This is why I take advantage of an ad-blocking Android app over Non-public DNS

Conserving distracting adverts from infiltrating my Android telephone has develop into a necessity reasonably than a luxurious. Blocking them not solely saves me time and sanity, but in addition prevents me from miss-clicking a doubtlessly malicious hyperlink that would immediate me to obtain a random app. That is extra of a difficulty for inexperienced smartphone customers, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a core motive I favor batting adverts away reasonably than ignoring them.

I’m not suggesting that adverts aren’t the supply of important money movement for builders and companies, however contemplating my experiences with deceitful adverts and unskippable disruptions, I’ve taken a agency stand.

For a lot of customers, the Non-public DNS characteristic paired with an adblocking DNS is greater than sufficient to maintain annoyances and safety dangers off their telephones, nevertheless it’s not for me. As an alternative, for the previous few years, I’ve relied on a third-party app to dam adverts on my Android telephone. My present alternative is Blokada.

Let’s first contact on the Non-public DNS characteristic. DNS, or the Area Identify System, is a essential service that converts internet addresses into IP addresses. It’s an important course of for loading content material from the web.

Android often makes use of a default DNS service, however with the Non-public DNS characteristic, you’ll be able to specify which service you need to use. This offers you a certain quantity of management over which domains are resolved and which aren’t. Some DNS companies particularly block adverts and different malicious content material.

Utilizing a Non-public DNS has its benefits. It’s comparatively easy to arrange, and because it’s already baked into Android, you don’t want to put in the rest to get it up and operating. Moreover, since your telephone isn’t operating every other apps within the background, it ought to theoretically cut back battery drain and enhance efficiency on slower units. As a set-it-and-forget-it answer, it’s additionally a splendid ad-blocking possibility for individuals who are much less technically inclined or those that don’t need to actively handle one other factor on their telephones.

Finally, the effectiveness of this characteristic comes all the way down to the DNS service used — and there are lots to select from. Among the many hottest choices is Adguard (hostname: dns.adguard-dns.com), however a number of others exist. This does make it difficult to select one which’s dependable and lets the content material you need via its gates.

To allow the Non-public DNS characteristic and use it to dam adverts:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Community & web > Non-public DNS > choose Non-public DNS supplier hostname.
3. Enter the DNS supplier’s hostname, for example, dns.adguard-dns.com.
4. Hit Save.

Notably, I’ve by no means had a very clean relationship with this methodology. Utilizing Adguard’s DNS, I recurrently encountered websites that don’t load, forcing me to disable then reenable the Non-public DNS characteristic. As I’ve talked about, discovering the appropriate hostname is essential, so make sure you experiment.

That is the place devoted adblocking apps have a leg up. Whereas there are various choices, together with NextDNS, Adguard, and RethinkDNS, I’ve used Blokada for a number of years throughout many units. It’s straightforward to make use of, provides a smart UI, and isn’t wantonly killed by Android within the background.

There are premium and cloud-based variations of the app, however I often simply seize the APK from GitHub — that alone doesn’t require an account or any subscription.

So, how does a third-party advert blocker differ from Non-public DNS? As an alternative of utilizing a DNS service, Blokada makes use of blocklists — textual content recordsdata of disallowed domains. The app makes use of Android’s VPN service, primarily organising an on-device VPN to route visitors via it. It then compares the incoming visitors to the addresses on the blocklist and forbids these domains from loading. Straightforward peasy!

In my expertise, it’s massively dependable. I additionally admire the quantity of management I’ve with this answer. With Blokada, I can choose precisely which blocklists I need to use and don’t have to depend on a DNS service to select these things for me.

Some blocklists concentrate on blocking cookie requests and social widgets, whereas others goal domains from particular areas. I can roll my very own choice, personalizing the extent of the ad-blocking potential on my telephone, or add any area that Blokada has detected to my private blocklist. Higher but, third-party apps like Blokada additionally enable me to bypass sure apps that won’t play good with ad-blocking measures. You don’t have this degree of management with a Non-public DNS.

Blokada isn’t fault-free, although. Some Android skins reasonably get pleasure from killing apps within the background, and these ad-blocking options are common victims. Whereas I’ve found that my Galaxy S24 FE operating Android 16 doesn’t cull Blokada within the background, I do usually should restart the app when it stops blocking adverts. This additionally hints on the bigger handbook administration this answer additionally requires. I’ve made checking Blokada a part of my common Android safety and privateness guidelines, which includes including new websites to the blocklist, bypassing new apps, and conserving sure blocklists up to date. This merely isn’t answer for novices.

In fact, Blokada does use a portion of my battery. Whereas I really feel it’s largely negligible for the profit it offers, it’s nonetheless greater than what Non-public DNS would use. Then there’s the way in which it capabilities, which is able to step on the toes of any devoted VPN service you already use. As a result of Blokada and comparable apps use the VPN characteristic on Android to funnel visitors via it, they don’t play properly with devoted VPN companies. This can be a downside in the event you’re connecting to a overseas Wi-Fi community in a espresso store, need to use your VPN, and likewise need to block adverts. On this case, you’ll have way more luck with Non-public DNS, which fortunately works alongside VPN companies.

Whereas I admire Android’s Non-public DNS characteristic, it merely pales compared to a devoted adblocking app that provides me extra management over what I need to block — typically even past adverts.

However which do you suppose is finest, and which answer do you like? Let me know within the feedback under.