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Content blockers on iOS work well for removing ads on Google. I'm not sure if there's an Android equivalent. The catch for iOS is that you have to use Safari,

Content blockers on iOS work well for removing ads on Google. I'm not sure if there's an Android equivalent. The catch for iOS is that you have to use Safari, unless the browser has an ad blocker built-in. It won't solve blog spam either.

OJFord 4y ago
The Android 'equivalent' is just using the uBlock Origin add-on in Firefox as usual, not some new Apple-invented category of app and hamstrung browsers that are all basically Safari.
- scarface74 4y ago
  Good luck with using that “equivalent” in an embedded web view. Besides, if I care about my privacy, why would I want to use an ad blocker that has access to my web browsing history? iOS content blockers tell Safari what to block and don’t have access to where you go.
  - deadbunny 4y ago
    Android uses the default browser for webview. If you have Firefox + uBlock Origin as your default browser you get ad blocking in your webview.
    - scarface74 4y ago
      By “embedded web view”, I don’t mean when you click on a link it switches to another app. I mean something like an RSS reader where you view a web page inside the hosted app. https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/GeckoView https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/GeckoView > Mozilla uses GeckoView to power Firefox for Android, Firefox Reality, Firefox Focus, and other Android apps. GeckoView serves a similar purpose to Android's built-in WebView, but it has its own APIs and is not a drop in replacement.
      - yissp 4y ago
        You can replace the default web view, although I believe it requires root access. I've been using https://www.bromite.org/system_web_view https://www.bromite.org/system_web_view for a while and it works pretty well.
        scarface74 4y ago
        But you can’t replace it with Firefox’s GeckoView since they don’t support the equivalent APIs according to their own documentation. So the only way you can actually use your ad blocked system wide is through a series of hacks https://github.com/bromite/bromite/blob/master/FAQ.md https://github.com/bromite/bromite/blob/master/FAQ.md That’s definitely a lot easier than just…going to the App Store. Of course when your phone is using an OS that is created by an ad tech company, they aren’t going to make it easy to block ads system wide.
        fartcannon 4y ago
        And android is actually getting worse, too, not better. And Firefox is slowly knee capping the freedom (presumably because they're all Apple users haha) Its why it's important for folks like yourself who are pro-Apple to push for Apple to open up. That way we can have the best of both worlds (if you believe the marketing, like it would appear you do). I'll use the most open device at the end of the day.
        scarface74 4y ago
        You can now run arbitrary web extensions in Safari. 1Blocker has the standard Content Blocking framework that’s been supported 7 years where it just gives Safari a list of rules and it supports embedded Safari extensions where it does have access to your browsing history. You don’t just get a pop up that allows you to enable it. You have to go into settings and get a scary warning.
  - fartcannon 4y ago
    It's open source. You can verify whether or not they're doing anything nefarious with your browsing history. You can then package it yourself and run it!
    - scarface74 4y ago
      Or, instead of digging through every line of source code and packaging it myself, I can use an operating system where the vendor designed a content blocking framework that is privacy focused by default and that works with third party apps that use web views.
      - Dylan16807 4y ago
        That's a great starting point / default but can't block complicated things as effectively and shouldn't be the only option on a platform.
        scarface74 4y ago
        Care to post some real world example websites?
        Nextgrid 4y ago
        The data processing consent popups on Google properties aren't blockable by this because they are JS-based and integrate with the rest of the page's JS code, so the only way to "defuse" them is to run active JS code provided by the blocker. The declarative framework can't do this by design.
        scarface74 4y ago
        1Blocker iOS > Block Annoyances: blocks cookie notices And if you really want to, you can run 1Blocker scripts within Safari that can do the same type of thing. You have to go into Settings and you get a huge privacy warning. And this also works with embedded web views - unlike with Android
  - OJFord 4y ago
    > Good luck with using that “equivalent” in an embedded web view. It works, so thanks. Maybe you're referring to the impossibility to access the plugin's settings from the embedded web view. But if it's a site you've visited before and configured to your preference, then it takes effect in the same way there as in full FF. > iOS content blockers tell Safari what to block and don’t have access to where you go. If I tell it 'block scripts from example.org on news.ycombinator.com' then it's a pretty good bet that I visit news.ycombinator.com. Right, I realise iOS content blockers aren't that powerful, so it's hypothetical. ;)
    - scarface74 4y ago
      So how does “it work” when Mozilla themselves says that GeckoView can’t be used as a drop in embedded WebView?
      - OJFord 4y ago
        I don't know, I'm just reporting my experience as a user. I don't develop for Android or know anything about what Mozilla says about it. Feel free to reproduce it yourself: block third party by default (for example), open some broken page, observe it as such; 'open in browser' from 3-dot menu; amend settings to allow whatever it needs; back out, observe it functional.
        scarface74 4y ago
        Open in the browser is not the same thing as an embedded web view. Take something like an RSS reader. You click on the link and it shows you the web page inside the app without taking you outside of the app.
  - Nextgrid 4y ago
    At some point, you have to trust someone. I trust uBlock Origin to not be malicious and so do plenty of people. Ideally you'd want to pin versions and always stay a few versions behind so that an overnight "rug pull" where the extension becomes compromised doesn't affect you. The problem with iOS' declarative blocking framework is that it's not powerful enough to deal with more advanced ads.
    - scarface74 4y ago
      Like what?
- aaaaaaaaaaab 4y ago
  Yeah, but it’s still Android… Yuck.
  - fartcannon 4y ago
    I actually even go further and degoogle my android phones so it's just this quiet, open source minimalist utopia. It's magnificent.
  - ThunderSizzle 4y ago
    Give me a third option. Both Android and iPhone are inferior products compared to even Windows 10 in terms of what control I have on my device
    - px43 4y ago
      What a crazy thing to say. Do the konami dance on Android to set your device to developer mode, and it literally gives you a root shell on a Linux system with a completely open source OS that you can tweak, complile, and reflash yourself. That whole process is simple enough that any given 10 year old can figure it out in a weekend and have complete control over their device if they want it, no fancy exploits or anything required. The fact that Windows 10 has zero protections WRT physical or app security is not something to be proud of.
      - easrng 4y ago
        You can't root or reflash all android phones. You can use the adb shell without root but it... isn't root.
        px43 4y ago
        You can't root or re-flash all Windows devices either. It's an open platform, so of course there are a ton of bad actors in the space who are going to add their own garbage and try to prevent people from removing it, but if you buy a phone from a reputable source, it's going to let you put it into dev mode. Obviously don't buy the malware encrusted garbage sold directly from shady telecom companies etc.
- nvrspyx 4y ago
  I didn't mean an equivalent to iOS's content blockers specifically, but an ad block solution in general. I don't use Android, so I'm not familiar with what's available.
- wruza 4y ago
  not some new Apple-invented category of app This is bad why exactly? and hamstrung browsers that are all basically Safari Content blockers work in original Safari. Which part don’t you like? Content blockers as an app, safari itself, or inability to load third party js into every page you visit? I wish PC browsers had something like that, because while I trust uBlock Origin (and others, e.g. Bitwarden), there’s always a chance someone hacks into their repo. Modular integration - separate Bitwarden and Adguard apps - is objectively better for these use cases than just pouring some javascripts into every website.
  - OJFord 4y ago
    > This is bad why exactly? I just mean that 'content blockers' are a solution to a problem of Apple's own creation - > Content blockers work in original Safari. I know, what I mean there is that all the browsers on iOS are only superficially not Safari; which is the only reason 'content blockers' work in anything 'not' Safari.
jon-wood 4y ago
You have to use Safari on iOS anyway, because the only permitted web view implementation is Safari’s. Firefox/Opera/Chrome on iOS is just Safari in a trench coat.
bigDinosaur 4y ago
You also have to use Safari on MacOS if you're interested in getting the longest battery life.
schleck8 4y ago
There is Bromite, a Chromium fork -Google +Adblock. Also you can change your DNS server permanently to an adblocking one like ControlD or NextDNS, iOS hilariously enough only allows this on a per-network basis.

OJFord 4y ago

The Android 'equivalent' is just using the uBlock Origin add-on in Firefox as usual, not some new Apple-invented category of app and hamstrung browsers that are all basically Safari.

scarface74 4y ago
Good luck with using that “equivalent” in an embedded web view. Besides, if I care about my privacy, why would I want to use an ad blocker that has access to my web browsing history? iOS content blockers tell Safari what to block and don’t have access to where you go.
- deadbunny 4y ago
  Android uses the default browser for webview. If you have Firefox + uBlock Origin as your default browser you get ad blocking in your webview.
  - scarface74 4y ago
    By “embedded web view”, I don’t mean when you click on a link it switches to another app. I mean something like an RSS reader where you view a web page inside the hosted app. https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/GeckoView https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/GeckoView > Mozilla uses GeckoView to power Firefox for Android, Firefox Reality, Firefox Focus, and other Android apps. GeckoView serves a similar purpose to Android's built-in WebView, but it has its own APIs and is not a drop in replacement.
    - yissp 4y ago
      You can replace the default web view, although I believe it requires root access. I've been using https://www.bromite.org/system_web_view https://www.bromite.org/system_web_view for a while and it works pretty well.
      - scarface74 4y ago
        But you can’t replace it with Firefox’s GeckoView since they don’t support the equivalent APIs according to their own documentation. So the only way you can actually use your ad blocked system wide is through a series of hacks https://github.com/bromite/bromite/blob/master/FAQ.md https://github.com/bromite/bromite/blob/master/FAQ.md That’s definitely a lot easier than just…going to the App Store. Of course when your phone is using an OS that is created by an ad tech company, they aren’t going to make it easy to block ads system wide.
        fartcannon 4y ago
        And android is actually getting worse, too, not better. And Firefox is slowly knee capping the freedom (presumably because they're all Apple users haha) Its why it's important for folks like yourself who are pro-Apple to push for Apple to open up. That way we can have the best of both worlds (if you believe the marketing, like it would appear you do). I'll use the most open device at the end of the day.
        scarface74 4y ago
        You can now run arbitrary web extensions in Safari. 1Blocker has the standard Content Blocking framework that’s been supported 7 years where it just gives Safari a list of rules and it supports embedded Safari extensions where it does have access to your browsing history. You don’t just get a pop up that allows you to enable it. You have to go into settings and get a scary warning.
- fartcannon 4y ago
  It's open source. You can verify whether or not they're doing anything nefarious with your browsing history. You can then package it yourself and run it!
  - scarface74 4y ago
    Or, instead of digging through every line of source code and packaging it myself, I can use an operating system where the vendor designed a content blocking framework that is privacy focused by default and that works with third party apps that use web views.
    - Dylan16807 4y ago
      That's a great starting point / default but can't block complicated things as effectively and shouldn't be the only option on a platform.
      - scarface74 4y ago
        Care to post some real world example websites?
        Nextgrid 4y ago
        The data processing consent popups on Google properties aren't blockable by this because they are JS-based and integrate with the rest of the page's JS code, so the only way to "defuse" them is to run active JS code provided by the blocker. The declarative framework can't do this by design.
        scarface74 4y ago
        1Blocker iOS > Block Annoyances: blocks cookie notices And if you really want to, you can run 1Blocker scripts within Safari that can do the same type of thing. You have to go into Settings and you get a huge privacy warning. And this also works with embedded web views - unlike with Android
- OJFord 4y ago
  > Good luck with using that “equivalent” in an embedded web view. It works, so thanks. Maybe you're referring to the impossibility to access the plugin's settings from the embedded web view. But if it's a site you've visited before and configured to your preference, then it takes effect in the same way there as in full FF. > iOS content blockers tell Safari what to block and don’t have access to where you go. If I tell it 'block scripts from example.org on news.ycombinator.com' then it's a pretty good bet that I visit news.ycombinator.com. Right, I realise iOS content blockers aren't that powerful, so it's hypothetical. ;)
  - scarface74 4y ago
    So how does “it work” when Mozilla themselves says that GeckoView can’t be used as a drop in embedded WebView?
    - OJFord 4y ago
      I don't know, I'm just reporting my experience as a user. I don't develop for Android or know anything about what Mozilla says about it. Feel free to reproduce it yourself: block third party by default (for example), open some broken page, observe it as such; 'open in browser' from 3-dot menu; amend settings to allow whatever it needs; back out, observe it functional.
      - scarface74 4y ago
        Open in the browser is not the same thing as an embedded web view. Take something like an RSS reader. You click on the link and it shows you the web page inside the app without taking you outside of the app.
- Nextgrid 4y ago
  At some point, you have to trust someone. I trust uBlock Origin to not be malicious and so do plenty of people. Ideally you'd want to pin versions and always stay a few versions behind so that an overnight "rug pull" where the extension becomes compromised doesn't affect you. The problem with iOS' declarative blocking framework is that it's not powerful enough to deal with more advanced ads.
  - scarface74 4y ago
    Like what?
aaaaaaaaaaab 4y ago
Yeah, but it’s still Android… Yuck.
- fartcannon 4y ago
  I actually even go further and degoogle my android phones so it's just this quiet, open source minimalist utopia. It's magnificent.
- ThunderSizzle 4y ago
  Give me a third option. Both Android and iPhone are inferior products compared to even Windows 10 in terms of what control I have on my device
  - px43 4y ago
    What a crazy thing to say. Do the konami dance on Android to set your device to developer mode, and it literally gives you a root shell on a Linux system with a completely open source OS that you can tweak, complile, and reflash yourself. That whole process is simple enough that any given 10 year old can figure it out in a weekend and have complete control over their device if they want it, no fancy exploits or anything required. The fact that Windows 10 has zero protections WRT physical or app security is not something to be proud of.
    - easrng 4y ago
      You can't root or reflash all android phones. You can use the adb shell without root but it... isn't root.
      - px43 4y ago
        You can't root or re-flash all Windows devices either. It's an open platform, so of course there are a ton of bad actors in the space who are going to add their own garbage and try to prevent people from removing it, but if you buy a phone from a reputable source, it's going to let you put it into dev mode. Obviously don't buy the malware encrusted garbage sold directly from shady telecom companies etc.
nvrspyx 4y ago
I didn't mean an equivalent to iOS's content blockers specifically, but an ad block solution in general. I don't use Android, so I'm not familiar with what's available.
wruza 4y ago
not some new Apple-invented category of app This is bad why exactly? and hamstrung browsers that are all basically Safari Content blockers work in original Safari. Which part don’t you like? Content blockers as an app, safari itself, or inability to load third party js into every page you visit? I wish PC browsers had something like that, because while I trust uBlock Origin (and others, e.g. Bitwarden), there’s always a chance someone hacks into their repo. Modular integration - separate Bitwarden and Adguard apps - is objectively better for these use cases than just pouring some javascripts into every website.
- OJFord 4y ago
  > This is bad why exactly? I just mean that 'content blockers' are a solution to a problem of Apple's own creation - > Content blockers work in original Safari. I know, what I mean there is that all the browsers on iOS are only superficially not Safari; which is the only reason 'content blockers' work in anything 'not' Safari.

jon-wood 4y ago

You have to use Safari on iOS anyway, because the only permitted web view implementation is Safari’s. Firefox/Opera/Chrome on iOS is just Safari in a trench coat.

bigDinosaur 4y ago

You also have to use Safari on MacOS if you're interested in getting the longest battery life.

schleck8 4y ago

There is Bromite, a Chromium fork -Google +Adblock. Also you can change your DNS server permanently to an adblocking one like ControlD or NextDNS, iOS hilariously enough only allows this on a per-network basis.