content/posts/block-ads-on-android-using-proxy-server.md

   1 ---
   2 title: "Block ads on Android using proxy server"
   3 date: 2017-09-15T17:40:09+05:30
   4 lastmod: 2017-09-15T17:40:09+05:30
   5 tags : [ "ad-blocking", "freedombox", "privoxy", "android" ]
   6 categories : [ "privacy" ]
   7 layout: post
   8 type:  "post"
   9 highlight: false
  10 ---
  11
  12 Ad blocking on Android is a huge mess. On the Firefox browser for mobile, we have ad-blocking add-ons but for ads in the apps, there’s nearly no good option other than to use ad-blocking proxies. Installing a proxy on the phone itself might drain battery as it has to be running continuously. This article explains how to use an ad-blocking proxy server on your LAN instead of installing one on your phone.
  13
  14 ## Using Privoxy
  15
  16 Privoxy is an ad-blocking proxy server that can filter ads from web content automatically. It’s also highly configurable.
  17
  18 If you have one Privoxy server running on your LAN, either on your home network on a device like the FreedomBox or on a desktop machine that’s up all the time, then you can use Privoxy to block ads on your Android device.
  19
  20 Set a static ip address for the server running Privoxy on your local network and set it as your proxy in your Android settings as shown in the following screenshot.
  21
  22 <img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2000/1*9l8-HyO2mWW3-IyOUpYsLg.jpeg" width=300/>
  23
  24 Here’s how you reach this screen.
  25
  26 1. In Android Settings, go to *Wi-Fi*.
  27
  28 1. Long press on the Wi-Fi that you’re connected to and click on *Modify network*
  29
  30 1. Click on *Advanced Options *in the pop-up that opens.
  31
  32 1. Set the Proxy hostname to the static ip address of your Privoxy server. Privoxy’s default port is 8118.
  33
  34 1. Click SAVE.
  35
  36 Now, your Android device no longer suffers from ads as long as it’s connected to this network.
  37
  38 This was really useful for my tablet at least, since it almost never leaves the house.
  39
  40 You can also use Privoxy as a [proxy server in Firefox settings](http://www.wikihow.com/Enter-Proxy-Settings-in-Firefox) to avoid sites forcing you to whitelist them in ad-blocker settings.
  41
  42 ## Ad-block proxy on the go
  43
  44 If you want an ad-blocking proxy on your phone, which doesn’t always stay on the same network, you can use the Android apps DNS66 or Blokada.