I used to use Disconnect Pro wayyyy back on my S9, so I’m obviously not up-to-date on the ad blocking scene.
What are the most effective modern options on the S22?
The easiest option by far is to go to Settings > Connections > More Connection Settings > Private DNS
Enter: dns.adguard.com
That’s it. System wide ad blocking.
Blokada by far. No root or anything like that needed. Blocks ads in apps and games and has tons of features and a solid community. It is also free - you do not need to get the paid version to get the ad-blocking features.
I’ve used this tool on all my devices for the last couple years after I gave up my rooted Note 4 and didn’t want to root newer devices. It works just as well as the old rooted hosts files did. The only app it doesn’t seem to block ads in is Chrome (no surprise because Google wants the $ but if you use any other browser it blocks ads fine + they have adblocking extensions too).
Does Disconnect Pro not work anymore?
Blokada or Adguard. I use the latter since it offers a few more features and I have a lifetime licence.
The downside is that you can’t use VPNs alongside. I only use a VPN on demand and I have adblocking DNS configured for them, so it’s not a big issue for me.
Is pushing hosts with adb command still a thing on android 12? I’d personally go for that route.
Is there a knox specific system-wide blocker that does not use VPN, besides Disconnect Pro?
I had a disconnect pro bought when I had an S7, but I am not sure if it will still work on the s22 I have ordered.
You can also get more granular control with NextDNS. They limit you to 300k blocks a month on the free tier. That should be more than enough unless you apply it to other devices and your home network though.
much appreciated, I will try this out tonight!
loving the new phone but definitely need to curb the app ads
Does it kill the battery faster?
It works, but not many people are willing to pay $25 to adblock when there’s so many free or cheaper avenues. Or you can pay and get a broader ability to adblock on more devices.
+1 for adguard, it’s been rock solid for me.
I used a VPN to pay in Turkish Lira which made it much cheaper for a lifetime license.
I got it back on my Note 8 after Samsung killed things like SABS and its still working fine on my S22 Ultra.
Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for!
I wasn’t able to connect to the internet using this and followed all steps by the book, is it just not working anymore?
Congrats! One thing too that I definitely forgot to do when setting up is to make sure after it is installed and setup that you go to VPN settings in android, click on Blokada, and turn on “Always-on VPN”. Without this setting on it will turn off Blokada after a while and ads will get through. Leave the “block connections without VPN” setting to OFF. This one breaks the internet connection and I don’t think it works unless you have the paid one.
Another thing to consider is that some apps cache ads. Typically when I get a new device I make sure to set up and have Blokada installed first before I open any new apps, that way they can never cache them in the first place. If you see ads getting through on some apps still - you may have to clear the data and cache for those apps to get them to go away. Blokada will then prevent them from ever coming back.
It had no impact on my battery life before or after I installed it on any of my devices. It shows up as only 0.04% battery usage on my phone right now after a full day, which is nothing.
It drained the heck out of my N9 battery so I switched to DNS server AdBlock. I’m am currently using NextDNS $20/yr but there are other options and some free ones like AdGuard. DNS > VPN for system wide adblock
PSA for anyone reading this:
You can get adGuard lifetime on 3 devices for $20 at stacksocial
Thanks for letting me know. Internet ads don’t annoy me too much. And for YouTube I have Vanced so I’m fine for now