Although advertising helps finance the free content we all enjoy, it is unnecessarily intrusive at times and can ruin your online experience. Few things are more frustrating than just clicking on a pop-up ad when scrolling through a post.
Both regular ads and pop-up ads are not only disruptive to a mobile user; they can also seriously affect your phone bill if you have a limited data plan.
Popup ads on your desktop are annoying enough, but they are much worse on a device with a small screen size. If you’re sick of popups that ruin your experience with your phone, we’ll explain how to avoid popup advertising on your Android phone.
Chrome Pop-Up Block Option:
Since Chrome is the default Android browser, and you probably use it frequently, disabling popups first makes sense. Tweaking an easy setting will prevent popups altogether.
Open Chrome to find it, and press the Menu three-dot button. Select Options, then switch to Site Settings. You will see a list of properties in this menu that affect how websites can connect with your app.
Tap the Pop-ups and redirect the entry, and make sure the slider is set to the place off. Chrome should block popups and pages that redirect you to places you don’t want to visit.
If for some reason this doesn’t solve your problem, another step you can take is to allow the data saver mode in Chrome. Although its primary purpose is to reduce the amount of mobile data you use to access websites, turning that on removes some unnecessary elements from pages as well.
Visit Menu > Settings > Data Saver to allow this, and toggle the On switch. Of course, popups aren’t critical for viewing the content of a website. Enabling this setting can cause some websites to look weird, but you can determine if the improved experience is worth it.
Change Your DNS
You can change your device’s DNS (Domain Name Server) for connecting to the Internet, re-routing it, for example, via the Ad Guard DNS service, which has regulations in place to block ads and pop-ups.
To do this, download a DNS Changer app from Google Playstore, open it, then choose to add a “Custom DNS.” Type the following DNS addresses onto the “DNS 1” and “DNS 2” lines:
DNS 1: 176.103.130.130
DNS 2: 176.103.130.131
These are the DNS addresses for Ad Guard’s free DNS servers. Finally, just tap on the Start button, and you should connect to the server.
Clear the Cache and Cookies in Your Browser
Many of the more malicious pop-ups can actually appear on legitimate websites, taking advantage of some form of loophole to connect with that site whenever you go to that site.
It is up to the sites to patch themselves in the long run so this stops happening. Clearing up your cache will get rid of the pop-ups in the short term. In your browser, in the “History” section of its settings, you will find options to clear the cache, cookies, and site data. Just go there, and clear all references to cookies, website data, and caches.
Scan Your Android Phone for Malware
Malware is a phrase that is all-encompassing and may mean spyware, malware, and/or adware. Adware is malware that secretly serves advertisements, and pop-up advertisements are an important part of that. Hopefully, you’ve got some kind of anti-virus on your device;
if you do, make sure automatic scans are configured. In this case, you will go into the system and check it yourself manually to make sure the pop-ups you have are not adware. You don’t even need an antivirus app that is installed permanently on your device.
But if you have reached that point and are still suffering from popups, simply running a scan is worth installing one. Android Malwarebytes is a good choice; allow it a try, and run a scan to check for infection. You don’t have to pay for the premium service.
Popups from Unknown Sources
Some types of devices, such as device cleaners, sets of wallpapers, and flashlights, are often loaded with advertisements and maybe your problem. Check the latest app ratings you’re not positive about, to see if any users complained about popups.
Uninstall any troublesome apps, and see if the popups can continue. If this doesn’t solve the issue, then the next move is to test the apps that are allowed to show up over other apps. Visit Settings > Advanced Apps & notifications > Special Device Control > Show over other devices. Here you’ll see all the enabled apps that you’ve allowed to show up even though you don’t use them.
Look at the list here to see if anything is suspicious. Some apps have valid reasons for building upon others. For instance, your SMS app may have a Fast Reply box, or you can use a password manager to fill other apps. But if you see anything that shouldn’t have the permission here, tap it and set the Enable display to off for other devices.
Using 3rd Party Adblockers
Installing an AdBlock app would stop advertisements from showing, enabling us to use a smartphone without being persuaded to ‘buy this object’ or ‘visit this site.’ Providing a free Adblocking service is also a sure-fire way to persuade people to install suspicious apps, so we are listing some of the best and trusted applications.
Adblock Plus
The first app on this list of 3rd Party AdBlockers is the Adblock plus android, which cannot be found on Google Playstore anymore as it has been removed. But fortunately, you can also grab the latest AdBlock plus apk from adblockplus.org. Adblock Plus is the most trusted app available on Chrome, Firefox, and more. There is also an official Adblock Plus add-on for the Firefox browser. Open Firefox browser, Download, and Install the add-on, activate it then restart the Firefox app and enjoy ad-free browsing.
Adblocker Browser
Adblocker Browser is a good option if one doesn’t mind switching from a normal browser to something a little different graphically.
It will remove any Ad coming one’s way on the web. It also blocks pop-ups, video ads, banner ads, and can also supposedly stop any sites trying to track your activity with cookies.
Whether its shady cookies or ad set up on auto-play, Adblocker can cover most people’s needs. The app is free to download and use although there are in-app purchases that allow for a few additional features and themes.
This is by far the easiest way to stop ads when browsing on Android, as the free Opera Browser now has an integrated ad blocker in it.
However, if you are using Google Chrome or Firefox on your other devices (if that’s the case see our third tip) it may not be an optimal solution for you. You don’t have to do something special-just install Opera and use it in the same way as any other browser.
AdGuard
A browser that has a pop-up blocker sometimes won’t cut it. The famous Adguard app promises to filter out all the nastiness from the web to give you a clean experience of browsing.
Adguard may block ads coming your way through internet browsing but may also stop advertising in other applications. Apps include a firewall, security against phishing and malware, and improved web page speeds. It also provides built-in VPN options.
AdAway [ROOT REQUIRED]:
AdAway is another great alternative when something stronger than a plug-in is required. It’s also an app that’ll only function for rooted users.
This specific application is set up with host files that hit with a rapid change of direction on any advertisements coming in your way. Effectively the redirect removes pop-ups, banner advertising, and other commercials seen in games. Want to have a little more control over your content? The option Whitelist may take care of that.
It should be noted that ads allow web publishers and developers of apps to offer their content at no initial cost, and still make money. Without advertisements, we would have to pay for a lot of media that we take for granted. So while blocking offensive popups is definitely necessary, note that web and mobile apps are driven by non-intrusive adverts.
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