How to stop audio ads on android

Getting rid of pesky, unwanted ads was one of the main reasons I started rooting my Android phones years ago. However, today the process of blocking ads has been simplified to a great extent, allowing you to use third-party browsers, for instance, to make sure you don’t see ads during your browsing sessions.

However, this still means you will see ads on your phone when using browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. The good news is that you can block all browser tricks and even ads that come with apps with a simple feature called Private DNS.

Private DNS setting options can be found on most modern Android phones, and you can use these to block ads. Here’s how to do it.

How to block ads on your Android phone

Step 1: Find the Private DNS setting

Find the Private DNS option on your phone. This option will usually be tucked under the Network and Connectivity banner or something similar. However, if you can’t manually find it, simply go to the Settings search bar and type “private DNS” and the option should pop right up.

If you still cannot find the Private DNS option on your phone, your device doesn’t support the feature and this trick will not work for you. Private DNS is usually configurable on Android 9.0 Pie and higher.

Step 2: Select ‘Private DNS provider hostname’

The Private DNS feature, when tapped on, will show you three options – Off, Auto, and Private DNS provider hostname. Choose the last one and you should see a column to enter your own DNS hostname provider.

Step 3: Type ‘dns.adguard.com’ (without the quotes)

In the column, simply type in ‘dns.adguard.com’ without the quotes and hit save. That’s it. Your phone will now use AdGuard’s DNS server and block out and ads from reaching your device.

You should now be completely ad-free in browsers as well as some apps. You, however, may still see some blank spaces/greyed-out boxes in place of ads that have been blocked.

Disclaimer:- The trick will not block app-driven ads like Spotify ads and YouTube ads. Using the Private DNS feature may also mean you will not be able to connect to some websites like Chartbeat.

To disable the same, simply go back to the Private DNS option in Settings and choose the first option, named ‘Off’ to not use a private DNS. This should fix any connectivity issues you may have because of the feature, but you will also no longer be able to easily block ads.

There are also browser ads, website ads, pop-up ads, frequent AirPush ads and so on that could be triggered by conventional apps or unwanted software. To block ads on Android you’d have to identify what exactly causes such ads. Below, we will list a few ways to get rid of annoying ads, and highlight step-by-step instructions, including browser settings, data saver mode, installing ad blockers.

Option 1: Block ads in Chrome

If you use Chrome as a default web browser on your Android devices, it’s possible to disable ads, interstitial ads, ads with sound, pop-ups, and others in its settings. Follow the next steps:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Tap More, then Settings.
3. Go to the Site Settings.
4. Make sure that ads and pop-ups are blocked.

Option 2: Use Lite mode in Chrome 

Google Chrome browser provides Lite mode for Android phones. It is designed to decrease data use and faster webpage loading. To use it, follow the next steps:

1. Open Chrome and go to settings.
2. Scroll down, find Lite mode and switch it. 

Option 3: Website settings

If one allows website notifications, they are often displayed over the locked screen of Android devices. In fact, many sites earn money from push notifications. But there’s a way to avoid it:

1. In a browser (Chrome in our case), enter the Menu, press Settings.
2. Scroll down to Site Settings and tap on it.
3. Tap on Notifications and move the toggle to disable ads.

Option 4: Block ads on Android using ad blockers

There is a great variety of ad blockers for Android available in the Play Store, capable of blocking ads in games, apps, and even websites. They allow users to block ads without root permissions, however, it may not be 100% effective. So all you have to do is choose an ad blocker, for example, AdBlock or Free Adblocker Browser, install it, and then configure the rules if needed.

NB: Most ad blockers for Android intercept DNS traffic only, so they won’t be able to block  100% of unwanted ads.

Additionally, there are ways to manage advertisement appearance on a smartphone to make it less intrusive.

1. Minimize ads in Google account settings. As a lot of new Android devices synchronize with Chrome desktop browser and Google account, it makes sense to turn off Ads personalization first. This method will not prevent seeing all unwanted content but at least one can opt-out of personalized Google ads that track browsing activity. To do this:

• Go to Settings in Chrome desktop browser, then tap on Manage your Google Account.
• Tap Data and personalization, scroll down to Ad personalization, then choose Go to ad settings.
• Move the toggle to switch off personalized ads, then select Turn off.

2. Disable ads personalization in Android device settings. After the previous steps are taken, one can also turn off targeted ads on the phone. This will work even if the device isn’t synchronized with Google account on desktop.Though some content will still continue to appear, it won’t be bound to a search history. To disable ads directly on the device, do the following:

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