Wonder how to remove ads from Android?
Ads on Android can be very intrusive and annoying. Aggressive announcements with offers to buy or download something often occur on lots of websites. Various free applications also have ads that appear when you least expect them.
Unscrupulous advertisers also tend to make the ads bulky, taking up practically the whole screen, and the "Close" and "Skip" buttons, on the contrary, — very small. All this spoils the impression from using an application or a website and causes distress. And, naturally, a lot of users wonder how to remove ads from Android.
AdGuard Ad Blocker removes ads from Android once and for all, making your stay on the Internet safe and most comfortable. In addition to AdGuard for Android, there are versions of AdGuard for Windows, Mac, and iOS, and extensions for six most popular browsers. Whether you are an experienced user or a beginner, you will find AdGuard products convenient and easy to use.
Key advantages of AdGuard Adblock for Android
AdGuard blocks various types of ads: besides usual website banners, it will remove other cunning ads such as video insertions or in-game announcements.
It becomes possible because of filters (also called filter lists) that lie at the core of AdGuard and tell the app what to do with all incoming and outcoming traffic: block web requests, hide specific elements, alter web pages in certain ways.
AdGuard for Android not only blocks popups and banners, it also:
filters traffic both in browsers and in apps
protects you from tracking and analytics systems
blocks annoying elements such as cookie notices
filters DNS requests
allows to manage apps’ access to the Internet
warns you if you’re trying to open a website that can cause harm to your mobile device or steal personal data (phishing, spies);
Usability is another advantage of AdGuard. The interface is very user-friendly, the controls are intuitive and clear, and the tooltips help newcomers to navigate.
AdGuard possibilities: maximum security
Adblock for Android works by means of traffic filtering using local VPN or local HTTP proxy.
Local VPN mode doesn’t require ROOT access, which is one of the program’s features. A VPN tunnel is created locally right on the smartphone or the tablet, which means that no traffic goes to a remote server. This way, the filter “catches” most of the threats.
The second option is designed for the users with rooted devices. If ROOT access is not available, configuring a manual proxy is required. In this case, AdGuard for Android won’t filter mobile data.
Both modes have their own peculiarities:
Local VPN doesn't turn on automatically. This limitation is set by Android OS. Also, in this mode AdGuard won’t work simultaneously with other applications that require a VPN, as Android doesn’t allow two VPN tunnels up at the same time.
In HTTP proxy mode, AdGuard filters only a limited subset of all traffic. This means that it doesn’t provide full-scale ad blocking, and statistics in this mode are not precise. But this type of protection is good for the users who don’t work with apps and sites but rather set their connection via UDP and other off-standard ports.
How does AdGuard filter HTTPS traffic?
As of today, this adblock for Android is one of the most reliable ones due to its protection mechanisms. Numerous sites that distribute ads use a secure version of the HTTP protocol, HTTPS (where S stands for Secure). This encrypts not only sensitive data, such as credit card numbers, but also advertisements. Thus, it becomes possible to show them despite the installed ad blockers. However, this is not a problem for AdGuard!
To “catch” encrypted ads, AdGuard creates two secure connections. One to the browser or the application that contains the ad, and another to the server where the ad loads from. The browser “trusts” this connection because a ROOT certificate is created and installed to the system certificate storage and, if needed, also to the browser storage. AdGuard adblock for Android makes sure that these connections are protected and safe by checking the server as well as the browser certificate first before letting the traffic in.
In this mode, the application doesn’t filter websites of various financial services and other similar ones that may contain sensitive data, such as financial information. There are two HTTPS filtering modes in total:
Blocking connections only to domains from the Blocklist.
Blocking all connections except to domains from the Allowlist. By default, this list contains financial services and other websites that are usually known for their high security.
To turn on HTTPS filtering, you need to install a certificate. OS Android will ask you to set a graphic key or a numeric password. After the certificate installation is complete, you should reset the application. If everything is done correctly, HTTPS traffic will be filtered the same way as normal one.
AdGuard installation and setup
AdGuard for Android is not available in Google Play. That’s because full-fledged ad blockers can’t be placed there according to the Play Store rules. But you can download the app right from the AdGuard website. Your device should allow installing applications from sources other than Google Play. You can check if it’s the case in Security or Applications settings (depending on your device model and OS version).
During the installation, AdGuard will ask you for the permission to install a VPN. To continue, put a tick in a corresponding checkbox.
Main AdGuard features
AdGuard for Android is an all-purpose tool for blocking ads, trackers, and other threats, which makes the Internet a safer and more pleasant place. Such versatility is possible thanks to the functional modules that form the app basis:
Ad Blocking module blocks ads in browsers and apps
Tracking protection module blocks trackers and analytics
Annoyances blocking module blocks irritating non-ad elements such as cookie notices and in-page popups
DNS Protection module filters DNS requests
Firewall allows flexible control over apps’ access to the Internet
Browsing security module blocks requests to malicious and phishing websites
Ad Blocking doesn’t let pop-ups, banners, video ads, and other announcements appear on your screen. Moreover, the user can choose what to block and what to leave. For example, you can choose to leave context ads in search results unblocked if you consider them helpful.
By enabling different settings in the Tracking protection section you will be able to choose the best configuration against various tracking methods. For instance, you can prohibit websites from receiving the search request you used to find it on the Internet, automatically delete both third-party and website’s own cookies, and disable location sharing in your browser that can be used to track your whereabouts.
The Annoyances blocking section makes it possible to block social networks widgets (for example, “Like” buttons), annoyances like cookie notices and pop-up notifications. All of this also helps pages and apps with embedded elements load faster.
The DNS protection module allows to configure DNS settings on the user’s device, including selecting a custom DNS server and DNS filters that block DNS requests to ad and tracking servers.
Firewall allows you to control the apps’ access to the Internet: decide which apps can use mobile data or Wi-Fi with screen off, get real-time notifications on app activity, and update firewall rules in the Quick actions section.
Browsing Security will check all visited pages and APK files with the help of its own filter. Before opening a site or downloading a file, AdGuard checks the domain you enter against its filter database. In case of a match, the app disallows the connection and informs the user. And you won’t even notice since the entire process takes tenths of a second!
You can also opt to make the Internet safer by taking part in the development of the Browsing Security module. If you do, the application will send anonymous statistics to developers, which helps to widen the database of potentially harmful sites.
Additional AdGuard features
This is not news that apps nowadays do what they want and leak your personal information all over the place. But with AdGuard you’ll get complete control over your data. And thanks to the Statistics screen you’ll be able to track which apps send your data to global corporations the most — and block or allow any requests on the fly.
It’s also worth knowing that if you have AdGuard VPN installed on your device, the Integration with AdGuard VPN will be activated by default in AdGuard Ad Blocker so that both apps could work simultaneously, giving you the highest level of security and anonymity on the Internet.
How to remove ads from Android and save the battery charge
Most of today’s smartphone models have their battery resource estimated at 24 hours in average usage mode. No wonder that a lot of users are concerned about energy saving while using different blockers, for example AdGuard for Android.
Logic suggests that any anti-advertisement application should save the battery, because its resource is not wasted to download various ad scripts, process and show them on the screen. But the energy use statistics that are reflected in the OS settings usually tell otherwise. Almost always AdGuard is on top of the list of applications that “quickly waste battery”. So, how to remove ads from Android without charging a smartphone 2–3 times per day?
In reality, what the statistics show is not true. This can be explained by the fact that the main expenditure item in any smartphone is mobile internet. Then usually a display, a Wi-Fi module, and a CPU. If configured correctly, all of the device’s traffic goes through AdGuard. So, system statistics allocate all other apps’ traffic (and the corresponding battery resource spent) to AdGuard. That’s why you shouldn’t trust system stats and instead use the statistics available inside the AdGuard app.
Conclusions: how useful is this application?
AdGuard for Android is one of the best applications that has an ad-blocking function by default and for free for all browsers without any ROOT permission required. Cherry on the cake and the distinguishable feature of the program is that you can ask for a trial premium period of 7 days.
To sum it up, AdGuard provides:
Full blocking of all types of ads on Android devices – no more ads on websites, in apps, in videos, and games
Safe Internet presence – the program will prevent malicious software downloading and protect from personal data stealing
Faster page downloading due to removed ads that would waste traffic and battery juice otherwise
Preservation of the battery resource
If you want to remove ads from Android, there’s no better idea than AdGuard! Easy, user-friendly, with a clear UI, competent technical support, and a wide community of users — all this makes this ad blocker the ultimate choice. Download AdGuard and see for yourself!
