yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
You might be making your life much more complicated than it needs to be. The purpose of AdAway is to make life simpler! ;)

Start with the default source files suggested by AdAway and only add to those if you're absolutely positive you need to. Why the interest in blocking facebook.com? If you want to block some ads you think are coming from Facebook, use the "Log DNS Requests" AdAway option to discover their actual location, keeping in mind that many such ads are accessed directly by numeric IP and therefore can't be controlled by AdAway or the hosts file.
[Android Apps and Games] :
I'm not trying to block Facebook ads and custom filter lists should work.

Facebook is my most disliked site, you can find more information of why you should avoid that place here: https://stallman.org/facebook.html

Are there some known issues in adding custom filter lists? I'm also a huge fan of Dan Pollock's Hosts File, who wants to visit shock sites?

Can HTC phone cause issues? I'm running a custom ROM, CM 12.1.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Odd approach. If your main goal is to avoid specific sites, you don't need AdAway, just don't go to those sites.

Back to AdAway, if changes to the hosts file don't seem to stick, make sure you don't have S-ON, the HTC "feature" that restores /system after each boot, discarding any changes you may have previously made. See your device's threads for help getting rid of that thing.
[Android Apps and Games] lexluthermiester:
Thanks for updating! 2.9.2 was crashing every now and then, which required me to disable all the receivers. This version seems to be rock solid.
[Android Apps and Games] :
I have S-ON, but I've understood that custom ROM like CM can simulate S-OFF?

Achieving S-OFF costs 25$, there's no other way than SunShine.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Do some research and you might find a way to tame that ^%$# S-ON without having to pay $25. I'm sure the people in the HTC forums here on XDA will have some ideas. Until you get proper permanent write access to /system, there's no point in trying to use AdAway or anything else that needs to write to that partition for any reason, sorry...

For the record, there's still no reason to block a web site just because you don't want to visit it, nor is it very wise to indiscriminately load large source files. For example, I personally don't use/like Facebook and my solution is to NOT go to the facebook site. That approach works wonders on any device! ;)
[Android Apps and Games] timbohobbs:
Can anyone share some blacklist hosts for tapatalk ? having a job catching them and they've only recently started showing up. Tcp dump can't seem to trace them and they're gone before I get there
[Android Apps and Games] manpildo:
This post is probably blasphemous here, but why not let some sensible ads be? They are in the end a source of income for the developers, who otherwise wouldn't find it feasible to dish out free apps.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
I don't use Tapatalk, but if those ad servers don't appear in a tcpdump log, it's probably because they are directly accessed by numeric IP and don't go through the hosts file, meaning you can't block them with AdAway or any similar tool.
[Android Apps and Games] timbohobbs:
Well, I have already paid for tapatalk, a premium version a few years back. But that was soon discontinued so yeah, I feel slightly entitled after such practice and the nonsense they pull on Android
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Contrary to popular belief, ads are mostly a source of income for the people who host and serve them, much more than for any developer. Some of us (devs or non-devs) would argue that ads that are forced on the user are more annoying than "sensible". After all, we are all able to search on our own for products or services we might want, and we don't need to be bullied into watching something we don't care about. I've met devs who try to make money by including ads, but never one who is forced to include ads for the sole purpose of being able to offer a worthwhile free app... ;)
[Android Apps and Games] manpildo:
Fair enough.

Fair enough and good points.
[Android Apps and Games] :
Contact Tapatalk support. There's a premium account for paying customers, no ads.
[Android Apps and Games] timbohobbs:
Thanks, but according to their support, because I paid £1.89 in 2011 I don't qualify [emoji34]
[Android Apps and Games] kingvortex:
That was the original Tapatalk Pro app that you purchased. They've released and abandoned another one since then (after less than a year). Only people that were tricked into purchasing the later app are eligible for a "VIP" account that disables ads.

I did get a VIP account, but I'm angry about it as well as I paid for 2 different apps to support the company and they pulled a bait and switch. I'll refrain from sharing my true thoughts on Tapatalk Inc though.

Anyway, back on topic! :D
[Android Apps and Games] anshumangoyal:
Is there any new version after April 2015. I cannot see any updates coming to this app in past 2 months now. Or the thread has moved somewhere else.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
As stated in the OP, the current version is 3.0, released on 09 April. It has no known significant issues. As you could see by reading, both this thread and AdAway are alive and well. Any particular reason why you feel there should have been some updates?
[Android Apps and Games] anshumangoyal:
No, not any specific reason. It looks like an app is dead when there are no updates. So just asked curosity sake.
[Android Apps and Games] IIIIkoolaidIIII:
Apps don't need to be constantly updated to be alive. If an app works with no issues there is no need to update. The next will likely come when 5.2/M is released to fix any issues.
[Android Apps and Games] Chopinko:
For some reason, it stopped blocking adds in my Xiaomi Mi2s with sMiui, in the past few days.

Any reasons for that?

This app is one of the most important reasons i'm using android phone... please help
[Android Apps and Games] Triston182:
Thanks for posting this. I really need a blocker for my zenfone 2.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
An app wihthout recent updates is either dead or good. AdAway happens to be good! ;)

---------- Post added at 07:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:30 AM ----------

The usual causes include a forgotten proxy in your APN or browser, a missing or corrupted hosts file, etc. If it happened suddenly, it means that something changed on your system. Check for anything that you recently updated or modified.
[Android Apps and Games] PollyValance:
I compiled and uploaded the latest MoaAB host file (have a look at "host lists", as the OP requests, let me know by pm if you want a direct link for the file.

Yours
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
I'm sure you mean well, but that hodgepodge Leviathan is probably not a wise choice for our Android devices, with or without AdAway, and is known to cause quite a few problems without bringing any clear benefits. I certainly would never recommend that monstrosity, for various reasons already addressed in this thread (size, countless irrelevant entries, etc.).

AdAway users are encouraged to simply start with the default source files (at most) and add others only if they are positive it will benefit them and only when a few simple black list additions are insufficient.
[Android Apps and Games] shamsul007:
Noticed a few ads getting through post install of the "lollipop" version of AdAway.

Mainly apps where I hadn't seen ads while running old AdAway are now showing ads. A certain video player, social media known for its hatred of large people and a few websites on chrome.

Anyone else noticed this?

Thank you.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
There's no Lollipop version so I suspect that you mean the recent 3.0 which happens to add a "Material" UI for users running Lollipop but remain appropriate for Jellybean and newer.

Merely updating your AdAway version doesn't alter the source files or black/lists that you use unless you first uninstall the old version, in which case you can simply reload the same old lists if you had previously changed the default. Check the usual suspects, such as apps directly using numeric IPs, a forgotten proxy in your APN, failure to disable Chrome's "data saver" proxy, conflict with an alleged "adblocker" (an unfortunate addition to some custom ROMs), etc. As a reminder: you must reboot after changing anything related to DNS, including proxies and AdAway lists.
[Android Apps and Games] ney2x:
Just want to report that Adaway 3.0 is breaking some websites especially sites that has so many ads, like apkmirror.com, androidpolice.com, etc.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Not quite possible. While it's unclear what you mean by "breaking some websites", AdAway doesn't have the ability to alter websites. It merely help you redirect specific URLs. The two sites you mention work and display just fine here on all my devices that have AdAway installed. If you tell us what specifically those sites do or don't do for you and why you think this has anything to do with AdAway, perhaps we can help you.
[Android Apps and Games] ney2x:
I think I found the culprit, I also have Adguard installed together with Adaway 3.0, temporarily disabling Adguard solves the problem. What I mean "breaking some websites" is the sites layout/design is messy. Anyways, thank you for your time testing the sites I mention. Me <--- user error :D
[Android Apps and Games] miten_sheth:
anyone uses this with MOAB?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
You can certainly use it or any other long list of URLs, but as mentioned several times in this thread, such a monster is hardly recommended, with or without AdAway. It is simply a huge list of countless URLs that apparently someone at some time decided contained objectionable content. Many of those are long gone, others simply point to the same host with a bunch randomly generated (and never re-used) subdomain names, others yet generate no ads whatsoever, etc. Even on powerful devices that can handle such a big hosts file, it does nothing more, at best, than much smaller, simpler, and properly maintained source files. If you still want to use it and somehow AdAway can't load it for you, that simply means that you don't have sufficient free space in your device. The solution is to NOT try to use MOAB! ;)
[Android Apps and Games] fonz93:
Hi, i didn't read previous pages, does someone have this error in the browser (stock cm12.1 browser)?

ERR_NETWORK_CHANGED

It doesn't happen often, when it does, reloading the page again works fine, this happens only if i enable adaway. There are no specific pages, it happens random, so i can't track the problem
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
This is a thread about AdAway, a tool to help control local DNS resolution through the hosts file. Whatever issue your browser has is unlikely to be caused by AdAway. It might, however, come from failing to reboot after making any changes to the hosts file (with or without AdAway). If, when you "disable" AdAway, you also revert to the original hosts file, that's not a very valid test. Temporarily uninstall AdAway while keeping the extended hosts file, reboot, then use your browser for a while and see what happens.

The error you mention has been reported quite often for a while on several platforms in conjunction with Google's Chrome browser (or Chrome-based browsers) and might be related to an improperly flushed cache. You could try a different browser, such as Firefox, but I suggest you bring up the issue wherever your ROM is supported.
[Android Apps and Games] santoshkumar009:
Support for UnRooted device?

Hi Team

may i know if developers can make this Adway work on unrooted devices too in next releases...

:o
[Android Apps and Games] fmc000:
Will never happen, adaway works writing a file under /system, therefore it needs root access (and always will).
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
The quick answer is: NOT POSSIBLE!

You should really READ a thread before posting. Root is not an AdAway requirement, it's Android that requires root for anything that modifies the /system partition, including the hosts file.
[Android Apps and Games] CrossBones3129:
I get that occasionally as well. I get it when using Baconreader's web browswr which Im sure is just my stock web browser.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Not much AdAware can do about that, I'm afraid. Typical Android generic "stock" browsers use Google's cross-platform WebKit core, as do Chrome, Apple's Safari, and other variations. While the UIs might look different, they are all subject to the same basic quirks and limitations. The error you mention seems to randomly plague those WebKit browsers on various platforms, typically in connection with unclear DNS caching scenarios. One common non-WebKit browser is Firefox (as well as other Mozilla tools), to which that error doesn't seem to apply, under any OS including Android.
[Android Apps and Games] moosefist:
By default this includes 4 hosts lists? Are all necessary? Or is there one recomended list?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
The default lists are not necessary, they are merely some reasonable examples that take care of most people's basic "ad blocking" needs. In fact, they might be too much depending on how you use your device but they make for a good starting place. Note that those lists are not AdAway-specific. They are simply lists of URLs that commonly serve annoying ads that most users prefer not to see, and they are freely available to all. Start with those defaults, and if somehow you block too few or too many sites for the way you access the net, follow the procedures described in this thread to create black and white lists.
[Android Apps and Games] DroidShift79:
could it be, that latest build isn't compatible with android 5.1 anymore.

for me, adaway always got deactivated after a reboot.
[Android Apps and Games] walpurgisnacht30:
No problem here
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Do you mean that the webserver gets deactivated or that your hosts file reverts to default? When you read this thread, you will see that some people don't seem to have any trouble at all using the current AdAway 3.0 under Lollipop 5.1 and 5.1.1, as expected. I'm afraid you don't give enough details for anyone to make much of a valid guess but I assume that you have the latest SuperSU installed, don't have a builtin conflicting "ad blocker", and that nothing overwrites your /system partition on boot (e.g. HTC's infamous X-ON). You should at the very least look in your logs for possible clues.
[Android Apps and Games] kiwigi:
I have tried relentless to get ADAWAY working and all I get is:copying of hosts file failed.

Is anyone here who could help.

CM 12.1 unofficial I9300, 31.05.15
[Android Apps and Games] kingvortex:
I believe root access has to be allowed in Developer Options on recent CM roms. If you've already done this, then ask your rom dev what might be causing problems.
[Android Apps and Games] x5c0d3:
AdAway does its job fine but when its activated Google Play and apps like Screentime Remote don't work anymore. I always have to disable AdAway before I am able to use them. I even started tcpdump to see and whitelist the needed DNS requests but it keeps telling me that the list is empty. Any way how I can solve this situation without deinstalling AdAway or always disabling and reenabling it?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Whatever "screentime Remote" is, it might be simply checking for the mere presence of an adblocker and refuse to run if one is found. If you don't see any entries in the DNS log, that means it doesn't go through the hosts file and therefore there's nothing AdAway or any DNS-based process can do. You may want to ask the app's developer or wherever it is supported for advice.

Google Play, on the other hand, works just fine in conjunction with AdAway and any reasonable source lists. Unless you've added some unnecessarily aggressive file to your sources, there should be absolutely no problem as long as you're not going through proxy or VPN or aren't using something besides a correct and unmodified Google Play app. Looking at your log may help you find clues about what is actually happening.

Since you say "anymore", this implies that it all worked for you before, suggesting that you should try to revert at least temporarily whatever change(s) you made. This would be the best way to isolate the root cause of your trouble.
[Android Apps and Games] magdelphi@gmail.com:
Very weak program, why this advertising.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Huh? Which program and which advertising???
[Android Apps and Games] kiwigi:
Thanks, done the root access. Will check with the rom dev.
[Android Apps and Games] Chopinko:
AdAway app stopped blocking adds :(

Does anybody has an idea of what happened?

Im Xiaomi Mi2s owner with an official Miui 6 (lollipop) version.

Its the third weekly release (since the 5.6.11 version) Adaway ain't blocking a thing.

The adds are soooo annoying, Adaway is such a big asset for me as an android advanced user, untill the June 11th release.

Any ideas of what has changed in Host file structure/hierarchy?

Xiaomi guys said the didn't do any changes...

Help, pleaseeee
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
AdAway doesn't block ads, it only allows you to redirect URLs through the hosts file. The hosts file format hasn't changed in years, and it a de facto standard under a variety of operating systems. If ads that were previously blocked now appear that means that either you changed your hosts file or you are not using the hosts file at all. For example, your ROM may prevent access to the hosts file (maybe because of an incomplete root?), or your browser or APN goes through a proxy that bypasses the hosts file. One quick check you should try is to look at /system/etc/hosts and at least verify that it contains the URLs you wish to block and not just only a couple of lines.
[Android Apps and Games] Chopinko:
Hey Mike,

Thanks for you quick answer.

I've checked the Hosts file. It contains a lot of urls, which i guess, should be blocked, and it says at the top that this HOSTS file was created by Adaway.

So i guess all is set right. But, still, the adds are appearing where ones they haven't appeared at the past.

Regarding the incomplete root - nothing changed with the root settings on my Official Miui 6 rom.

It has internal Permissions app, which allows me to open root to selected apps, so i've allowed Adaway and Es File Manager, and it was ok until that specific rom update.

Furthermore, i have no proxy which bypasses hosts (nothing i'm aware of, at least).

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
If the hosts file is the one that AdAway helped create, then AdAway functioned correctly on your system and it doesn't even need to be running or installed any longer for the ads to be redirected. What you describe is not an AdAway issue, but a DNS resolution issue. Regardless of how the hosts file was created. Android is supposed to look in hosts first to find addresses before going to your external DNS. Apparently that's not what it does for you right now.

The only certainty is that SOMETHING changed on your system. Check again to make sure that there is no proxy in your APN and if the problem is only with a specific browser, make sure it doesn't have a proxy of its own. Does the new ROM have any kind of "adblocker" of its own that might interfere with DNS? I know very little about MIUI in general and nothing about your recent ROM update, so I'm at a loss to give you specific advice on how to find the culprit, except for the usual suggestion to review the logs for possible clues. Let us know on here if you find more information on your new ROM or discover what causes your puzzling problem.
[Android Apps and Games] x5c0d3:
It's a parental control app. The app as such starts fine but it seems that it cannot connect to the server as long as AdAway is active. I see a popup with 400 in it. If this is the HTTP Statuscode it would be "Bad Request". As soon as I deactivate AdAway it works fine.

I am using the standard 4 source lists and no blacklist. Only whitelisting. And again it only works when I disable AdAways blocklists.

I there any way how I can debug this faulty behaviour?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
"Parental control" is usually another way to describe a "site blocker" or "DNS bypasser" and conflicts with the traditional local DNS resolution (and therefore AdAway) are not totally unexpected. If you're getting 400 errors that strongly suggests that your app is taking over local DNS or at least rewriting the requests, probably via a proxy of sorts . I have no way of knowing if whatever proxy or method is uses happens to be redirected by the standard source files, but you can easily check yourself by temporarily uninstalling AdAway then switching between the extended hosts file and the original one. If the extended file triggers the problem, you'll know it's some entry or entries in that file, unrelated to AdAway.

Exactly how do you "disable AdAway"? Do you merely disable the internal webserver? Do you revert the hosts file to original? Do you only uninstall AdAway but leave the hosts file alone? It's extremely unlikely that your app objects to AdAway itself since the only potentially active component is the optional webserver which is easy enough to turn off for checking. Perhaps the easiest way to solve your problem would be to ask whoever supports your app. Surely its developer(s) should be able to help you figure out why their app apparently misbehaves.
[Android Apps and Games] flipmode_11:
I cannot get this to do an update without wiping out all my custom entries and items I have added a # to allow the blocked rule from Adaway...

Any ideas, rather than trying to open really large files in 920 text editor and it crashing? :P

I noticed when I used more complete lists from MBAM (malwarebytes) Spybot, etc, I had numerous issues with no traffic or activity. Thi may have been due to the size of the hosts file -i.e. bigger than a predetermined limit before it spit's the dummy! I just removed the MBAM (cannot remember the name? HPVHost?) and that worked better (15mb smaller!)

No idea. May help others.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Exactly what are you updating from what? Simply updating AdAway shouldn't disturb any existing settings such as sources or black/white lists unless you first uninstall the old version then install the new one without restoring the previous data.

Android doesn't enforce any specific size limit for a hosts file, but huge files are bound to slow things down and even cause unexpected app closures, especially on devices with limited internal storage. This applies regardless of whether those monster hosts files are created with help from AdAway or in any other manner.

There is no good reason to have huge hosts files. Even the default set in AdAway is often much more than what most users need. Blacklisting a few hosts is always a much wiser approach than blindly loading more and more source files or selecting some of those "universal" monstrosities. It is pointless to try and "block" ads and sites that you'll never visit in your lifetime or even some that are not even available from your location or through your ISP/carrier. When it comes to the hosts file, the implication that bigger is better is simply a myth!
[Android Apps and Games] bray424:
I had a quick suggestion / request regarding the many requests for an unrooted version: what about an option that would create a flashable zip with the modified hosts file, while also creating a zip with a restorable backup of the original hosts. I've been using adaway for years on nexus devices, but I recently got a Jide Remix, and while it can be rooted, doing so breaks its auto updates which come out about twice a month. Adaway is the only thing I can't live without regarding root (from a philosophical standpoint, I'll start looking at ads when they stop counting against my very tiny data cap).