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Comment by krelian | Hacker News Reader

This should be great on mobile. On mobile there are no extensions and there are at least two news sites I frequent that abuse it by showing a full page popup before every article.

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Have you tried Firefox? Ublock works fine for Firefox on Android.

Problem isn't browser on Android. You can install another like many others already said (I use Firefox + uBlock). The problem is that apps use Webview to embed. So you're going to need to use another option to block ads on Android in general:

1) Use DNS66 as another user said. Doesn't require root. (Does make a local VPN, so removes option to use a VPN.)

2) Use Pi-Hole on a Pi at home and make a VPN to it. Bonus: you get access to your home network (if you config it as such) and are secure over open WiFi and hostile 4G. Doesn't require root.

3) You can root your phone and use /etc/hosts or IPT

4) Firefox 58 will allow you to run tabs as "apps" which are pinned in the OS. If that takes off, that's going to result in a massive dent in paid apps from Google Play as well as ad revenue from Android.

As for this action by Google, its a charming move. Remember that time when Google was just new, and was only text ads on Google search engine?

Some apps might use a WebView but any app that's using custom tabs ('Chrome tabs') can take advantage of the browser ad blocking. For Firefox all you have to do is turn it on in Firefox and make it your default browser.

You can already do 4 with sites that support being a PWAs and it's pretty good.

AFAIK most apps use WebView. I use Firefox as default browser (even disabled Chrome, not using it), and still see ads (that is w/o any of the other methods mentioned).

PWA was part of Firefox 58 AFAIK, so you either need Firefox Beta or wait till January.

That's the reason why I don't use Chrome on mobile (Android).

There are plenty of valid alternatives, Brave is one of them.

Brave is great. If you go into settings and disable javascript by default, you can easily use the Brave button to whitelist javascript on a site-by-site basis.

I cannot browse the web anymore with javascript enabled by default, it's such a terrible experience. I don't know how others can tolerate the state of things.

> On mobile there are no extensions

uBlock Origin is available on Firefox for Android, and works like a charm.

I've been using http://blokada.org/ on NON-root Android with good results for all apps, not just the browser. It is just a proxy that blocks domains in the customizable blacklists. The only downsides I've seen are 1) I have to whitelist apps the need to detect if they are on mobile or wifi otherwise they cannot tell, and 2) you cannot chain/use another proxy too.

Use a better mobile browser and/or OS, you'll never go back.

Have you tried using DNS66 as adblocker? It's implemented as local-running VPN and doesn't require root. I'm using it since a year or so and quite happy with it.

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.jak_linux.dns66/ https://github.com/julian-klode/dns66

The worst on mobile is the fake virus ads. There's a script, it's the same one they all use, which out of nowhere will change the URL to some site that spams you with messages saying "Your Android has a Virus!". Every single time it happens, I need to force close the browser. This stuff has to stop.

Adblock Plus works for Safari on iOS.

Firefox Focus is good too.

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