Tracking protection

info

This article is about AdGuard for Android, a multifunctional ad blocker that protects your device at the system level. To see how it works, download the AdGuard app

The Tracking protection module can be accessed by tapping the Protection tab (second-left icon at the bottom of the screen) and then selecting Tracking protection.

Tracking protection (formerly known as Stealth Mode) prevents websites from collecting information about you, such as your IP addresses, information about your browser and operating system, screen resolution, and the page you came or were redirected from. It can also block cookies that websites use to mark your browser, save your personal settings and user preferences, or recognize you on your next visit.

Tracking protection has three pre-configured levels of privacy protection (Standard, High, and Extreme) and one user-defined level (Custom).

Here are the active features of the pre-configured levels:

1. Standard

   a. Block trackers. This feature uses AdGuard Tracking Protection filter to protect you from online counters and web analytics tools

   b. Ask websites not to track you. This feature sends the Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals to the websites you visit, asking web apps to disable tracking of your activity

   c. Remove X-Client-Data header. This feature prevents Google Chrome from sending information about its version and modifications to Google domains (including DoubleClick and Google Analytics)

2. High

   a. Block trackers. This feature uses AdGuard Tracking Protection filter to protect you from online counters and web analytics tools

   b. Remove tracking parameters from URLs. This feature uses AdGuard URL Tracking filter to remove tracking parameters, such as utm_* and fb_ref, from page URLs

   c. Hide your search queries. This feature hides queries for websites visited from a search engine

   d. Ask websites not to track you. This feature sends the Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals to the websites you visit, asking web apps to disable tracking of your activity

   e. Self-destruction of third-party cookies. This feature limits the lifetime of third-party cookies to 180 minutes

   caution

   This feature deletes all third-party cookies after their forced expiration. This includes your logins through social networks or other third-party services. You may need to re-log in to some websites periodically or experience other cookie-related issues. To block only tracking cookies, use the Standard protection level.

   f. Remove X-Client-Data header. This feature prevents Google Chrome from sending its version and modifications information to Google domains (including DoubleClick and Google Analytics)

3. Extreme (formerly known as Ultimate)

   a. Block trackers. This feature uses AdGuard Tracking Protection filter to protect you from online counters and web analytics tools

   b. Remove tracking parameters from URLs. This feature uses AdGuard URL Tracking filter to remove tracking parameters, such as utm_* and fb_ref, from page URLs

   c. Hide your search queries. This feature hides queries for websites visited from a search engine

   d. Ask websites not to track you. This feature sends the Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals to the websites you visit, asking web apps to disable tracking of your activity

   e. Self-destruction of third-party cookies. This feature limits the lifetime of third-party cookies to 180 minutes

   caution

   This feature deletes all third-party cookies after their forced expiration. This includes your logins through social networks or other third-party services. You may need to re-log in to some websites periodically or experience other cookie-related issues. To block only tracking cookies, use the Standard protection level.

   f. Block WebRTC. This feature blocks WebRTC, a known vulnerability that can leak your real IP address even if you use a proxy or VPN

   g. Block Push API. This feature prevents your browsers from receiving push messages from servers

   h. Block Location API. This feature prevents browsers from accessing your GPS data and determining your location

   i. Hide Referer from third parties. This feature prevents third parties from knowing which websites you visit. It hides the HTTP header that contains the URL of the initial page and replaces it with a default or custom one that you can set

   j. Hide your User-Agent. This feature removes identifying information from the User-Agent header, which typically includes the name and version of the browser, the operating system, and language settings

   k. Remove X-Client-Data header. This feature prevents Google Chrome from sending its version and modifications information to Google domains (including DoubleClick and Google Analytics)

You can tweak individual settings in Tracking protection and come up with a custom configuration. Every setting has a description that will help you understand its role. Learn more about what various Tracking protection settings do and approach them with caution, as some may interfere with the functionality of websites and browser extensions.