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Commit | Line | Data |
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b1833cc7 JN |
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. |