Hi.

Is there any good free ad blocker that will block ads in apps?

With some apps there are pesky ads and they even force you to watch the
ad for up to half a minute before you can proceed to use the app.

kind regards and thanks in advance for any suggestions!

sobriquet wrote on Fri, 1 Mar 2024 04:12:53 +0100 :

> Is there any good free ad blocker that will block ads in apps?

I'm glad you said "in apps" because most people seem to think ad blockers
are only for web browsers - but in-app ads should also be blocked.

> With some apps there are pesky ads and they even force you to watch the
> ad for up to half a minute before you can proceed to use the app.

The only free app functionality I ever found that didn't have a free ap
without an ad were the toon makers and the comprehensive app updaters.

Everything else I've found to be free if you know how to use app finder.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=scadica.aq

But if you're not using app finder, then you deserve to see ads! :->

> kind regards and thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Two powerful free well known system-wide ad blockers come to mind.

AdAway https://adaway.org
NetGuard https://netguard.me

Be advised that the Google Play Store version of NetGuard is emasculated by
Google as, for some odd reason, Google doesn't want you to block ads.

AdAway
https://github.com/AdAway/AdAway/releases
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.adaway/

NetGuard
https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/releases
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/eu.faircode.netguard/

It would be interesting to find out which you feel is best.
--
gpsbabel
openorienteering_mapper
oziexplorer
qgis
usgs_maps
qfield
caltopo
osm
mobac

Op 01/03/2024 om 04:59 schreef Andrew:
> sobriquet wrote on Fri, 1 Mar 2024 04:12:53 +0100 :
>
>> Is there any good free ad blocker that will block ads in apps?
>
> I'm glad you said "in apps" because most people seem to think ad blockers
> are only for web browsers - but in-app ads should also be blocked.
>
>> With some apps there are pesky ads and they even force you to watch the
>> ad for up to half a minute before you can proceed to use the app.
>
> The only free app functionality I ever found that didn't have a free ap
> without an ad were the toon makers and the comprehensive app updaters.
>
> Everything else I've found to be free if you know how to use app finder.
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=scadica.aq
>
> But if you're not using app finder, then you deserve to see ads! :->
>
>> kind regards and thanks in advance for any suggestions!
>
> Two powerful free well known system-wide ad blockers come to mind.
>
> AdAway https://adaway.org
> NetGuard https://netguard.me
>
> Be advised that the Google Play Store version of NetGuard is emasculated by
> Google as, for some odd reason, Google doesn't want you to block ads.
>
> AdAway
> https://github.com/AdAway/AdAway/releases
> https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.adaway/
>
> NetGuard
> https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/releases
> https://f-droid.org/en/packages/eu.faircode.netguard/
>
> It would be interesting to find out which you feel is best.

Thanks!
I've tried AdAway and so far it seems to work blocking the ads in Rocket
Player.

sobriquet wrote on Fri, 1 Mar 2024 05:16:06 +0100 :

> I've tried AdAway and so far it seems to work blocking the ads in Rocket
> Player.

I had to look up what "Rocket Player" is, so is this what you're using?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jrtstudio.AnotherMusicPlayer

I don't play music but as a favor to you, I ran a Skyica search for "music
player free noads 4.0 rating 10K reviews and no in-app purchases" which had
over a hundred results which, when sorted from best to worst showed these.

The top three of well over a hundred free music players without ads.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kmusic
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rhmsoft.pulsar
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maxmpz.audioplayer

What does Rocket Player do that those three no-ad music players don't do?
--
If you're running a search any other way than Skyica,
you have way too much time on your hands to waste.

Op 01/03/2024 om 05:33 schreef Andrew:
> sobriquet wrote on Fri, 1 Mar 2024 05:16:06 +0100 :
>
>> I've tried AdAway and so far it seems to work blocking the ads in Rocket
>> Player.
>
> I had to look up what "Rocket Player" is, so is this what you're using?
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jrtstudio.AnotherMusicPlayer
>
> I don't play music but as a favor to you, I ran a Skyica search for "music
> player free noads 4.0 rating 10K reviews and no in-app purchases" which had
> over a hundred results which, when sorted from best to worst showed these.
>
> The top three of well over a hundred free music players without ads.
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kmusic
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rhmsoft.pulsar
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maxmpz.audioplayer
>
> What does Rocket Player do that those three no-ad music players don't do?

The thing is that I use many music players, because I like to listen to
audiobooks while I listen to multiple kinds of music (abstract music in
the background and more conventional music in the foreground).
So I have many requirements for music players. They have to work
together (each playing its own playlist independently), I need a pre-amp
to set the volume levels independently so things sound good together.

Hence I've tried many audioplayers (like more than 20) and eventually I
found that the combination of rocket player, music player and musicolet
work together. Only rocket player had ads.. the others don't force me
to view an ad every time I use the app.
I also have another player for use at night to listen to music while
sleeping (Muzio player) and I like to have a separate player for that
because I like to keep the volume at a very low level just above ambient
noise (avoiding the hassle of setting the volume level every time).

sobriquet wrote on Fri, 1 Mar 2024 06:02:25 +0100 :

> the combination of rocket player, music player and musicolet
> work together.

Fair enough. I don't use any Android music players so I wouldn't know more.

As for ad blocking, it seems AdAway hasn't been updated in a while but most
people I've seen talking about that say it doesn't matter much because all
it does is block ads by domain so you probably keep your domains updated.

https://xdaforums.com/t/app-root-nonroot-official-adaway-v6-1-1.2190753/

sobriquet wrote:

>Is there any good free ad blocker that will block ads in apps?

Sure, at home I use AdGuard home on a Raspberry Pi, which serves as ad
blocking DNS, which is highly configurable. For my mobile devices I use
dns.adguard.com as DNS, not configurable, but also blocks all ads in
apps as well as on websites.

-jw-

--

And now for something completely different...

"sobriquet" <dohduhdah@yahoo.com> wrote

| Is there any good free ad blocker that will block ads in apps?
| | With some apps there are pesky ads and they even force you to watch the
| ad for up to half a minute before you can proceed to use the app.

NetGuard seems to be highly regarded. I installed it recently
on my TracFone. I don't really use apps and don't use the
phone much, so I can't really say much about it. But the idea
is something I want on every device. On every Windows computer
I've had I install a firewall to control what can go in or out. On
Linux there's now opensnitch. (Finally!) Netguard seems to be
the same idea.

Of course, you're trying to thwart the apps making money. The
less they can show ads, the more they're likely to sell data directly.
And if you're blocking ads then you might also be blocking functionality.
But it's worth a try for convenience, privacy and security. Wired just
put out a good article detailing just how intrusive cellphone ads are.
But it's not just ads. App developers often get paid by selling your
private information to data wholesalers.

https://www.wired.com/story/how-pentagon-learned-targeted-ads-to-find-targets-and-vladimir-putin/

On Fri, 01 Mar 2024 14:05:46 +0100, Joerg Walther wrote:

> Sure, at home I use AdGuard home on a Raspberry Pi, which serves as ad
> blocking DNS, which is highly configurable. For my mobile devices I use
> dns.adguard.com as DNS, not configurable, but also blocks all ads in
> apps as well as on websites.

I've installed Pi-Hole and PiVPN on my RPi. When I'm not at home I use
the VPN and traffic is filtered, same as home. No need to change DNS; my
router is set to use Pi-Hole as my VPN, so all devices in my network
pass through it.

--
s|b

sobriquet <dohduhdah@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Is there any good free ad blocker that will block ads in apps?
>
> With some apps there are pesky ads and they even force you to watch the
> ad for up to half a minute before you can proceed to use the app.
>
> kind regards and thanks in advance for any suggestions!

In Android 9, and up, you can configure the DNS server without requiring
root privileges. That means you could specify a DNS server that
incorporates content filtering, like OpenDNS or Adguard. No need to
install software.

However, just because you blocked the source of an ad does not mean the
app adapts to the absence of the ad in itself. If banners or screen
space is used to present the ad, you'll get blank space in the app
allocated to where the ad would've appeared. Depends on how the app
presents the ad it expects to retrieve. That assumes the ad content is
not bundled with the app. You cannot block ads that are within the app.
If, say, you get a free app that has a payware version, the freeware
version can still shove ads at you to buy/upgrade to the payware
version.

VanguardLH wrote:

>However, just because you blocked the source of an ad does not mean the
>app adapts to the absence of the ad in itself.

I have got quite a number of apps with ads which are quite well behaved
when it comes to using an adblock DNS, so chances are that the ads are
just filtered out.

-jw-

--

And now for something completely different...

Andrew <andrew@spam.net> wrote:

>The only free app functionality I ever found that didn't have a free ap
>without an ad were the toon makers and the comprehensive app updaters.

I can add one to that: FBReader (Favorite Book Reader). It reads
*.pub, *.pub3 and other ebook formats. I should make clear that the
*free* version does this *without* ads or in-app purchases. You can
use the free version for as long as you like, and it will probably do
everything you need. If you care to spend $5, the paid version will
also read PDFs (but you may have something that handles them better)
and adds a few other functions. I download stuff from Gutenberg.com in
pub3 format, and this app is excellent!

--
Tim Slattery
timslattery <at> utexas <dot> edu

Joerg Walther <joerg.walther@magenta.de> wrote:

> VanguardLH wrote:
>
>>However, just because you blocked the source of an ad does not mean the
>>app adapts to the absence of the ad in itself.
>
> I have got quite a number of apps with ads which are quite well behaved
> when it comes to using an adblock DNS, so chances are that the ads are
> just filtered out.

The ad sources, yes. The app's GUI layout, no. Whether there is blank
space shown in the app depends on how the app was coded to present ads.
I've blocked ad sources, but some apps end up with white space where
they expected to show the ad source.

On Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:55:44 +0100, s|b wrote:

> Pi-Hole as my VPN

Sorry, should be _DNS_.

--
s|b

On Fri, 1 Mar 2024 08:24:42 -0500, Newyana2 wrote:

> Wired just
> put out a good article detailing just how intrusive cellphone ads are.

If that irritates you, you'll get indigestion after you read this.
https://www.wired.com/story/how-pentagon-learned-targeted-ads-to-find-targets-and-vladimir-putin/

On Fri, 1 Mar 2024 11:16:27 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

>>>However, just because you blocked the source of an ad does not mean the
>>>app adapts to the absence of the ad in itself.
>>
>> I have got quite a number of apps with ads which are quite well behaved
>> when it comes to using an adblock DNS, so chances are that the ads are
>> just filtered out.
>
> The ad sources, yes. The app's GUI layout, no. Whether there is blank
> space shown in the app depends on how the app was coded to present ads.
> I've blocked ad sources, but some apps end up with white space where
> they expected to show the ad source.

And then there are apps which say they have no ads, but which have them.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quantum.updater

If you load that app, does it have ads for you that are not blocked?
The Google Play Store description says it has no ads. But it has ads.

How do they get away with ads when they say they do not have ads?

On Fri, 1 Mar 2024 09:51:08 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

> In Android 9, and up, you can configure the DNS server without requiring
> root privileges. That means you could specify a DNS server that
> incorporates content filtering, like OpenDNS or Adguard. No need to
> install software.

I installed this app which said on Google Play that it had no ads.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quantum.updater

But it has ads.

Can you show me how to block them by configuring my DNS server without
requiring root privileges? I don't know how to do that (Android 13).

> However, just because you blocked the source of an ad does not mean the
> app adapts to the absence of the ad in itself. If banners or screen
> space is used to present the ad, you'll get blank space in the app
> allocated to where the ad would've appeared. Depends on how the app
> presents the ad it expects to retrieve. That assumes the ad content is
> not bundled with the app. You cannot block ads that are within the app.
> If, say, you get a free app that has a payware version, the freeware
> version can still shove ads at you to buy/upgrade to the payware
> version.

Do you get ads with that app if you test it out?

On Fri, 1 Mar 2024 09:51:08 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

> That means you could specify a DNS server that
> incorporates content filtering, like OpenDNS or Adguard. No need to
> install software.

I get ads all the time even though long ago I had set up Android Settings
Connections | More connection settings | Private DNS = one.one.one.one

What DNS server should I set that Android setting to for ad removal?

Nick Cine <nickcine@is.invalid> wrote:

> On Fri, 1 Mar 2024 11:16:27 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:
>
>>>>However, just because you blocked the source of an ad does not mean the
>>>>app adapts to the absence of the ad in itself.
>>>
>>> I have got quite a number of apps with ads which are quite well behaved
>>> when it comes to using an adblock DNS, so chances are that the ads are
>>> just filtered out.
>>
>> The ad sources, yes. The app's GUI layout, no. Whether there is blank
>> space shown in the app depends on how the app was coded to present ads.
>> I've blocked ad sources, but some apps end up with white space where
>> they expected to show the ad source.
>
> And then there are apps which say they have no ads, but which have them.
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quantum.updater
>
> If you load that app, does it have ads for you that are not blocked?
> The Google Play Store description says it has no ads. But it has ads.
>
> How do they get away with ads when they say they do not have ads?

Even after showing the "About this app", I can't see where on that store
page where "ads" is mentioned either in no ads or has ads. There is no
claim either way. An assumption is no mention means no ads, but that's
just an assumption.

Are the ads in the app's window, when you look at its settings, or do
they appear in a separate window (worse is if they open fullscreen which
I consider malicious)?

The "Website" link points to http://skyeurop.com/ which gives "403
forbidden" when I attempt to visit there. They're hosted at CloudFlare.
Guess they didn't pay their dues, or their hosted site there is down.

I don't need to check if this app leaves white space in its window when
its ad resources are unreachable. I've had apps in the past where the
app's window had white space, like a banner at the bottom that turns
white when the app can't get its ad resource.

Nick Cine <nickcine@is.invalid> wrote:

> On Fri, 1 Mar 2024 09:51:08 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:
>
>> In Android 9, and up, you can configure the DNS server without requiring
>> root privileges. That means you could specify a DNS server that
>> incorporates content filtering, like OpenDNS or Adguard. No need to
>> install software.
>
> I installed this app which said on Google Play that it had no ads.
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quantum.updater
>
> But it has ads.
>
> Can you show me how to block them by configuring my DNS server without
> requiring root privileges? I don't know how to do that (Android 13).
>
>> However, just because you blocked the source of an ad does not mean the
>> app adapts to the absence of the ad in itself. If banners or screen
>> space is used to present the ad, you'll get blank space in the app
>> allocated to where the ad would've appeared. Depends on how the app
>> presents the ad it expects to retrieve. That assumes the ad content is
>> not bundled with the app. You cannot block ads that are within the app.
>> If, say, you get a free app that has a payware version, the freeware
>> version can still shove ads at you to buy/upgrade to the payware
>> version.
>
> Do you get ads with that app if you test it out?

I'm back on Android 8. My phone's maker (LG) discontinued the phone
back in 2019 (released in 2016), and in 2022 completely left the phone
market. No way for me to get a later Android version unless I root my
phone, but I'm not doing that. User configuration of the DNS server in
Android became available, as per online articles, in Android 9+.

Have you yet changed your DNS server in the OS to point to OpenDNS or
AdGuard?

https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using

Scroll down to the "Android" section. Since phone makers can customize
the Android OS, the navpath to the setting may not match what Google
uses on their Pixel phones.

There are lots of other online article on how to change the DNS settings
in Android 9, and up, like:

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-change-dns-on-android-4588645

I've used OpenDNS' DNS server on Windows where I also use their IP
updater client. You create an account at OpenDNS, and their updater
client updates your account there to record what is your current IP
address. That setup is needed if you are assigned a dynamic IP address.
In your account, you can configure what categories of content to block.

https://support.opendns.com/hc/en-us/articles/227987867-What-is-the-OpenDNS-Dynamic-IP-updater-client

They don't have an Android or iOS version of their IP updater client, so
all you can do is use the default filtering available in the public DNS
server. As I recall, that may only filter out known phishing sites. If
your devices gets a static IP address, you don't need their updater
client, and just record your static IP address in your OpenDNS account.
They need to know which IP address they associate with which OpenDNS
account to know how you configured your account for filtering. You can
use them without an account, but you just get their default anti-phish
filtering.

The AdGuard DNS server filters out spam. From their web page
(https://adguard-dns.io/en/welcome.html), they say they filter out
"advertising, tracking, malicious, or phishing websites". So, AdGuard
is probably a better choice for you on a mobile platform.

https://www.networkworld.com/article/934944/6-dns-services-protect-against-malware-and-other-unwanted-content-2.html

Notice they say AdGuard DNS has a max of 300K monthly queries. Sounds
like a huge quota except remember that every web page has resources that
are referenced by domains, not IP numbers, so a single web page could
make hundreds if not thousands of DNS requests. AdGuard provides 3
different sets (primary and secondary) of DNS server addresses depending
on what, if any, content you want to filter.

On my Windows desktop, I use, in order, the following DNS servers:
Cloudflare
OpenDNS
Google
my router (which passes DNS requests to my ISP's DNS server)
I use that setup for both IPv4 and IPv6. I don't do any filtering
(other than OpenDNS' default phish filtering, but then Google's
filtering employed by almost every web browser does, too).

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-does-phishing-and-malware-protection-work

The blocklist comes from Google's Safe Browsing service. In Firefox
Desktop, you can disable Safe Browsing (about:config, set
browser.safebrowsing.malware and browser.safebrowsing.phishing to
false). Alas, for Firefox Mobile, Mozilla took away about:config, so no
way to tweak Firefox on Android like you can for Firefox on desktop.

None of that deals with ads, but with phishing and malware. In order to
eliminate using some app to block connects to ad sources, use a DNS
server that, by default, blocks ads, and more (phishing, malware). You
have Android 9. Read the online articles on how to configure using a
non-default DNS server. Alas, for me back on Android 8, the option is
not available, and I'm not rooting my phone.

Bill Powell <bill@anarchists.org> wrote:

> On Fri, 1 Mar 2024 09:51:08 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:
>
>> That means you could specify a DNS server that
>> incorporates content filtering, like OpenDNS or Adguard. No need to
>> install software.
>
> I get ads all the time even though long ago I had set up Android Settings
> Connections | More connection settings | Private DNS = one.one.one.one
>
> What DNS server should I set that Android setting to for ad removal?

You should not be specifying a domain name for the DNS server. That
would require a DNS lookup. Instead you should be using 1.1.1.1. That
is Cloudflare's DNS server -- which does no filtering. You need to
change to a DNS server that does do ad filtering, and perhaps also phish
and malware site filtering.

Try using AdGuard's DNS server. They are often recommended for ad
filtering via DNS.

https://adguard-dns.io/en/public-dns.html

If you don't want to use their app to change the DNS settings (and to
link your phone's current IP address with an account, because you don't
want to establish an account there), use method 2. I suspect if you get
an AdGuard account, and use their app (which is likely an IP updater
client to update your AdGuard account with whatever is your current IP
address) that you can configure which categories of sites to block
(return a failed DNS lookup).

On Fri, 1 Mar 2024 15:50:08 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

> Have you yet changed your DNS server in the OS to point to OpenDNS or
> AdGuard?
> https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using
> Scroll down to the "Android" section. Since phone makers can customize
> the Android OS, the navpath to the setting may not match what Google
> uses on their Pixel phones.

Your link is a Google link so it tells you to use "dns.google" but
what I want to use is the "OpenDNS" or "AdGuard" domain name instead.

You'd think it uses an IP address - but the instructions use a domain.

The article is old so it says to go here which works for Android 9.
Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced > Private DNS.
Select Private DNS provider hostname.
Enter dns.google as the hostname of the DNS provider.
Click Save.

But for me on Android 13, the interface is here.
Android13 Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Private DNS >
dns.google

Which errors out as "Couldn't connect" anyway.

In debugging, you'd think you'd use an IP address - but the instructions
say to use a domain. So that's the first thing that needs to be ironed out.

> There are lots of other online article on how to change the DNS settings
> in Android 9, and up, like:
> https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-change-dns-on-android-4588645

Changing the private dns setting isn't the problem.
It's what domain to change the private dns to that's the problem.
You'd think it uses an IP address - but the instructions use a domain.
> I've used OpenDNS' DNS server on Windows where I also use their IP
> updater client. You create an account at OpenDNS, and their updater
> client updates your account there to record what is your current IP
> address. That setup is needed if you are assigned a dynamic IP address.
> In your account, you can configure what categories of content to block.
> https://support.opendns.com/hc/en-us/articles/227987867-What-is-the-OpenDNS-Dynamic-IP-updater-client

Once you create an account you've completely defeated the whole purpose.

> They don't have an Android or iOS version of their IP updater client, so
> all you can do is use the default filtering available in the public DNS
> server. As I recall, that may only filter out known phishing sites. If
> your devices gets a static IP address, you don't need their updater
> client, and just record your static IP address in your OpenDNS account.
> They need to know which IP address they associate with which OpenDNS
> account to know how you configured your account for filtering. You can
> use them without an account, but you just get their default anti-phish
> filtering.
>
> The AdGuard DNS server filters out spam. From their web page
> (https://adguard-dns.io/en/welcome.html), they say they filter out
> "advertising, tracking, malicious, or phishing websites". So, AdGuard
> is probably a better choice for you on a mobile platform.
> https://www.networkworld.com/article/934944/6-dns-services-protect-against-malware-and-other-unwanted-content-2.html
>
> Notice they say AdGuard DNS has a max of 300K monthly queries. Sounds
> like a huge quota except remember that every web page has resources that
> are referenced by domains, not IP numbers, so a single web page could
> make hundreds if not thousands of DNS requests. AdGuard provides 3
> different sets (primary and secondary) of DNS server addresses depending
> on what, if any, content you want to filter.
>
> On my Windows desktop, I use, in order, the following DNS servers:
> Cloudflare
> OpenDNS
> Google
> my router (which passes DNS requests to my ISP's DNS server)
> I use that setup for both IPv4 and IPv6. I don't do any filtering
> (other than OpenDNS' default phish filtering, but then Google's
> filtering employed by almost every web browser does, too).
>
> https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-does-phishing-and-malware-protection-work
>
> The blocklist comes from Google's Safe Browsing service. In Firefox
> Desktop, you can disable Safe Browsing (about:config, set
> browser.safebrowsing.malware and browser.safebrowsing.phishing to
> false). Alas, for Firefox Mobile, Mozilla took away about:config, so no
> way to tweak Firefox on Android like you can for Firefox on desktop.
>
> None of that deals with ads, but with phishing and malware. In order to
> eliminate using some app to block connects to ad sources, use a DNS
> server that, by default, blocks ads, and more (phishing, malware). You
> have Android 9. Read the online articles on how to configure using a
> non-default DNS server. Alas, for me back on Android 8, the option is
> not available, and I'm not rooting my phone.

All I want to know is what domain to put in the private dns settings.
You'd think it uses an IP address - but the instructions use a domain.

On Fri, 1 Mar 2024 15:19:46 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

> Even after showing the "About this app", I can't see where on that store
> page where "ads" is mentioned either in no ads or has ads. There is no
> claim either way. An assumption is no mention means no ads, but that's
> just an assumption.

Apps that have ads say they have ads. Google requires it as far as I know.

> Are the ads in the app's window, when you look at its settings, or do
> they appear in a separate window (worse is if they open fullscreen which
> I consider malicious)?

Some of the ads take up the whole Android screen inside the app.
Others of the ads take up a half-inch wide bar across the app display.

> The "Website" link points to http://skyeurop.com/ which gives "403
> forbidden" when I attempt to visit there. They're hosted at CloudFlare.
> Guess they didn't pay their dues, or their hosted site there is down.
>
> I don't need to check if this app leaves white space in its window when
> its ad resources are unreachable. I've had apps in the past where the
> app's window had white space, like a banner at the bottom that turns
> white when the app can't get its ad resource.

I think the app developers lied to Google.
And Google didn't hold them to the truth.

Nick Cine <nickcine@is.invalid> wrote:

> VanguardLH wrote:
>
>> Have you yet changed your DNS server in the OS to point to OpenDNS or
>> AdGuard?
>> https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using
>> Scroll down to the "Android" section. Since phone makers can customize
>> the Android OS, the navpath to the setting may not match what Google
>> uses on their Pixel phones.
>
> Your link is a Google link so it tells you to use "dns.google" but
> what I want to use is the "OpenDNS" or "AdGuard" domain name instead.

Android
....
3. Enter dns.google as the hostname of the DNS provider.
....

Geez, you're so pendantic that you can't figure out that's the step
where you enter *whatever* DNS server you want to use? Don't play dumb.

> You'd think it uses an IP address - but the instructions use a domain.

I would enter an IP address to see if that works. A hostname would
itself require a DNS lookup.

> The article is old so it says to go here which works for Android 9.

Geez, didn't you see where I said tweaking the DNS setting became
available in Android 9, and up?

> But for me on Android 13, the interface is here. Android13 Settings >
> Connections > More connection settings > Private DNS > dns.google
>
> Which errors out as "Couldn't connect" anyway.

Google's DNS server IP address (for their primary server) is 8.8.8.8.
An nslookup on that IP address returns dns.google, but how is a hostname
going to be found until a DNS lookup returns the IP address for the
host? If you want to use Google's DNS server, see if 8.8.8.8 works.
Humans like names. Computers demand IP addresses.

>> There are lots of other online article on how to change the DNS settings
>> in Android 9, and up, like:
>> https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-change-dns-on-android-4588645
>
> Changing the private dns setting isn't the problem.
> It's what domain to change the private dns to that's the problem.
> You'd think it uses an IP address - but the instructions use a domain.

Think outside the box.

>> I've used OpenDNS' DNS server on Windows where I also use their IP
>> updater client. You create an account at OpenDNS, and their updater
>> client updates your account there to record what is your current IP
>> address. That setup is needed if you are assigned a dynamic IP address.
>> In your account, you can configure what categories of content to block.
>> https://support.opendns.com/hc/en-us/articles/227987867-What-is-the-OpenDNS-Dynamic-IP-updater-client
>
> Once you create an account you've completely defeated the whole
> purpose.

The purpose was to remove ads. The purpose is not defeated by creating
an OpenDNS account. As I said, you don't need an OpenDNS account to use
the OpenDNS DNS server, but then the only filtering you get through
their DNS server is the default of blocking phishing sites.

> All I want to know is what domain to put in the private dns settings.
> You'd think it uses an IP address - but the instructions use a domain.

If Google Maps tells you to turn right, but there is no road off to the
side there, do you still turn right?

On Fri, 1 Mar 2024 19:18:51 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

> 3. Enter dns.google as the hostname of the DNS provider.
> ... you can't figure out that's the step
> where you enter *whatever* DNS server you want to use?

Well, "dns.google" doesn't work - but it *definitely* wants a hostname.
But even so, that's just the name for 8.8.8.8 which isn't an ad blocker.

ping dns.google

Pinging dns.google [8.8.8.8] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=115
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=26ms TTL=115
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=22ms TTL=115
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=71ms TTL=115

Android13: Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Private DNS
Private DNS Provider Hostname = Enter hostname of DNS provider

Notice that it specifically asks for a hostname & not an IP address.

Looking here https://adguard-dns.io/en/public-dns.html for a hostname,
I see it's providing IP addresses, not hostnames, for the ad blocking.
94.140.14.14 & 94.140.15.15

You'd think it would take an IP address, even though it's not a hostname.
But the Android 13 "Save" button is grayed out unless you use alphabetics.

The only thing you can put there is a domain name.
All that's needed is a domain name for an ad-blocking DNS host.