keeps things simple, but there’s much more to try now.
If you already use AdGuard Content Blocker, update the app and meet AdGuard Mini for Android. If you’re new, install it from Google Play.
What changed, in short
Here’s the quick version before we go into the details:
- AdGuard Content Blocker is now AdGuard Mini for Android. Same familiar browser protection, but with a new name, new design, and new protection tools.
- Browser protection still works in Samsung Browser and Yandex Browser. Filters are better organized: we’ve added new filters and removed the outdated ones.
- DNS protection helps beyond supported browsers. It can block ads and trackers across the device, including in apps and other browsers.
- Video browser helps with YouTube. Use it when you want to watch videos with no ads.
- Statistics and Recent activity show DNS protection results. You can see what DNS protection has blocked and check recent DNS activity.
- Use the free version or go further with the full version. Core features are free, and the full version gives you more control over what gets blocked and allowed. There’s also a new mobile license for 1 device.
Why Mini?
Our full-featured apps, like AdGuard for Android, give you broad protection and lots of advanced settings. They’re powerful, but that also means store restrictions can limit how apps like this are distributed.
AdGuard Mini for Android takes a lighter route. It works in Samsung Browser and Yandex Browser through the Content Blocking API, a browser technology for blocking ads and applying filtering rules on webpages, fully in line with Google Play policies. This helps Mini stay simple, easy to install from Google Play, and aligned with store requirements.
But we also wanted to make this lighter app more useful without making it complicated. So we kept the browser protection users already know and added more ways to protect your device. AdGuard Mini for Android is still simple, but now it can do more.
Let’s take a closer look.
Browser protection in Samsung Browser and Yandex Browser
Browser protection is the part that will feel most familiar to AdGuard Content Blocker users.
AdGuard Mini for Android still blocks ads on websites opened in Samsung Browser and Yandex Browser, but we’ve cleaned up the filtering setup: reorganized the filter lists, added new filters, and removed outdated ones.
Filters
Filter lists are now organized into clear categories, so it’s easier to understand what each one is for and choose the ones you need:
- Ad blocking blocks banners, popups, and other ads
- Social widgets removes social media buttons and embedded widgets
- Annoyances hides cookie notices, newsletter popups, and other distracting elements
- Security blocks known malicious and suspicious domains
- Language-specific includes filters for specific languages and regions
- Other covers additional filters for specific cases
- Tracking protection blocks web analytics and tracking scripts that monitor your browsing activity
- Custom filters lets you add any third-party filter list by URL for more targeted blocking
User rules
Most of the time, filters do the work automatically. But sometimes you may want to adjust filtering yourself: disable filtering on a website that doesn’t work correctly, add a rule you got from support, or use your own rule for a specific page.
That’s what User rules are for. They help when a page needs a small manual fix or when standard filters don’t cover a specific case yet.
For example, if your bank’s website stops working correctly with filtering enabled, you can tell AdGuard Mini for Android not to filter that site:
@@||mybank.com^$document
This means: “Don’t filter anything on mybank.com — neither on its subdomains (like account.mybank.com) nor on any of its pages (like mybank.com/privacy).”
DNS protection beyond supported browsers
Browser protection covers Samsung Browser and Yandex Browser. But apps, services, and other browsers can still show ads and track you.
With DNS protection, AdGuard Mini for Android extends protection beyond supported browsers. It helps block ads and trackers before they reach your device. That means fewer ads, less background tracking, and a cleaner browsing experience across your Android phone or tablet.
DNS protection is broad, but it works differently from browser filtering. It can block ad and tracking requests in apps and other browsers, but it doesn’t see the page layout. On websites, some ads may be missed, and empty spaces can remain where ads were blocked.
DNS server
A DNS server handles your device’s DNS requests. In AdGuard Mini for Android, you can choose a server depending on what you want to block.
For example, AdGuard DNS blocks ads and trackers at the DNS level. AdGuard DNS Family Protection adds a family-friendly mode with adult content blocking and safer search where supported.
DNS filters
For example, you can use AdGuard DNS for basic DNS-level blocking and add DNS filters to block more unwanted domains. Or you can choose a Non-filtering DNS server: your DNS traffic stays encrypted, so your ISP can’t see which websites you visit, and you decide what to block with your own filtering rules.
Custom DNS rules are useful for more personal fixes. For example, if you don’t want a distracting website to open on your child’s device, you can block its domain:
||example.com^
This means: “Block example.com and any subdomains, like shop.example.com, whatever.example.com, etc.”
Video browser
Yes, YouTube too!
AdGuard Mini for Android now includes Video browser, a separate way to watch YouTube videos with no ads. If you’ve ever wanted a cleaner YouTube experience, this feature is for you.
- Open the YouTube app.
- Choose a video and tap Share.
- Tap More, then select View in AdGuard.
Open a video in AdGuard Mini’s video browser, sit back, and watch with no interruptions.
Statistics
We’ve also added Statistics, so now you can see how DNS protection works. It shows how many DNS requests AdGuard Mini has blocked.
You can also open Recent activity to check DNS requests from websites, apps, and services.
Start free, add more control when you need it
AdGuard Mini for Android is easy to start with. The core features are free: protection in Samsung Browser and Yandex Browser, DNS protection, Video browser, and Statistics.
For more flexibility, there’s the full version. It adds Tracking protection, Custom filters, DNS filters, and DNS request management. This is useful if you want to adjust filtering more precisely, add more blocking rules, or decide which domains should be blocked and allowed.
If you want the full version only on one phone or tablet, AdGuard Mini for Android now supports a mobile license for 1 device. You get extra features on that device without buying a license for 3 or more devices.
Already have an AdGuard license? You can use it with AdGuard Mini for Android too. Go to Settings → License → Already purchased.
Tell us what you think
If you find a bug or have an idea for improvement, let us know on GitHub, on social media, or through the Support section inside the app. We always read your feedback and use it to make AdGuard Mini better.
