Break free from the ad chaos with these 10 steps to block annoying ads on your Android smartphone or tablet.
Tired of non-stop ads on every app? Here are our simple solutions to silence them now and forever, we hope.
1. Disable pop-ups
Your default mobile browser can block some ads by preventing pop-ups. On the Chrome app, tap on the three-dot menu to open Settings. From there, find Site settings > select Pop-ups and redirects > Toggle off Pop-ups and redirects.
Additionally, turn off Intrusive ads under Site settings to block some types of ads as well. Keep in mind that while Chrome has these measures, they can’t guarantee that no ads will appear on every site you visit.
2. Disable dynamic wallpaper
Dynamic Wallpaper on Samsung Galaxy devices may include some intrusive ads. To disable it, go to Settings > Wallpaper and Style > Wallpaper Services.
Other brands have a similar implementation in Wallpaper Carousel, which you can also disable in the Settings menu. You check the option in the Lock screen settings as well.
3. Turn off notifications
Intrusive ads and annoying notifications can be dealt with once and for all by turning off notifications on apps. Just keep in mind that if you disable the notification of an app with download capabilities, you’ll never see the download progress in the notifications panel.
To disable notifications, long-press an app > App info > Notifications > Toggle off Show notifications. Every notification type below will be grayed out.
4. Deny internet access
Do you use third-party video players? Perhaps you want to hide some videos from the Gallery app? There’s a way to prevent both ads and the app’s streaming content: deny its internet access.
Long-press that app > App info > Connection method > Toggle off Wi-Fi and mobile data. The app can no longer connect to the internet and will instead notify you of this status, which you can swipe away easily.
Keep in mind that some apps do allow premium functions by suggesting you watch an ad once per day. Disable connection method will prevent the ad from coming through.
5. Change the DNS
In simple terms, a DNS or domain name system is the phonebook of the internet, needed to access websites and other internet resources. Many DNS are equipped with ad-blocking features and they are free to use.
To change your phone’s DNS, go to Settings > More connectivity options > Private DNS > Input the details on Private DNS provider hostname, which you need to look up online. Some of DNS that can block ads are:
- Quad9
- NextDNS
- AdGuard
- ReThinkDNS
- Cloudflare
You can also change the DNS on your browser app under Settings > Privacy and security. A private DNS works pretty well with Wi-Fi but not so much with mobile data.
If you have a computer, feel free to change its DNS too.
6. Turn off recommendations
Bloatware and ads are a perfect combination of intrusiveness. Many phone brands include proprietary apps and some of them can’t be uninstalled without root access. For example, Xiaomi, POCO, and REDMI devices have the popular Security app, which may show ads from time to time.
To disable in-app, tap the Wheel icon at the top-right of the app’s main screen > Scroll down until you see Recommendations > Toggle it off. Apply this to other similar bloatware apps.
Infinix, itel, and TECNO have a similar implementation and you can turn it off as well.
7. Customize ad privacy
As you keep using your Android device, the OS notes the topics of your interest based on the apps you use. This information can be used by apps to show relevant ads.
To opt out, go to Settings > Security and privacy or Privacy > Scroll down and tap Ads > Ad privacy > Toggle off Ad topics, App-suggested ads, and Ad measurement.
8. Install ad-blocking extensions
Chrome is the most optimized browser for Android devices but it doesn’t support extensions. If you have a preferred third-party browser, you can install ad-blockers to keep out ads.
For instance, you can install UBlock Origin on the mobile version of Mozilla Firefox. This significantly raises its ad-blocking prowess, nearly close to the level of the Brave browser.
However, no ad-blocking is perfect. Most ad-blockers are consistent on typical websites and may fail on some NSFW sites.
9. Block unwanted text ads
Ads via SMS are possible and they can be dangerous because of malicious links, which will lead you to a scam attempt. Never tap on them unless you’re absolutely sure you know what you’re doing.
To block spam SMS and numbers, go to Google Messages > Long-press a message thread > Tap the three-dot menu > Tap on Block. You can also do this within the thread by tapping on the three-dot menu and selecting on Block and report spam.
Other messaging apps should have a block feature as well.
10. YouTube Ads
Of course, we won’t miss the famous ads delivered by YouTube. Either you go premium or install a patcher to emulate the premium experience. But be careful because a patcher isn’t monitored by Google Play Protect. Use such at your own risk.
The easiest workaround is to watch YouTube via Brave browser, Firefox with UBlock Origin, or other browsers with an ad-blocker. Brave works very well in preventing ads on the platform, including the irritating ones during playback.
The main downside is you can’t zoom to fill the entire screen with these browsers. No word yet if such a feature will arrive soon.
