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How to Get Rid of Ads?

You need to be rooted to have the increased functionality of apps that block ads and what not.

All these suggestions require root.

You can start with AdFree, it basically loops requests to known ad servers back to your device so the ad servers are unreachable. It is not available on the Play Store as it violates Google's terms.

AdFree Main Menu

Adfree above will not stop an app like Angry Birds from serving up ads as they phone home directly without using your device hosts file, you need to go a step further.

You can use a security suit like Avast Mobile Security with a rooted install, using the Avast firewall you can ban apps on a specific basis from using any kind of data connection.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avast.android.mobilesecurity

Ultimately you can try Permission Manager to revoke all the [ermissions from an app you dont think it should have, but be warned its a little buggy as apps are so different from each other.

Backup the app data of the app you want to change with Permission Manager first as it basically extracts the apk, rewrites the desired permissions, and then prompts you to install the modified apk.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gmail.permissionmanager&hl=en

If you do run Avast mobile security I suggest you disable Avast's PIN uninstall protection if enabled as it interferes with the modified apk install.
 
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Usually, paying for an app makes the associated ads disappear, but you might have already known that.

Sometimes a paid version is not available, and what the dev makes is ad-supported only. More so when an app or game originates from China or India. Although the one's that are doing notification/push ads and/or putting ad shortcuts on the home-screen are banned from the Play Store now. However if one is installing apps from elsewhere, that's beyond Google's control.
 
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Thank you for the replies. They all have interesting points and I can now have an idea of what to do. With your help I could learn there is also an Adblock for Android. I have been using it for years on Firefox, but I am fresh on smart phones and couldn't find it on Play store because it is too good and gives people the right to defend themselves from unwanted pub, which is a human right that Google does not recognise, and even against open source software rules.


Ultimately you can try Permission Manager to revoke all the [ermissions from an app you dont think it should have, but be warned its a little buggy as apps are so different from each other.
The page says "This application is incompatible with your device", but maybe it is wrong because the developer makes some cautions, but not a word about compatibilities.


Merged duplicate threads (which is why some posts are the same).
Thank you. I had trouble posting, couldn't find the thread I started and wrote it again. Then, I couldn't access any of them to delete one. El President helped me on that, but it took a couple of days, and that is why I am only replying and thanking now.
 
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Thank you for the replies. They all have interesting points and I can now have an idea of what to do. With your help I could learn there is also an Adblock for Android. I have been using it for years on Firefox, but I am fresh on smart phones and couldn't find it on Play store because it is too good and gives people the right to defend themselves from unwanted pub, which is a human right that Google does not recognise, and even against open source software rules.

Google removed adblock from the Play store because it interferes with the functionality of other apps and that is against the Developer Terms of Service. However, they dont prevent you from sideloading it.

There is no human right to use all software on whatever terms you think are reasonable.

I dont judge you for blocking ads, but please dont pretend that blocking is the moral high ground.

If an app is too invasive in what permissions they ask for, then leave a bad review, uninstall it, email the dev/publisher and say why.

Boycott -- this is the moral high ground. Bad devs will never learn to temper behavior unless you actually walk away (uninstall).

FWIW, none of the apps I have developed contain any tracking or advertising at all.
 
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Thank you for the replies. They all have interesting points and I can now have an idea of what to do. With your help I could learn there is also an Adblock for Android. I have been using it for years on Firefox, but I am fresh on smart phones and couldn't find it on Play store because it is too good and gives people the right to defend themselves from unwanted pub, which is a human right that Google does not recognise, and even against open source software rules.

No human rights at all here. When you use Play or any Google services, you agree to their ToS. And Google is an ad company, that's how they make their $$$. Open source software rules are irrelevant here as well, because what you're downloading from Play is often very proprietary. The Play store itself is proprietary and subject to ToS....and is very much all rights reserved.

Of course you're very much free to do your own ad blocking, just don't expect Google to help you.
 
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I have been using it for years on Firefox, but I am fresh on smart phones and couldn't find it on Play store because it is too good and gives people the right to defend themselves from unwanted pub, which is a human right that Google does not recognise, and even against open source software rules.

Totally agree with you there!! Instead of Adblock for your PC browser I highly recommend a custom host file instead. Blocks those ads and other things before you even open the browser. Much better than installing an add-on to the browser.

The best option IMHO is to root the phone and use a custom host file (it's the same one that I linked to above, with additional blocks for phone ads). Locate AdAway via Google search.. it's much better than AdBlock but requires root.
 
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I kinda feel bad using adblock because then im using an app without paying but if theres no payed alternative then.... :thumbup:

I don't. Use to be ads were small and easily tolerable. Now they either cover the entire screen or just enough of the screen to cover up content that you cannot see or click on.

If the app is good and the ads are not intrusive, I'll happily pay for it. If the ads are intrusive I won't pay a dime. Unfortunately ads have become more intrusive than not so I go out of my way to block every one of them. On another note, without the ads in my face angering me half to death, I can enjoy the app and make an unbiased decision on whether or not I want to continue to use it and buy it.
 
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Google removed adblock from the Play store because it interferes with the functionality of other apps and that is against the Developer Terms of Service. However, they dont prevent you from sideloading it.

There is no human right to use all software on whatever terms you think are reasonable.

I dont judge you for blocking ads, but please dont pretend that blocking is the moral high ground.

If an app is too invasive in what permissions they ask for, then leave a bad review, uninstall it, email the dev/publisher and say why.

Boycott -- this is the moral high ground. Bad devs will never learn to temper behavior unless you actually walk away (uninstall).

FWIW, none of the apps I have developed contain any tracking or advertising at all.
Being able to defend one’s private data and the right to choose what pub one wants to receive is a human right and more than one European country teach that basics to their school children , be sure. Google have been heavily fined for their violation, but as some countries do not defend their own people from this sort of corruption and violation, they just go on and get ever richer at the expense of privacy.

adblockplus.org is a public utility against this sort of abuse. If their app interferes with other ones and that is the wish of the phone or PC owner using open source software (OSS), no one has the right to forbid or otherwise manipulate that wish. No one has the right to impose rules when other worldwide recognised OSS rules already exist. ToS or no ToS. Signing a contract violating established, recognised and accepted rules is not valid. Or are we facing a commercial dictatorship?

Blocking ads is certainly not “the moral high ground”, but freedom of people is. If anyone is free to like them, why not admit the opposite too?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and other OSS defenders have very reasonable opinions on this subject.


Petrah, I couldn’t express my feeling about pub better than through your words. I have been using that hosts file from your link, but on PC. It is a very large file. There is another one even larger provide by Malwarebytes.


I am glad I could get so much useful information on this thread.
 
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Any disadvantages in using AdFree and Ad Blocker Pro at the same time?

Pep

As long as you are not running two different apps that modify your device hosts file you will be fine.

If the app needs to modify the hosts file it will require root, if the other runs as an addon for Firefox as an example then it will be harmless.

Not entirely efficient, but harmless.
 
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As long as you are not running two different apps that modify your device hosts file you will be fine.

If the app needs to modify the hosts file it will require root, if the other runs as an addon for Firefox as an example then it will be harmless.

Not entirely efficient, but harmless.

Thanks for that.

I'm on a Rooted N3. Out of AdFree and Ad Blocker Pro, which one is more efficient at blocking ads from games and apps?

Pep
 
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What Google does is very much proprietary and legal. Same with Apple and Microsoft.
You are defending those paying the heaviest fines in Europe. Will you say the fines are illegal? Are you a Google lawyer? Do you think children should not be taught how not to fall in publicity traps, but be prey instead?

Your definition for public utility is probably right on many places but the term cannot be restricted to an area. Don't you believe that when so many, many people use some service that helps them and gives them satisfaction, the provider is affording them a public utility regardless of semantics?

The core of the question is what is good for people and what is not, so that they can be happy with whatever they choose regardless of commercial interests. Commerce must serve people and not the the other way round. Or should we crash people happiness with commercial interest? Don't you think this is a human right? At least this why they have been fined.

"a commercial democracy"? Can we have that without people, or put it above? Can we have democracy with people on a secondary level?

Yes, there are people loving pub. So let them be happy and have it as much as they want, but those not wanting must have the possibility to push it as far away as they wish. At this point, who cares about commercial illicit interests against people? I rather pay for an app than have to be bothered with pub, and I am far for being a single case.
 
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