How to remove ads in Android without root. Removing advertising on mobile devices: review of applications on Android and iOS

Ads often pop up on Android phones very untimely; we will discuss how to remove them and what are the best blocking programs today. Most users of tablets and smartphones running the Android operating system download games and applications from the official Google Play store.

Long-term communication with this store allows you to verify that many applications are distributed in two versions - paid and free. Often they differ solely in the presence of advertising.

Reasons to block ads on your phone

  • Advertising is essentially a separate process that consumes battery power and RAM resources.
  • Advertising can carry viruses that can render the device inoperable or cause loss of personal data.
  • Advertising units are frequently updated, this consumes additional traffic, which in the absence of unlimited Internet can be expensive.
Types of advertising in Android applications
  • Small banners at the bottom or top of the window can be static or movable.
  • Interstitial – A pop-up ad that displays a full-screen banner and may include a video.
  • Advertising built into the application interface - this could be an offer to purchase something in the game store for real money.
  • “Delayed” – an application or game may have built-in advertising that appears only a few days after installation, this makes it difficult to determine the source of the advertising messages that appear.
  • “Useful advertising” - for watching such a video in the game you can get a certain item or coins.
  • Browser with advertising - commercial messages appear on sites, posted by resource owners.
  • Air-push advertising is a notification that does not contain any useful information.

How to remove ads on Android using the AdAway blocker app

If an advertisement pops up on Android, AdAway will tell you how to remove it. This application is capable of making adjustments to the hosts file. This component controls calls of all programs to the network. In order for the AdAway tool to make changes to system files, you will need appropriate permission. It can only be obtained if the user has ROOT rights.

The procedure for using the application is as follows:

  • Let's launch AdAway.
  • We allow the use.
  • In the main menu, we alternately use the “Upload file” and “Disable advertising” functions.

The first button allows you to download the modified host file. After using it, the tablet or smartphone will have to be rebooted. Obviously, Google apps that block ads are not profitable. This company earns enormous profits from advertising.

Therefore, AdAway is a tool that is missing from the Google Play Store. You will have to look for it on other resources, and then install this application manually.

Blocking ads using AdBlock

If advertising appears on Android, AdBlock will tell you how to remove it. The application is a copy of a computer program that bears the same name. The tool allows you to block various advertising banners. The application must be installed on a tablet or smartphone.

It is noteworthy that this application may not interact with all tablets and smartphones. A special AdBlock Browser has been developed separately - this is a browser that allows you to get acquainted with the content of sites without advertising content.

LuckyPatcher

You can also solve the question of how to remove ads on Android using the LuckyPatcher application. The application is similar in many ways to AdAway, but its interface has a number of differences. This solution allows you to not only disable intrusive advertising, but also license verification, which is often required in games. This application can be used with all its capabilities only if you have ROOT rights.

After launching the program, it begins to scan the gadget’s file system. In this case, all the necessary information will be shown in the settings. There is a menu with a complete list of installed applications. It contains a variety of warnings. For example, LuckyPatcher reports the presence of advertising in a specific application, as well as license verification.

All applications are divided into separate categories. Each of them is marked with its own color. Processed applications that do not require additional actions become “yellow”. Programs that require license verification in the Google Play store receive a green mark. If an application contains advertising, it is marked in blue.

A separate category includes programs that cannot be processed. When you click on an individual program from the list, a dialog box appears that allows you to disable advertising. We select the required action from those proposed and observe the transformation process. It is advisable to take care of a backup copy of the applications being processed.

AdFree

If you are wondering how to remove pop-up ads on Android, you can use the AdFree tool. This application disables advertising, both in applications and in the browser. This tool requires ROOT rights to work.

The procedure for using the application is as follows:

  • We log on to the Internet.
  • Let's launch AdFree.
  • We use the “Download and Install” function.

From this moment on, you can launch games and applications - advertising will disappear from them. AdFree is a completely Russian-language program, so communicating with it is especially convenient.

Ad blocker for Android Adguard

This solution blocks advertising content in browsers. It is also possible to purchase a key that will allow you to exclude advertising from applications. Adguard blocks scam sites and phishing resources. There is no need to obtain ROOT rights to run the application.

Adguard creates a VPN server on the device through which it processes content. We can specify the thoroughness of the filters ourselves using the application settings. The White List function is available. This list can include applications and sites that are trustworthy, so Adguard will not check them.

Browser with built-in ad blocking Ghostery Privacy Browser

Ghostery Privacy Browser is a browser that, among other things, provides tracking protection for the user of devices based on the Android operating system. Information about a person’s activity on the Internet is stored by resources. The browser guarantees privacy.

Ghostery Privacy Browser was included in this review because it has a built-in ad blocker. It excludes banners and pop-ups. The browser does not support Flash technology, which can be attributed to its disadvantages. At the same time, the application requires only two megabytes of memory to work, this is an incredibly modest figure.

Good optimization makes it possible to use applications even on devices with low performance. It is very easy to get used to the tool, since it has a convenient menu and is fully translated into Russian. Ghostery Privacy Browser eliminates advertising content on Internet resources. This is a full-fledged user-friendly browser.

The Opera browser can also block ads without ROOT

The Opera browser can also be installed on Android. It is also capable of blocking ads. This browser supports modern technologies, including HTML5. It can play Flash videos from video hosting sites and other sites. The features of this application include the unique ability to compress traffic.

All information coming from the Internet to the device is pre-processed on Opera servers. There it is optimized and compressed, and only then is it sent to a smartphone or tablet. Sometimes errors occur during this processing, which may cause information to be displayed incorrectly.

The browser saves passwords and browsing history, but if necessary, you can use the Incognito mode. A “live” search function has been implemented. The home screen allows you to get acquainted with the latest news, which the system selects based on the user’s interests.

The download manager makes it possible to resume an interrupted file download. Passwords and bookmarks can be synchronized with Opera browsers that run on other devices.

Yandex Browser blocks ads without ROOT

A browser created by the developer of the search engine of the same name. It also has ad blocking capabilities. In addition, proprietary services and turbo mode are integrated into the browser. Compatible with Android version no earlier than 2.3. ROOT rights are not required for its operation.

Manual removal of advertising content

The method described below does not require the installation of additional applications. To implement it, you need ROOT rights, as well as a file manager that has access to the file system of a smartphone or tablet. First of all, we should get the hosts file. It can be downloaded from open sources. We save the component in the form of a text file and give it the name hosts.

You can go through this stage not only on a tablet or smartphone, but also on a computer. Next, we prepare a backup copy of the original hosts file. To do this, we assign it an arbitrary name.

Now we need a file manager that can be used with superuser rights. In this capacity, you can use the Root Explorer application. We place the hosts file received from the Internet in the etc directory. After this, reboot your smartphone or tablet. Advertising must disappear.

How to remove ads on YouTube on Android

Now we’ll tell you how to remove ads on YouTube on Android. This video hosting has an unusual system for organizing advertising. Even in the official Android application for, advertisements appear at the bottom of the screen. This can be avoided by using the Xposed Framework app. The tool requires ROOT rights.

The Xposed Framework is a tool that is capable of manipulating system files through added modules. As part of our topic, we will talk about a module called YouTube Adaway. First of all, we check whether we have ROOT rights.

  • Install Xposed Framework. To do this, download the installation program from the official website.
  • Install the .apk file.
  • Install or update the Framework. Find the application icon and launch it. Let's move on to the Framework section. Here you can make an update if necessary.
  • We reboot our device. You can also use the Soft Reboot function, it will provide a faster reboot.

Ready. It should be noted that the Framework will require Unknown Sources to work. This feature must be activated in advance. It will allow you to install programs from third-party developers that are not available in the Google Play store. Once the Framework is installed, you can proceed to download the required module.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:
  • Let's move on to the "Download" section. It can be found in the Xposed app on the main screen.
  • Select a module called YouTube Adaway.
  • Download the module using the “Download” function.
  • Install YouTube Adaway.

To enable the module, perform the following steps:

  • On the main screen of the application, use the “Modules” item.
  • Check the box next to the YouTube Adaway module. We will use it further.
  • In the main program menu, go to Framework.
  • We use the Soft Reboot function.

We configure YouTube Adaway as follows:

  • Using the module in App Drawer
  • Next, the necessary features will be marked with checkboxes; if necessary, some of them can be unchecked.
  • Checking to see if advertising has disappeared from the YouTube application.

Ready. If you are using a KitKat version of the operating system, using the module may cause an error. In this case, it is necessary to update the software.


By downloading various applications from the Google Play store, we significantly enhance the functionality of our smartphone, making it more attractive and comfortable to use. But such actions, especially when it comes to free applications, are fraught with the appearance of a large number of annoying and uninteresting advertisements. How to remove ads on Android? What will it take? And, in principle, is such a solution possible? In this publication, we will look in detail at the simplest and most effective methods that will help you get rid of advertising on Android so that it does not appear again in the future.

Why is it important to get rid of ads on Android?

It is likely that such a problem is completely irrelevant for you: you simply ignore pop-up advertising offers. But there is something that is alarming, and this is definitely worth taking into account. It is moments like this that determine the need to get rid of advertising.

First of all, we are talking about the fact that:

  1. Advertising is a separate process. It occupies a certain place in RAM and actively affects the rapid discharge of the battery.
  2. The presence of advertising on a smartphone may well cause the appearance of unwanted software on such a device, and in some cases, a dangerous virus.
  3. Advertising always consumes Internet traffic. The reason is quite clear, because to display an ad you always need to send a request to the advertiser’s server and then show it to you. A simple example: you are viewing the news feed of one or another social network, Facebook or Vkontakte, in about an hour of such actions you can consume no more than 20 MB. But if advertisements appear all this time, then the traffic will already be 35 MB or 70% more. Considering the fact that traffic is not always unlimited, all this will certainly affect your wallet.

As a result, it becomes clear that advertising in games and applications is not at all a harmless addition to free use. That is why, if advertisements constantly pop up on Android, it is better to get rid of them.

How to disable advertising on Android: methods

There are several simple but effective ways that will help solve the problem of how to remove pop-up ads on your Android phone. Let's look at them in more detail.

AdBlock Plus

AdBlock Plus is a program that is especially popular. The reason for this demand is quite clear. After all, its functionality easily helps to get rid of annoying and uninteresting advertisements for smartphone users from games and all kinds of applications. The program is so effective that, according to experts, it was able to cause approximately $22 billion in business losses. But you won’t find such a unique program on Google Play. And this is absolutely understandable, because the only source of income for the company that owns such a resource is advertising. But getting rid of earnings is not at all advisable, is it?
That is why you will have to install this software yourself. You will not have any difficulties in this regard, and after installation you will be able to enjoy games, applications and programs without advertising.
Important: when installing the program from sources other than official sources, you will need to make some changes to your phone's settings. The algorithm of actions is not complicated:

  1. Open the “Settings” section.
  2. Go to “Security” (on some devices you need to go to “Applications”).
  3. Find the item “Unknown sources”. You need to check a box there.

In some cases, this window appears on its own. Then immediately check the required box and wait for the installation to complete. In order not to constantly turn on this software, you can run it as a background process. Immediately after installation, open the program and run it. A message appears that AdBlock Plus cannot change the proxy. You have to do this yourself:

  1. First, click on “Configure”, and then “Open Wi-Fi settings”.
  2. Click on the network enabled on the smartphone and hold until the corresponding settings window appears. Next, click on “Advanced settings” and check the appropriate box next to the proxy, first selecting “Manual”.
  3. Enter the hostname localhost and it’s time for 2020. Save the changes.

Please pay special attention: if you need to turn off the program again, you will have to return the Wi-Fi settings to the “Default” state.

Removing ads on the desktop

Android advertisements pop up on the desktop. How to remove it? The solution is actually not too complicated. But for this you will need the Adfree software application (if you are a root user) or AirPush (for a regular user).


Adfree

This application, after numerous complaints from advertisers, was permanently removed from Google Play, but finding the installation file on the Internet will not be a problem. Moreover, the last update of the program appeared in February last year. This program scans your smartphone and identifies suspicious software.

How to remove an ad block on YouTube?

Do you often watch different videos on the YouTube channel? When viewing, endless preview screens appear, small short advertisements that cannot be closed? There is a solution to this problem. And it is not complicated. First of all, enable HTTPS filtering in Adguard settings. This step is important for decrypting the data transmitted to the Youtube application from their servers. To do this, you need to go to Adguard settings -> HTTPS Filtering, and then install the Adguard certificate.
For Android version 7.0 (Nougat) and higher, the ability to filter HTTPS in Android Nougat is limited; in new versions of Youtube, filtering will not work. But this situation also has solutions.

  1. You can install an old version of Youtube, and then disable automatic updates in the Google Play settings.
  2. If you have ROOT access, you can transfer the Adguard certificate to the system using Move Certs - special software.

After this, we clear the Youtube application data. How to do it? Open Android settings, go to Application Manager, then click on the Youtube application and then click on “Clear data”.
This is the main problem. Adguard is able to remove all advertising from the application, but only if Youtube is in a state with “cleaned” data. After restarting Youtube or rebooting the device, it switches to a different operating algorithm. Some video advertising will be reflected in it. And this is an important point. Accordingly, you will have to clear the Youtube application data every time you reboot. Users with ROOT access can easily automate this process. You can do this like this: go to Settings / Advanced / Low-level settings / pref.root.clear.youtube and check the box next to it.

Do ads pop up after a call?

Sometimes annoying advertisements “pop up” immediately after the call. What to do in such a situation?
First of all, download an antivirus from the Google Play application, for example, DoctorWeb. Then install such software and enable the “Full scan” option. As soon as the scanning is completed and a dangerous application that launches annoying ads has been found, carefully follow the instructions. As a solution to the problem, resetting your smartphone may help.

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Many of us find advertising annoying. It reaches us everywhere: on radio, television, in newspapers, on billboards or information boards, and recently on mobile devices. Modern smartphones and tablets require full-fledged operation, which is actively used by software developers and marketers. The audience for mobile advertising is truly huge: it covers all segments of the population and age categories. But given the limited mobile traffic, the not always high quality of the Internet and the insufficient power of mobile devices, as well as the intrusiveness of advertisers, most users try to get rid of advertising.

If on a computer everything is simple in this matter, then on Android or iOS it is somewhat more complicated. Google and Apple are actively cracking down on ad blocking apps, removing many of them from their app stores, yet they continue to exist.

We offer a review of the best ad blocking apps for Android and iOS.

First, let's determine what types of advertising users of Android and iOS mobile devices may encounter.

Banners at the top or bottom of the window. They can be either static, constantly displaying content, or dynamic, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

Pop-up window. When you start or close the program, advertising runs in full screen. Sometimes it may contain videos.

Menu element. For example, it may offer to buy additional features.

In the browser. Similarly, as on a computer, you see advertising information that site owners place on their resources.

There are other options that are more than informational. Advertising of any kind takes up device resources and slows down the loading of web pages, in addition, consuming additional traffic.

Ad blocking on Android

Adblock Plus

This is a mobile solution for Android from the world-famous developer of a plugin for computer browsers. Allows you to block ads in the browser and other applications. Uses the same blocking subscriptions as on PC.

The program is very simple to configure. Its capabilities will depend on the availability of root rights. When they are present, blocking will be done by changing the hosts file. In this case, advertising will be removed both via Wi-Fi and mobile Internet. If they are absent, you need to configure a proxy server in the network settings. It will only work via Wi-Fi.

Download the application from the official website by clicking on the inconspicuous link Download Adblock Plus for Android https://adblockplus.org/en/android-install. Then turn it on by clicking the button in the menu, download the subscription you are interested in, allow or block the display of unobtrusive advertising. Advanced settings allow you to select the type of lock, depending on the presence of root.

AdAway

An app that removes unwanted content from Android apps and browsers. Claimed to remove 99% of advertising. Since blocking is done by , root rights are required. Without them, the program will not work. It is possible to create white and black lists to regulate advertising sources. Ads on mobile networks may not be completely removed.

After launching the application, click “Download files and apply ad blocking”, wait for the download to finish and restart the tablet. Before deleting, disable blocking in the program menu. The latest version can be downloaded from the F-Droid website https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdid=org.adaway, an analogue of the Play Store.

Adguard

An excellent application for removing ads in browsers, and for an additional fee in other applications. A VPN connection is created for your protection, so you don't need root to work. You can delete content and block social network buttons. The settings allow you to select the algorithm and filtering mode. The free version will only protect browsers, while for 129 rubles a year you can block ads in other applications and games, enable anti-phishing to protect against scammers, get improved filters and better technical support. You can download it from the official website https://adguard.com/ru/adguard-android/install.html.

Ad blocking on iOS

On iOS the situation is not so rosy. You can only block ads in browsers, while applications will continue to show them. What’s noteworthy is that in iOS 9 such support appeared at the system level. Special extensions for the Safari browser have been introduced. Thanks to this, ad blockers officially appeared in the AppStore. All of them are enabled as follows: Settings - Safari - Content blocking rules, after which you need to activate the installed application. The only difference between them is the customization options and the quality of content blocking.

Crystal

This is certainly the best ad blocking app on iOS. The program filters most of the unwanted content and increases the number of users several times. It does not contain any settings at all, everything works fine without them. If something is not filtered somewhere, you can send a link to the developer through the program interface.

Adguard

Great app for blocking ads on iOS. Filters content, speeds up page loading and protects your privacy. Over 50 filters optimized for Safari are available. There is a white and black list setting, regional filters, removal of social network buttons and various counters.

1Blocker

Ad blocking application for iOS with a huge number of personalized settings. You can customize almost individually each element from a list of more than 7,000 units. Reduces traffic consumption by half, reducing battery consumption. For advanced users, this will be the best choice as you can fine-tune the filter.

Browsers with a built-in ad blocker

We have included this item in a separate list, since such browsers are developed for both Android and iOS. Whether you are not satisfied with the standard Safari browser or you don’t want to rack your brains with hacking Android, then download one of these browsers. The most popular of them are UCBrowser, AdBlock Browser, Firefox with the AdBlock Plus extension. We will not describe in detail the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. Their common feature is ad blocking on websites without additional system settings or software installation.

Conclusion

If you are annoyed by advertising while using your phone, install one of the applications from our review. Android owners have a little more options if they have root rights, but on iOS all blockers are officially supported by Apple and are freely distributed through the AppStore.

What software are you using? We would be very grateful if you could leave a comment after reading.


The Android system is the most open mobile operating system based on Linux, openness combined with an already familiar environment - causes a large flow of developers creating applications for the operating system. Developers are “people too,” so they want to be rewarded for their work - to put it simply: many applications are created solely for the purpose of making a profit. There are not many applications created “for people”, but in this article we will only talk about such.

The first thing any user encounters after downloading a free application or game is advertising! Sometimes it doesn’t interfere or they give you a reward for watching it, this is a good example, but there are also bad ones. It’s very unpleasant when, due to the abundance of advertising in an application, you cannot use its functionality normally, or when advertising appears after each level in a game, and the ubiquitous advertising on websites is completely terrifying. There are several most popular advertising formats, and we will protect ourselves from them.

Reasons to dislike advertising

I think you have noticed that advertising sometimes “guesses” what we want, or if we think about something, discuss it with friends, it immediately appears in advertising. Do you know how this happens? We are being watched :) Every action you take, be it a character entered or a page opened, is all saved in your “advertising identifier”, and according to those who show us ads, the data is used only to select more suitable ads.


Even sound and geographic location are recorded to tailor advertisements! You can simply go to a digital equipment store, this information will enter your ID and the system will decide that you are now interested in purchasing equipment. Sound can be recorded to improve results!!!



If you are worried about your personal data, don’t want all this surveillance, and are simply fed up with advertising in games and applications, we strongly recommend using the blockers from the list above.

Today we will touch on the very current topic of mobile viruses and the advertising banners they cause. The reality now is that mobile malware is becoming more dangerous for the user, and the number of their attacks is constantly growing. We will tell you what to do if advertising constantly pops up on the entire screen, and the phone itself signals threats.

Reasons for advertising

It’s worth noting right away that the appearance of banners can be caused not only by viruses. Here are the main sources that may be responsible for this:

  1. Completely official applications that you installed yourself. Developers need to make money, so they build in any monetization they can. Of course, this case does not apply to popular instant messengers (Vkontakte, FaceBook, Viber), Google products, and other popular programs. Here it’s worth talking about various launchers, VPN services, games, media players, etc. These programs often run in the background and have multiple resolutions, which is what causes banners to appear on the entire screen. Most often, this is not the case in donated versions.
  1. Viruses. We can talk about them forever, but the essence is clear. Trojans and worms are dangerous not only by pop-up advertising, but also by intercepting personal data, phone books and design. Removing such threats is not always easy, as they have hidden downloaders that download the malware again.
  2. Firmware. This case can be attributed to cheap Chinese smartphones, the flow of which is only increasing. Developers embed into them not only their “branded” applications, but also advertising, which, by the way, does not always appear, but only when certain options or programs are launched.

How to remove pop-up ads from your phone

So, to remove any pop-ups, you will need to follow a few simple steps. In any case, start from the situation with your Android and its version, since in later versions of Android (5.0, 6.0, 7.0) viruses act differently and the principle of their removal differs from the same 4.0. Here's what you should check first:

  1. Check the list third party applications. Remove any extra ones you don't use. Empty the Download folder.
  2. If you actively use programs/games, then it is better to reinstall them by downloading them again from official sources (Play Market).
  3. Check administration list, which may indicate a viral process. Go to settings: "Safety""Administration"(the path may vary slightly in different phones). Uncheck third-party programs there, if they are on the list. Administrator rights give the virus the right to run in the background and start its processes at any time.

  4. Download popular mobile antivirus. Users rate the utilities well: Dr.Web, ESET, AVG, Kaspersky. Scan your device.
  5. Very often, viruses are downloaded after removal again due to the bootloader, which is hidden in the system. For example, Kaspersky shows the path to the infected file, so dig there. Most often you need to look at the “Android/data/app/...” folder. The bootloader can also be hidden in the .JM folder - it needs to be cleared or replaced by creating a txt file on the computer with the name .JM, and then replacing it with the corresponding one on the phone.
  6. For deeper cleaning, I recommend giving it to your antivirus administrator rights, or scan to safe mode.
  7. Review the option carefully "Permissions" on your phone. In the latest versions of the OS it is located directly in Settings. Explore there "Autostart". Search for everything unknown to you and, if your suspicions are confirmed, disable all access. This needs to be done because in the latest Androids everything always asks for permission. Perhaps you clicked an unnecessary “Allow” somewhere.
  8. If you have identified a process that causes banners, but cannot remove it, try using programs like My Android Tools or Titanium BackUp. Attention, they require root! With their help, disable all activities for the infected application and freeze it. Using the built-in antivirus firewall (Dr.Web definitely has one), disable the program’s access to the network.

  9. Install special ad blockers on your phone: Adguard, or a special firewall - Mobiwol: Firewall without root. They are easy to use. The main disadvantage: by blocking the display of banners, the source itself is not always detected. Application AirPush Detector, in theory, should allow you to find this reason, but it works every once in a while.
  10. In some cases, resetting Google’s “Advertising Personalization” option helps. Read more about this in our material on.

  11. The last option remains factory reset. This can be done through the standard menu, or by entering Recovery mode, which, by the way, is a deeper and lower-level method.

Conclusion

All of the above cleaning should find and remove the processes that cause the constant appearance of advertisements. I have given general recommendations, which may differ slightly depending on the phone model and the pre-installed OS version. I did not touch upon the topic of advertising built into the firmware, since here you need to look at a specific model. But if you have such suspicions, write to the developer support explaining the problem. I also want to remind you that after removing all threats, be sure to check the lists of your subscriptions to mobile content in your operator’s personal account. If you still have questions, or have your own real method of struggle, write in the comments!

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