Ad blocking basically doesn't exist on mobile

Safari blocks the worst of the ads

I just picked an ad blocker at random a couple months after the facility became available with iOS 9 - I couldn't even tell you the name of the one I'm using without looking, or if there's something better about. I have no idea how it is deciding what ads to block, but I'll see pages that have panels reading "advertisement" here and there which presumably are the blocked ones, but there are also some ads left in place.

There's a great way to tell how well it actually works though: Facebook. When you follow links in the Facebook app you're using Facebook's built-in browser. It uses WebKit for rendering but doesn't invoke Safari's support for ad blocking. You see all the horrible ads in all their glory, including all the ads that pull you into a different page you can't escape (you can hit Facebook's back arrow at the top left to leave its browser, but then if you go back to the link you have lost your place) that tells you "you won" or shows a roulette wheel type thing...I don't really pay attention because I rarely see that since I got the ad blocker. It is also much slower browsing in Facebook - not sure if that's because Safari is faster, or all that crappy ads are slowing things down.

If you try to read a site using such mal-adware (is there a name for ads that steal you from the page you want?) it is impossible if it requires hitting "next" a dozen times to read the whole thing, like "listicles" will do. You'll get pulled off your page before you can get through it, and then if you go back you'll be at the start again! However, if you use the "open in Safari" option and read it there, it works perfectly. Even better than perfect for pages that support 'reader mode' so it is all in one page with ALL the ads gone. I've never once had an ad steal me to a different page there, either the ad blocker is getting them all or Safari itself has built in protection for ads trying to pull you to another page. It is night and day different.

I know some people hate Apple's control freakery, but one place they could exert some positive control (well positive for users, not for mal-adware scammers or Facebook's bank account) is to require every app using the WebKit framework to use the available adblockers like Safari does.

AdAway

I'm quite certain it does exist, and while not as advanced as full fat desktop variants, it is definitely effective.

For example:

https://f-droid.org/packages/org.adaway/

Additionally, AdNauseam (and uBlock [Origin]) plugins work just fine on Firefox for Android.

Re: Needs more work

That seems to fit rather nicely with the chap who said something like "I know I waste half of my advertising money. The problem is I don't know which half......."

Re: Finally I'm the 1%

I use Firefox and Ublock Origin as well. Works fine. Another good thing about Firefox for Android is that via "about:config" you can set minimum font sizes.

Re: Finally I'm the 1%

I'm using AdAway, blocking everything at system level - no ads in any browser OR any app. Wouldn't use a smartphone without it...

Re: Doesn't exist.. my ass..

Yup. Root -> Xposed -> AdAway -> AdBlocker Reborn.

Done.

Re: Doesn't exist.. my ass..

> The only real issue is to do it meticulously requires a device to be rooted, so novices beware and ensure you accept the risk.

Assuming stock Android or LineageOS (ex-Cyanogenmod), root is not strictly necessary if the user is capable of "freezing" so-called non-uninstallable apps and uses only ad- and tracking-free applications from F-Droid. Of course, if you are misguided enough to have a phone from a certain South Korean manufacturer, you're shafted.

Personally, I will not own any computers that I cannot gain root access to, and that includes phones. All mine are rooted, do not have a Google account (I myself don't), all the Google applications are removed, and of course I do not have any so-called "social media" accounts. Oh, and back to the point, the mobile browsers all have uBlock Origin installed: works a charm.

Re: Doesn't exist.. my ass..

Adguard for android gets around having to have root to ad-block all traffic by pushing traffic through a pretend VPN connection on the phone. Neat little trick, just can't be used at the same time as a real VPN on your phone, which is not an issue for most users.

As stupid as this sounds, I carry around two phones these days. One rooted, xposed, ad-free but also with some security software and other apps that require root. The second phone as much as I would like to root, I run banking apps, android pay and media streaming that refuse to work on rooted phone.

Running banking apps on my rooted for years before getting a new phone was safer as ads were blocked at such a low level that there was no chance of malware-laden ads infecting me with a drive by exploit. Then the banks updated their apps to not work with root...barstewards.

Re: iOS Safari

Tried out "Firefox Focus" on iOS a few days ago... but it doesn't seem to support tabs (or at least I couldn't find them) so was pretty useless.

Went to delete it then discovered that it can provide ad blocking for Safari. So enabled that, fired up Safari... and no ads on things. And that has tabs.

It's kind of weird that Firefox Focus makes Safari usable, and well, it works so no worries. :)

adguard +1

Ghostery & AdBlock browser also good ...

Re: Try pihole....

I was just going to mention that one, I use it for all the tablets at home, my phone runs cm and an adblocker, can't remember which one without checking as it's been that long since I installed it or saw an ad. I also run a firewall which lets me choose which network apps can access, very useful.

All the apps on all the devices work and you still do get some ads but they are the ones served by the app themselves so no annoying videos etc...

Re: No Root Firewall

Why don't you just use a calculator or torch that doesn't need Internet access?

Re: iOS

AdBlock Plus installed as a Safari Content Blocker seems to just work for me - no root, no hassle, no ads!

Re: iOS

There are plenty of adblockers for iOS. I just checked and I use Firefox Focus (it is a browser but also functions as an adblocker)

It looks like iOS can support more than one at once, even. I honestly haven't checked into this at all since iOS 9 added the support because what few ads do get through when I'm browsing with Safari are not problematic as far as I'm concerned. I don't need perfection, just a good browsing experience, which Firefox Focus seems to provide (and I didn't have to disable Javascript)

Network-provider ad blocking - great concept, but $$$.

I remember Three's plans being reported in various places last year (including right here) and e.g.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/three-uk-to-block-ads-across-its-mobile-network-a7049511.html

What wasn't quite so widely reported was the family connection between the adblock technology provider and Three's parent company: Li Ka-Shing is involved with both:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/02/18/mobile-giant-three-to-block-online-advertising/

I don't remember seeing any reports of the abandonment of the trial, not anywhere I visit regularly anyway. I found one just now:

http://uk.businessinsider.com/three-decides-not-to-launch-ad-blocking-for-consumers-2016-11

Oh well. Pioneering UK ISP Metronet used to have an optional network-level transparent proxy on their DSL services which offered options like content filtering by category (adverts, adult, etc) and also did data compression on the fly for graphics and other readily compressible stuff. I miss Metronet.

As mentioned elsewhere, PiHole is neat, in the right circumstances:

https://pi-hole.net/