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Google makes efforts to prevent ad-blocking: - Google Chrome for mobile doesn't allow add-ons so you can't install ad-blockers. (You can install browser extens

Google makes efforts to prevent ad-blocking: - Google Chrome for mobile doesn't allow add-ons so you can't install ad-blockers. (You can install browser extensions with Firefox for Android.) - Google Chrome uses a dark pattern where the address bar tends to send users to the Google search results page instead of to their final destination (compare the behavior with Firefox's). That means that even if you have an ad-blocker, many users are likely to click on Google ads on the way to the destination site, even if they are blocked on the destination site. - Android doesn't provide fine-grained permissions control or root access, so users can't block ads. - Some of their content is designed to coerce users to buy restricted Android-based content-consumption devices. For example, you can't buy movies on YouTube and watch them HD in Google Chrome (at least on my computer). You have to buy another computer that doesn't have root access (an Android device) in order to consume the videos in HD. Once you're on the restricted device, it's harder to block ads. - Google introduces projects like AMP that try to convince webmasters to restrict their monetization options and make it easier to appify the WWW. AMP even serves your content from Google's servers. The more control of the content they have from server-to-eyeball, the more options they have for stopping ad-blockers (and the worse it is for open technology).

CannisterFlux 10y ago
Here's another one I spotted recently: - Android apps like YouTube and Google News use a built-in browser frame to show navigated-to web pages, rather than opening them in an external browser. The built-in frame uses Chrome tech, without add-ons. They used to allow you to open links by default in an external browser, but not any more.
- arthurfm 10y ago
  > The built-in frame uses Chrome tech, without add-ons To block ads in Chrome Custom Tabs [1][2] you can either use Chromer [3] to change the custom tab provider to Brave [4] or use the article mode in Chromer. [1] https://developer.chrome.com/multidevice/android/customtabs https://developer.chrome.com/multidevice/android/customtabs [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/5ahlfq/dev_psa_chromer_already_supports_the_newly/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/5ahlfq/dev_psa_chr... [3] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=arun.com.chromer https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=arun.com.chrom... [4] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brave.browser https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brave.brow...
  - retSava 10y ago
    Just a happy user and not affiliated, but Brave was a hallelujah-moment for me. Never got Firefox to be especially fluid, not even close to Chrome. But Brave, IIUC, takes Chromium and adds some adblocking. It's not perfect, and some ads makes its way in, but it removes quite a lot while still being very snappy. To the best of my knowledge and experience, I can really recommend it. Now I just hope that Brave doesn't turn out to be too evil :S.
- ehsankia 10y ago
  That's for faster loading, and can be disabled.
  - mintplant 10y ago
    How?
ehsankia 10y ago
> You have to buy another computer that doesn't have root access. It's called HDCP, and I believe it's a combination of your GPU, monitor and cable between it supporting it. Netflix and most other online streaming services do this too. It has nothing to do with root access.
ggoss 10y ago
Ad-Away (installable via F-Droid if you are rooted) allows you to block ads at the hosts-file level, which will work in Chrome and in other apps that display ads. Before anyone chews me out, as this effectively renders many free apps equivalent to their premium (ad-free) counterparts, I usually pay for said premium versions to compensate their developers.
- problems 10y ago
  The catch here is that it isn't as good - using uBlock in FF for Android for example will properly block all ad frames. Using adaway or a pi-hole for that matter will not - they will only cause ad loading to fail (in some cases) - which sometimes results in frames showing errors on the page instead of a clean rendering of nothing with ad divs removed. Personally I wind up using several methods - AdAway to kill most app ads, uBlock for web and Xposed to kill YouTube ads since the hosts-based methods seem to work rather poorly for them as their subdomains change all the time.
  - literallycancer 10y ago
    >Xposed to kill YouTube ads since the hosts-based methods seem to work rather poorly for them as their subdomains change all the time. That's weird, I didn't get any Youtube ads in quite a long time, and only use AdAway.
  - majewsky 10y ago
    DNS-level blocking is, IMO, only a second line of defense. Nice to have for all those devices and applications where you cannot have a proper ad/tracking/malware blocker.
  - dredmorbius 10y ago
    Belt ans suspenders. Defense in depth.
problems 10y ago
> - Android doesn't provide fine-grained permissions control or root access, so users can't block ads. One caveat here - Google devices are probably some of the most allowing of root access and full device ownership - easily unlocked bootloaders basically allow it to be a one button process. Some manufacturers make you put your device on a shitlist with them before they'll give you a key to unlock the bootloader and root it - others, like Apple, won't allow you to at all. Once you are rooted, you do have full ability to block everything and get fine-grained permission control via XPrivacy for example. Android devices are actually some of the best here mostly due to strong community support. You can't even get this control if you want it on many mobile devices these days.
- JoshMnem 10y ago
  I've never seen a way to root my phones without some risk of turning them into bricks. How would I quickly and safely get root access to a Galaxy Note III without risking the destruction of the device?
  - cyphar 10y ago
    Samsung is an example of a manufacturer that doesn't make it easy. Oppo, One Plus and Google (LG) all have very easy to unlock bootloaders that have "official" instructions from the manufacturer (and it's two commands away). Can you still brick it? Yes. Is it likely if you type the two commands as you're told to on the website? No.
    - JoshMnem 10y ago
      Thanks, I will look into one of those phones when I replace the Galaxy Note.
  - problems 10y ago
    The Note 3 is not a Google-made device, it's made by Samsung. Google's own Nexus and Pixel devices allow it in a single button press, I'm unsure of other manufacturers except OnePlus which does the same as Google. As I said in my post, some devices are a lot better than others when it comes to this. Also, bricking doesn't just happen, if you understand what you're doing you'll be fine. That "some risk" isn't random, it's in the case that you do something incredibly stupid. Get a custom recovery on there as soon as possible and you can pretty much recover anything.

CannisterFlux 10y ago

Here's another one I spotted recently: - Android apps like YouTube and Google News use a built-in browser frame to show navigated-to web pages, rather than opening them in an external browser. The built-in frame uses Chrome tech, without add-ons. They used to allow you to open links by default in an external browser, but not any more.

arthurfm 10y ago
> The built-in frame uses Chrome tech, without add-ons To block ads in Chrome Custom Tabs [1][2] you can either use Chromer [3] to change the custom tab provider to Brave [4] or use the article mode in Chromer. [1] https://developer.chrome.com/multidevice/android/customtabs https://developer.chrome.com/multidevice/android/customtabs [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/5ahlfq/dev_psa_chromer_already_supports_the_newly/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/5ahlfq/dev_psa_chr... [3] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=arun.com.chromer https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=arun.com.chrom... [4] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brave.browser https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brave.brow...
- retSava 10y ago
  Just a happy user and not affiliated, but Brave was a hallelujah-moment for me. Never got Firefox to be especially fluid, not even close to Chrome. But Brave, IIUC, takes Chromium and adds some adblocking. It's not perfect, and some ads makes its way in, but it removes quite a lot while still being very snappy. To the best of my knowledge and experience, I can really recommend it. Now I just hope that Brave doesn't turn out to be too evil :S.
ehsankia 10y ago
That's for faster loading, and can be disabled.
- mintplant 10y ago
  How?

ehsankia 10y ago

> You have to buy another computer that doesn't have root access. It's called HDCP, and I believe it's a combination of your GPU, monitor and cable between it supporting it. Netflix and most other online streaming services do this too. It has nothing to do with root access.

ggoss 10y ago

Ad-Away (installable via F-Droid if you are rooted) allows you to block ads at the hosts-file level, which will work in Chrome and in other apps that display ads. Before anyone chews me out, as this effectively renders many free apps equivalent to their premium (ad-free) counterparts, I usually pay for said premium versions to compensate their developers.

problems 10y ago
The catch here is that it isn't as good - using uBlock in FF for Android for example will properly block all ad frames. Using adaway or a pi-hole for that matter will not - they will only cause ad loading to fail (in some cases) - which sometimes results in frames showing errors on the page instead of a clean rendering of nothing with ad divs removed. Personally I wind up using several methods - AdAway to kill most app ads, uBlock for web and Xposed to kill YouTube ads since the hosts-based methods seem to work rather poorly for them as their subdomains change all the time.
- literallycancer 10y ago
  >Xposed to kill YouTube ads since the hosts-based methods seem to work rather poorly for them as their subdomains change all the time. That's weird, I didn't get any Youtube ads in quite a long time, and only use AdAway.
- majewsky 10y ago
  DNS-level blocking is, IMO, only a second line of defense. Nice to have for all those devices and applications where you cannot have a proper ad/tracking/malware blocker.
- dredmorbius 10y ago
  Belt ans suspenders. Defense in depth.

problems 10y ago

> - Android doesn't provide fine-grained permissions control or root access, so users can't block ads. One caveat here - Google devices are probably some of the most allowing of root access and full device ownership - easily unlocked bootloaders basically allow it to be a one button process. Some manufacturers make you put your device on a shitlist with them before they'll give you a key to unlock the bootloader and root it - others, like Apple, won't allow you to at all. Once you are rooted, you do have full ability to block everything and get fine-grained permission control via XPrivacy for example. Android devices are actually some of the best here mostly due to strong community support. You can't even get this control if you want it on many mobile devices these days.

JoshMnem 10y ago
I've never seen a way to root my phones without some risk of turning them into bricks. How would I quickly and safely get root access to a Galaxy Note III without risking the destruction of the device?
- cyphar 10y ago
  Samsung is an example of a manufacturer that doesn't make it easy. Oppo, One Plus and Google (LG) all have very easy to unlock bootloaders that have "official" instructions from the manufacturer (and it's two commands away). Can you still brick it? Yes. Is it likely if you type the two commands as you're told to on the website? No.
  - JoshMnem 10y ago
    Thanks, I will look into one of those phones when I replace the Galaxy Note.
- problems 10y ago
  The Note 3 is not a Google-made device, it's made by Samsung. Google's own Nexus and Pixel devices allow it in a single button press, I'm unsure of other manufacturers except OnePlus which does the same as Google. As I said in my post, some devices are a lot better than others when it comes to this. Also, bricking doesn't just happen, if you understand what you're doing you'll be fine. That "some risk" isn't random, it's in the case that you do something incredibly stupid. Get a custom recovery on there as soon as possible and you can pretty much recover anything.