yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
AdAway 3.x is compatible with all Android versions from 4.1 (JellyBean) on, including Lollipop, Marshmallow and even the upcoming "N" (New York Cheesecake?). Some of the talk you see dealing with recent Android releases has to do with the inability of some ROMs and root methods to provide proper access to the hosts file, but those are not really AdAway issues.

Recent SuperSU implementations enable tapjacking protection by default in an attempt to prevent users from inadvertently providing root access to potentially dangerous mythical evil processes that would create their own transparent overlays over a known application's screen. Let your paranoia level guide you, but in real life, you can probably safely ignore that whole scenario. You could even simply set SuperSU to grant access by default and bypass those prompts altogether but its not a politically correct approach, I guess...

Its' always nice to confirm that once again a reported AdAway "problem" was indeed unrelated to AdAway... ;)

EDIT:

I should have explained that the tapjacking protection was probably triggered by whatever screen filter, color optimizer, brightness control addon, or similar gadget that you use. Those things often sound a lot more efficient and useful than they really are. Simpler is usually better...
[Android Apps and Games] myklbear:
Thanks for explanation. Never thought for a second it was an AdAway issue, just my inexperience to find solution. LOL.

I like the reminders as it let's me learn, but the tapjack just blocked without any notice. Hope this may help others.
[Android Apps and Games] m0han:
"Let your paranoia level guide you" :laugh:. yeah, 'kiss' is better more often than not.
[Android Apps and Games] ettore88:
Many thx Mike 4 your reply.I have a Samsung S5 witch CM13 and i use last vs of SuperSU 2.71beta.If my understanding is correct...my procedure is:1) install flash zip from TWRP ...2)i install adway apk...and after from adaway APK i set "dowload files and apply ad blocking"?

*forgive me but I'm not a user expert.;)
[Android Apps and Games] passport619:
It's pissing me off that I don't know how to use this app. I installed it but don't know how to make it work.

T-M Galaxy S5
[Android Apps and Games] m0han:
see this post, this post and also [MENTION=4343728]Mike B.[/MENTION]'s response here.
[Android Apps and Games] passport619:
Thanks!?

T-M Galaxy S5
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Yes, you got it, it's that simple. While you're on the first screen, I suggest you turn on the webserver (click on that button if it's not running). No other interaction is required. Since you're using SuperSU betas in combination with not-so-stable CM13, two products that love to mess with /system access, you may on occasion have to repeat the procedure, but it won't be AdAway's fault. If you have any trouble, just search this thread and chances are your answer will be there.
[Android Apps and Games] Saiful98:
Can anyone managed to block ads in Advance Download Manager (ADM) app....?

The app works perfectly on other apps but not on ADM..,
[Android Apps and Games] WTF?:
There will always be a few apps that no ad blocker can block, because the ads are built into the app and do not rely on an adserver from the Internet, so there is no entry that AdAway or any other blocker could put into a hosts file to stop them, as the ads are already inside the app and do not even need a data or wifi connection to run..

These ads will stay in a limited or random rotation, and are only changed when you download an upgrade to the app through google play store, which again, an ad blocker has no control over.

I personally kick these type of shiit apps, that want to force ads on me, off my phone permanently, for cause!
[Android Apps and Games] Saiful98:
Thanks a lot for that helpful info....

---------- Post added at 06:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 AM ----------

Sorry for asking again.....

Why my adaway doesn't block ads from

www.googleadservices.com

It keep showing although I've blacklist it
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
AdAway doesn't block any ads anywhere and doesn't know anything about any specific apps. All it does is make is easier for you to edit your /system/etc/hosts file, using the source files you selected. The four source files suggested by default help block many but not all ads.

The free ADM application includes ads. Use the AdAway DNS Request Log tool (search this thread or the documentation for details) to see if those ads are coming from separate servers that you could blacklist, but if they are accessed directly by ADM without going through DNS, it might not be possible. Their PRO version is ad-free and it might be easier to spend $1.99 once than struggling to chase ad servers, but that's for you to decide.

---------- Post added at 05:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:53 AM ----------

I don't believe "www.googleadservices.com" (a web server) serves any ads at all. Your ads are most likely to come from "googleadservices.com", "pagead2.googleadservices.com", "partner.googleadservices.com", etc. Each one of those is a separate host and you need to blacklist the EXACT host names that provide your ads. Remember to reboot after making any changes to your hosts file.
[Android Apps and Games] Saiful98:
I have tried your method and reboot already

But still got ads from googleadservices.com

Any workaround for that.....?
[Android Apps and Games] Primokorn:
Did you disable data saver? Which VPN do you use?

EDIT: FYI [MENTION=4343728]Mike B.[/MENTION] he is using a VPN (Rocket), that can be identified at the left of the statusbar.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
As [MENTION=4958579]Primokorn[/MENTION] suggests, that screenshot looks like you might be using Chrome, and if you enabled it's "data saver" proxy, nothing you do in the hosts file would matter, as pointed out in the OP. It's unclear what specific problem you encounter, but also verify that you don't have a forgotten proxy in your APN if the ads are not blocked anywhere. Familiarizing yourself with the AdAway documentation, or at least browsing/searching this thread, may help you better understand how AdAway works.

EDIT:

Thanks for pointing out that tiny icon which I didn't recognize (or even notice - VERY old eyes here! ), but any proxy, VPN, or anything that bypasses local DNS resolution will effectively render the local hosts file useless, suggesting that AdAway would be working fine if the member actually used it! ;)
[Android Apps and Games] Saiful98:
I understand what you guys are talking about...

I turned off data saver in chrome and turn off VPN

But still getting ads from googleadservices only during Google search and not in other websites...
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Are you referring to a google.com search from a browser (probably goes through DNS) or from the Google app (probably does NOT go through DNS)? Which specific "googleadservices" host(s) are you blacklisting and what are the exact URLS of the ads you believe should have been blocked? Those "details" are extremely relevant. We can best help you if you tell us (with words, not screenshots) enough so that we can try and duplicate your situation here without having to guess.
[Android Apps and Games] stephendt0:
I can see that XDA has released their new XDA Labs app, which can be used to help developers push their apps for updates, and serves as an unofficial app store for developers. Are there any plans to add Adaway to this system? It seems quite good even though it's technically still in beta.
[Android Apps and Games] j1gga84:
Can anybody provide a list of up to date host file sources?

And what is much more important of the sources you need and these which are optional because I don't think that the more sources you insert, the better it is ;)

regards
[Android Apps and Games] shaqman89:
The defaults provided by the app is actually quite good and works for most cases.

I only use the one from hosts-file.net and pgl.yoyo.org, and it satisfies my needs.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
AdAway suggests a few basic source files that are more than sufficient for most users. You can certainly add as many source files as you wish, but in general the fewer the better. Furthermore, there is no compelling reason to always look for the most "up to date" files, as ad-serving hosts actually seldom change. Start with the suggested default source files, update them every few weeks, and see how that works for you. Keep in mind that no source file can block all ads for all locations, all ISPs, from all possible hosts, for everybody. If you bump into a specific host that you wish to block, simply blacklist it. Whatever you do, do not blindly add huge source files that serve no actual purpose and can have a negative effect on system performance. Less is more! ;)
[Android Apps and Games] Ja_som:
Is it possible to add something like "webpage.com/ads/" to blacklist?
[Android Apps and Games] ΦDroid:
No, hostnames only. After the .com/org/etc you cannot add anything
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
No, a blacklist entry, like a hosts file entry, must be a host name, such as "www.myhost.com", "ads.myhost.com", "myhost.com", etc. No wilcards not protocol ("http://"), no other qualifiers, just an

exact host name

.

Whitelist entries, on the other hand, can use wildcards.
[Android Apps and Games] Ja_som:
and [MENTION=4343728]Mike B.[/MENTION]

Thanks guys...

That's pity, many web pages, forums has ads with this path.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Let's briefly review how AdAway and DNS work.

DNS is used when a URL is invoked by name (e.g. "http://google./com/about/"). To reach that destination, your browser needs to find the address (IP) of the Google server. To do that it looks in the hosts file, and if nothing is found there, it goes to your external DNS server (provided by your ISP or a server you select). The address for Google's main server entry point is "216.58.194.46". Once your browser knows that, it can point to "216.58.194.46:80/about" (the ":80" part is because it wants to talk to the Google web server, using the default port of 80). Obviously, it's easier for us humans to deal with "google.com" than "216.58.194.46".

The hosts file is merely a bunch of lines, each containing a host name, some whitespace, and a numeric IP. In the hosts file, there might have been an entry for "google.com" in which case the browser can find the IP address quickly. If that entry points to 127.0.0.1, then the host is effectively blocked as that address simply loops back internally instead of going out to the net. A devious process could even have that entry redirect to a valid IP from another server, causing lots of confusion.

Now let's talk AdAway. Adding entries to the hosts file can be tedious and complicated. AdAway can do that for you. It grabs the source files you selected (a source file is just a list of potential hosts file entries) and combines them all into one big file. If you have a blacklist, it adds those entries to the list (that's why they have to be in proper hosts file format). Next, it sorts the file and gets rid of duplicates and misformed lines. If you have a whitelist, for each entry in that whitelist, if searches the big file and gets rid of anything that matches (using wildcards if present). Now we end up with a single file in hosts format containing all the hosts you want to block and none of the hosts you want to keep. All that's left to do is copy that file to /system/etc/hosts and AdAway is done... ;)
[Android Apps and Games] Namoi:
Your dedication Mike for explaining the same things over and over and over (one point for the movie finder ;) ) is just unbelievable (replace by any kind of superlativ you can find).

Just a big thank :D
[Android Apps and Games] mrRobinson:
I'll look at it.
[Android Apps and Games] jaibar:
Maybe "edge of tomorrow"? Or " never ending story"
[Android Apps and Games] mrRobinson:
AdAway is up in XDA Labs, both the stable and "beta". I'll keep the builds updated there as well as this thread as long as the XDA Labs app progresses. Looks pretty nice so far.
[Android Apps and Games] stephendt0:
Just updated Adaway on my Note 4 through the XDA-Labs app. Worked flawlessly. Top stuff :good:
[Android Apps and Games] blk_jack:
Really glad you've put AdAway up on Labs. Huge fan of AdAway myself!
[Android Apps and Games] TimeTurn:
Just in case no one answered this (did not read all replys):

You can't block text links to blocked sites - blocking only hides ads, that are downloaded from such servers like pictures for example. The Screenshot shows text links that are downloaded from the google search, not from googleadservices.com - so they are not blocked.

If you click that links, the site is blocked, but not the text links.

You can verify this by running the DNS log of AdAway.

Works as designed, Microsoft would say here.
[Android Apps and Games] longtalker:
Youtube ad-blocking with AdAway?

Hi everyone,

My old Samsung S3 was rooted, and after installing AdAway I never saw another ad, in any app, including Youtube. For my new S7 Edge, I'd prefer not to root it, but having tried several non-root ad-blocking solutions (ABP, Block-This, NetGuard), none worked across all apps, i.e. there were always at least a few apps that still had ads, most notably/annoyingly YouTube.

Having then decided to just root the S7 Edge and install AdAway, I have read on various forums that AdAway is in fact not able to block YT ads on recent Android versions. Might it be that on my old rooted S3, YT ads were not shown because AdAway could fool the old stock version of YT (Android 4.0.1), but it can no longer do that for Android 6.x? If I root and install AdAway on the S7 Edge, am I likely to get the same impeccable ad-blocking that I used to have on my old S3?

Thanks a lot for any help.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
I think you are comparing two distinct versions of the official YouTube app. Apparently, the old one you used was getting most of its ads via local DNS (meaning that they could be blocked in the hosts file), while the new version seems to serve ads directly (meaning nothing in the hosts file with stop it). There is an Xposed module that claims to skip at least some of the YouTube app ads but that too requires root.

If you have some way to edit /system/etc/hosts (custom recovery?), whether you're rooted or not, you can temporarily use the /system/etc/hosts from your S3 on the S7 and see which ads get blocked. You don't need AdAway for that.

Installing AdAway on

ANY

device can only edit the hosts file but has no bearing over whether any particular app or web site uses local DNS or not. In general, the official YouTube app (any version) is famous for bringing in many ads, and it's often wiser to access the YouTube site in some other manner, even if only via a web browser.

Note that some ads are directly embedded into the video and cannot be bypassed at all, regardless of how you access that video. None of that is an AdAway limitation; it simply means that not all ads go through the hosts file.
[Android Apps and Games] longtalker:
Many thanks Mike for this very clear and helpful response. While I now understand why NetGuard (and/or any of the other similar apps I've mentioned such as ABP; as well as the DNS method that I've tried - also with no success) will not block YT ads, I would expect that it *does* do so in most other apps - but that is not what I observe: most apps still have their ads.

If I understand well, rooting at this point just to be able to use AdAway would make little sense, as YT will still display ads based purely on how the app works, and AdAway will not do much above&beyond what NetGuard does, i.e. selectively block some addresses based on the hosts file.

Since viewing YT in a browser is not a very smooth experience (fulls screen transitions, captions etc), do you have any recommandations for what would be an ad-free (or ad-blockable) alternative app?

And in fact, would it not be possible for me to transfer the YT app from the S3 to the S7, as presumably the hosts-based ad-blocking I've set up will then prove effective?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Since NetGuard is a VPN (actually a VPN that emulates the simplicity of a local DNS lookup for unrooted configurations), it's difficult to compare it to AdAway which is simply an editing tool for the hosts file and uses no RAM, service, or other resources. If your "old" YouTube app works on your S7, you can certainly try it, but I have no special insight since I've never used any YouTube app and merely rely on my browser on those few occasions when I want to watch a video hosted on YouTube.com, sorry.
[Android Apps and Games] m0han:
if you have a custom recovery, why don't you first try this:

just keen to know if this works. could turn out useful for a few folks, i suppose.
[Android Apps and Games] longtalker:
I tried copying over the hosts file from S3 to S7, but it doesn't accept the overwrite, I guess because the S7 is not rooted.

I then found the YouTube.apk on the S3, renamed it someapp.apk, copied it to S7, and tried to install it; the installer sees it of course as an attempt to update the built-in YT application, and asks for confirmation of the necessary access rights of the app, but then in the next screen says "App not installed.". Even if I did manage to somehow install that old YT (4.4.11), I wonder if it's really the case that, with it, the ads would indeed stop loading. That's because, as I said, NetGuard, ABP, BLock-This and the manual DNS method did nothing to stop ads in other apps (for which presumably a tampered hosts file should have to suffice) - even though I followed closely the isntructions in each case.
[Android Apps and Games] Ja_som:
You can't write to /system without root.

Also you can't install old version over new, you need to uninstall new first.
[Android Apps and Games] longtalker:
I know :) I just tried it as it was quick and I was surprised I could even browse the /system folder

Well, the only uninstall one can perform on the built-in YT is to undo updates - which only reverts YT back to version 10, which is equally ad-promoting as v11. ANy other ideas how I can install the old YT? Also, please see my other comment about whether this would in fact achieve anything with the ad blocking, given the inability of all ad-block-apps that I've tried to actually stop any ads.
[Android Apps and Games] m0han:
just wanting to know/learn (i haven't had the need to do this myself). did you do this from recovery? after mounting /system?
[Android Apps and Games] Ja_som:
If preinstalled version is newer, then you can't uninstall it without root. Maybe you can recompile old apk, change its package name, but I'm not sure if it will work...

I read about Adguard, that is the best ad blocker without root, but I never tried it, because I use AdAway and YouTube AdAway (Xposed module).
[Android Apps and Games] longtalker:
No, I didn't install any recovery, I just browser there with Total Commander

---------- Post added at 10:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:36 AM ----------

So I take it that YouTube AdAway (Xposed module) is the only way to stop ads in YT, if one is to use a dedicated app? And in order to use this app, you need root?

Does AdAway block your ads in other apps? From what I understand it does nothing more than those others apps I mentioned that for me have not worked (ABP, Block-This, NetGuard) do i.e. block domains
[Android Apps and Games] m0han:
will adaway do it's thing even if a reboot is not performed after 'applying host sources'?

the screenshots seem to show that the hosts file has been updated. [MENTION=4343728]Mike B.[/MENTION]?
[Android Apps and Games] Ja_som:
For Xposed you don't need root, but some modules need root, I'm not sure if YT AA need it. But after you install Xposed you can't install OTA system updates.

Yes AdAway blocks ads in all my apps, afaik, I have not seen ads in apps for loooong time.
[Android Apps and Games] longtalker:
I'm only a bit worried about entering my google account password into a hacked app that claims will remove ads from YT... I'd much rather prefer getting YT 4.4.11 to work on the S7, if at all possible
[Android Apps and Games] Ja_som:
Into which app? AdAway and YT AA does not need your pass.

I'm not sure if you have much options if you don't have root.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
AdAway's "thing" is to place the desired entries in the hosts file, and that doesn't require a reboot, but most processes that read the hosts file cache its data and a reboot is the simplest way to make sure that cached data is flushed and the newly edited hosts file is used.
[Android Apps and Games] longtalker:
Well, in order to have access to your favourites, playlists, history etc, you would have to somehow tell YT AA which google account to access, wouldn't you?
[Android Apps and Games] Ja_som:
No, YT AA is only Xposed module not standalone YouTube "player", you use normal YouTube app, and YT AA blocks ads in it...
[Android Apps and Games] longtalker:
Ah I see. Does it require root?
[Android Apps and Games] Ja_som:
I'm not sure, how I wrote before. Xposed does not need root, but some modules yes, BUT you need to flash Xposed to your system, so you need custom recovery and you will NOT be able to install OTA system updates...
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
For more information on Xposed and that module, you may want to visit the

YouTube Adaway thread

. One way to explain Xposed is that it's basically a resident patcher that modifies the behavior of various apps and services through separate modules. The module in question attempts to "patch" (not replaces) the official YouTube app to bypass some of the ads it wants to display.

Note that even though the names are similar, that module is completely unrelated to the AdAway application discussed here. They do very different things in very different ways... ;)
[Android Apps and Games] longtalker:
thanks to all, will give it a try
[Android Apps and Games] Toutatis_:
I've been using YouTube AdAway Xposed module for a long time now, and I've never seen any ad in any video ever since (on the official YouTube app). It works flawlessly. :good:
[Android Apps and Games] skyhirules:
Question: Does the app auto-update when it checks for updates, or does it update just the host file? Do we have to check whether there's a new version of the app and manually update it?
[Android Apps and Games] 2WhiteWolves:
It updates the host files. Have to download app update and manually install.
[Android Apps and Games] Spannaa:
It just updates your host file based on the sources you've chosen.

You update the app manually.

[EDIT] Ninja'd by [MENTION=5621856]2WhiteWolves[/MENTION] :)
[Android Apps and Games] longtalker:
By the way, this is the type of security threat that I had in mind when I expressed concern that a module like Xposed might "expose" you to certain risks.

---------- Post added at 11:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:59 PM ----------

Do I understand it correctly that, in order to install XposedInstaller, I first have to install the TWRP recovery and flash it from there? I've never done such an operation before, but it seems like it's comparable - in terms of risk - to just going all the distance and just rooting the phone?!....

---------- Post added at 11:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:33 PM ----------

Also, when I wanted to install the XposedInstaller, I noticed this rather gloomy warning:

"Known issues: Bootloops on Samsung stock ROMs"

Since I do have the factory ROM on my phone, I guess the Youtube AdAway module (or any other Xposed module) are out for me as an option anyway.