yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
As long as we clarify that your woes are

not

caused by AdAwasy, I'll keep trying one more time... ;)

I looked at the URL you posted earlier again. As a long-time sysadmin, I don't feel bad at all about telling you that it's a terribly designed and extremely inefficient site, but unfortunately that's true of many similar non-technical commercial sites based on "easy" WYSIWYG tools. The only scrolling I can see is the script that go though various pictures. Without spending an eternity trying to decipher that mess, I can only surmise that the script is coming from one of:

admin.brightcove.com

cdn.yldbt.com

community.runnersworld.com

d7v0k4dt27zlp.cloudfront.net

developer.omniture.com

drupal.org

facebook.com

fonts.googleapis.com

googletagservices.com

insidetrack.runnersworld.com

instagram.com

ogp.me

pinterest.com

plus.google.com

preferences.rodale.com

purl.org

rdfs.org

rodale-runnersworld.us.janraincapture.com

rodaleinc.com

rodalestore.com

runnersworld.com

static.criteo.net

twitter.com

w1.buysub.com

xmlns.com

Yieldbot.com​

Whitelisting one of those should solve your problem. The suggestion to try another browser stems from the fact that different browsers execute scripts differently and may even call different versions.

Since this is unrelated to AdAway, you could temporarily disable AdAway while keeping the big hosts file, then manually remove/comment out the above servers one at a time, rebooting each time. Yes, it'll be a pain in the android!

FYI, if you ran WITHOUT shoes, you'd get more speed and less stress. Personally I only run when chased by a large predator and that doesn't happen very often... ;)

On a more serious note, I'm not sure we can justify monopolizing this AdAway thread much longer since this is not an AdAway issue but rather a web design/scripting concern.
[Android Apps and Games] faoozzie:
i'm using CM security, there is an adv in applock.. it won't disappears even ad away installed.. any suggestions?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
I assume you're referring to one of the several "Applock" apps available for Android. If an app displays an ad but nothing shows when you check the Adaway's DNS Request log, that means the app is displaying the ad directly without going through local DNS and therefore there's nothing AdAway or the hosts file can do about it. For additional details, search this thread where similar questions (and answers) abound! ;)
[Android Apps and Games] DeX1009:
Hi, I did a little search in the thread but I only found partial informations. Can you confirm that Adaway app can't block YouTube ads? I always see them in official Youtube app, even after a file host update (and reboot).
[Android Apps and Games] marknoll:
Never blocked them for me either. Try YouTube adaway in xposed
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
You may not have searched for the right keywords. As mentioned many times, the official YouTube app directly invokes many ads without going through DNS resolution and there's nothing AdAway or any hosts file manipulation can do about that.

As [MENTION=5861426]marknoll[/MENTION] points out, you could use the

YouTube AdAway Xposed module

, or simply access the YouTube site from either your browser or one of the several third-party apps available in the Play Store.
[Android Apps and Games] awdrifter:
Recently AdAway started to block LiveFyre comments. I have whitelisted bootstrap.livefyre.com, but it still didn't work. I have tried disabling AdAway, that worked. So if anyone have figured out what url I need to whitelist please share, thanks.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
I have no idea what "LiveFyre comments" are but LIfeFyre is a well-know "marketing" (i.e. ads) provider which is indeed blocked by many common source files. if it's something you don't want to block, the simplest approach is (as usual!) to enable AdAway's DNS Request Log, try to access those comments, and whitelist any URLs they use. Disabling AdAway has no bearing over what gets blocked, but I suspect that what you meant is that you restored the original hosts file. Because the essence of LIveFyre is specifically to serve ads, you might have a difficult time allowing only some and not all of their content, but whitelisting "*.livefyre.com" would let everything from that server through.

If you're unsure about how to create and access the DNS log, search this thread where the procedure to enable tcpdump has been described countless times... ;)
[Android Apps and Games] awdrifter:
Ok, thanks for the reply. When I say disabling AdAway, I just clicked the 'disable add blocking' button and restarted my phone. I tried allowing *.livefyre.com, however that still didn't work. I think LiveFyre may have another url that got added to the block lists. Seeing that LiveFyre is pretty popular commenting platform I was hoping someone happens to know which url needs to be whitelisted.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
That kind of "disabling" restores the default hosts file, making it impossible to know if AdAway itself has anyn bearing over your problem. Apparently some entry in the hosts file AdAway helped you create blocks your comments, whether AdAway is running/installed or not.

Unfortunately, only you can find out for sure which URLs need whitelisting on your system, especially when it comes to ad servers since those often serve from different places depending on the ISP, browser, account, location, login, etc. Simply follow the directions on how to get a DNS log and you'll get your answer. Keep in mind that such servers often redirect to and from various servers making it a bit tricky at times to track the actual address of the content you want (or don't want).
[Android Apps and Games] awdrifter:
Thanks for the reply. I will have to read up on how to do the DNS log this weekend, as I have not used that before.
[Android Apps and Games] jaibar:
It is not rocket science- you just go to the option "Log DNS requests" and press the upper button- it will change status from "not running" to "is running".

That's all. Now, if you immediately enter the log file, most likely it's going to be empty. Go browsing, use the app that was causing your problem. Once in a while check the log again- if you recognize entries that you'd like to either black or white list, you can long press each one of them and choose the action. Lots of entries may appear self explanatory for you, and you'll probably be able to guesstimate what to do about then. Others may require some trial and error.

If the log is too long with too many entries, you can clear and try again, this time check it more often and try to use only one app so you don't get things mixed.

It is easier than it sounds, really.

Stop the logging whenever you are done.
[Android Apps and Games] e29:
Works great on m preview
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
That's good to know. The basic local DNS resolution scheme hasn't changed in eons and it's nice to know that Google hasn't made any drastic modifications to that part in "M". AdAway may eventually need some minor UI tweaks but probably nothing serious.
[Android Apps and Games] nickdc986:
What about the ability to white list an app from ad blocking? Adaway is blocking so many sites I visit with browser.
[Android Apps and Games] Skripka:
Nope. Not via DNS resolution
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
AdAway doesn't know or care about "apps". It only helps redirect the URLs you specify. You can block or whitelist servers, not apps. If it currently blocks too many sites, make sure you don't load unnecessary source lists. Search this thread for help on how to determine which URLs to whitelist by using the DNS Requests Log.
[Android Apps and Games] 2WhiteWolves:
Just wanted to say, @ Mike B you are a patient man. For repeating the same info over and over again ? Thank you
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Someone has to do it! After many decades of developing and providing support on various platforms, helping becomes an addiction. Fortunately you can't hear what I mutter to myself when reading some of those ^%$#@ irritating endless redundant questions... ;)
[Android Apps and Games] greogory:
I installed AdAway on my phone, but there are still ads everywhere: TV, print magazines & newspapers, billboards, on the sides of buses and trains, product placements in movies. Even freakin' National Public Radio, for God's sake! Will these major bugs be fixed tonight?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
There are no ads on NPR/MPR, just messages from sponsors.. ;)
[Android Apps and Games] greogory:
Wow. You mentioned MPR. I am impressed! I hope you listen to The Current. One of, if not the best MPR stations of all.

:)
[Android Apps and Games] galaxy.5:
Can anybody tell me why adaway always blocked my GApps?? It really drive me nuts! Especially Google Drive and Youtube that always tell me to check my networks! But when I turned back to the default hosts it worked perfectly. I also already looked into log dns request and everything that google related I add it to the whitelist and applied it again, but it still keeps blocking my Drive and Youtube except Youtube third party apps like Tubemate. I use adaway 3.0 and on S4 Lollipop 5.0.1. Need help what should I do?? ��
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
AdAway doesn't block your "GApps", but maybe you do, albeit inadvertently. Since this is not reported by anyone else using the default source lists, it's very possible that one of your additional lists is redirecting some crucial Google URLs but without specifics we can't do much to help you. For example, which steps would we need to take to duplicate your trouble and which exact error message(s) do you see?
[Android Apps and Games] galaxy.5:
Honestly I even try to flash and wiping my data. Then I install AdAway again, and itwent well, but couple hours later the problem came back again. My GDrive and YouTube unable to open.

The GDrive error show this message "error retrieving additional items", and the YouTube error message show this "Please check your network connection". And when I try to add GDrive for my cloud backup on QuickPic app it shows "NetworkError". I think there is a problem with my wifi maybe?

Then I try to disable Ad Blocking on AdAway, GDrive and YouTube works perfectly. FYI when I used this on 4..4.2 it never have a problem like this.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
As suggested many times, one simple way to determine if AdAway is the root cause of a problem is to keep your expanded hosts file but temporarily delete or freeze AdAway. If, after a reboot, the trouble persists, it clearly shows that the culprit is not AdAway but rather something your hosts file blocks. This is a common situation when adding source lists.

However, in your case, if the problem appears suddenly without a reboot, that pretty much rules any local DNS issue. My hunch is that you have systemic connectivity issue . Before you spend too much time on this, verify that the trouble persists whether you're using your data connection (WITHOUT a proxy in the APN!) or WiFi and try several WiFi hotspots if possible.
[Android Apps and Games] Dor-b:
Hi,

I'm using Adaway 3.0 on AICP ROM for the nexus 4. For some reason adaway won't stay enabled after an update reboot.

Anyway to solve this?

Tnx
[Android Apps and Games] ChasingShadows:
I think thats normal. When you update the OS also the hosts file file be updated (in other words reverted back to the OS standard) ...
[Android Apps and Games] Dor-b:
Sorry for being unclear, i meant for reboot after updating the host files, not the OS.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Exactly what do you mean by "stay enabled"? Does your hosts file revert to defaults? Use any root-enabled browser and look at the contents or at least size of /system/hosts after a reboot. Such issues often indicate an incomplete root or some process that prevents permanent writes to the /system partition such as that &^%$# "X-ON" on HTC devices.
[Android Apps and Games] Dor-b:
I download files and apply ad blocker, then restart.

After that the app shows disabled in the main screen.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Ok, but does your hosts file revert to defaults? See my previous reply.
[Android Apps and Games] starter15:
Not working

I've been using adaway without any issues for awhile. Yesterday I noticed that it is no longer blocking ads even though phone is rooted, app functioning properly. Any ideas what could be wrong?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Since you don't provide any details, we can only make very vague guesses but if your /system/hosts file still contains all the entries you asked AdAway to put in there, something else changed, such as perhaps a new proxy in your APN or browser.
[Android Apps and Games] starter15:
Entries are in this host file. I also haven't changed any settings in browser. I also noticed that ads are getting through in Spotify, whereas before they were blocked.

You were right! There was a apn proxy. Deleted it and now working fine. Thanks.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
I make the right guess once in a while. I'm glad you solved your problem but you could simply have read the OP, especially the part that says:

;)
[Android Apps and Games] marknoll:
Why when putting the WWW in front of the url ,the page still loads? But when u input just the URL,it doesn't? Example..WWW.hitslap.com loads, but not just hitslap.com..I'm confused
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
If you are referring to a server that you are attempting to block, note that "hitslap.com" and "www.hitslap.com" are different animals that could have completely different IPs. This is not an AdAway-specific issue. The web server ("www." by convention) is the default subdomain for many but not all servers. To block both you'd need both entries in your /system/hosts (or AdAway blacklist). To whitelist servers from AdAway, you can use wildcards (e.g. "*.mydomain.com" to redirect all subdomains of "mydomain.com"), but not for blocking/redirecting/blacklisting or when directly editing the hosts file.
[Android Apps and Games] galaxy.5:
Hey I am now using other wifi outside my home and AdAway has been disabled too. The problem still persists. I never use a proxy or else. I guess there is a problemi with the device networks. The weird thing is sometimes both of that app is working perfectly.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
I'm still not sure what you mean by "disabled" and whether you are using the extended hosts file or have reverted back to the factory default, but your symptoms don't seem to have much to do with AdAway and plenty to do with your network configuration and/or Google settings, probably best discussed wherever your device and ROM are supported.
[Android Apps and Games] Houz74:
Had the same with SlimLP on the Nexus 4. Had to update twice for it to work.

Maybe wait a little bit longer before the reboot.
[Android Apps and Games] MIKEYSAKZ:
Is AdAway working on devices like the Galaxy s6?
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Of course it does, as long as you have a properly rooted ROM. Note that you could have saved yourself the trouble of posting and waiting for an answer if you had simply

SEARCHED this thread

! ;)
[Android Apps and Games] MIKEYSAKZ:
Sorry dude you're right my apologies and thank you for the info even though I didn't search and I was a little lazy
[Android Apps and Games] dimex:
Did various searches but could only find one guy asking about removing social media plugins from apps, and people trying to get EasyList hosts to work (I guess not recommended because they're geared towards desktop).

Is there a host list that blocks social media links? I want all those share with G+/Twitter/Facebook buttons gone; I don't use any of that ****.

Tried adding https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/fanboy-annoyance.txt to AdAway. It applies successfully but does nothing.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Please, please refrain from blindly adding source lists unless you're positive that most of the new entries are relevant and necessary. Those "social media plugins" (?) are generated in many different ways, not all of which rely on the internal DNS resolution over which AdAway gives you control. The only way to find out is to look at your DNS Requests Log on your device using your WiFi/data connection. Remember that neither AdAway nor your hosts file has any idea what a "social media link" is or does. The only thing the hosts file can do is redirect the server names you (or AdAway) specified.

Note that, in general, unwanted content on a browser tends to be much easier to redirect than whatever dedicated apps choose to display. I suspect that many of the (anti)social links that bother you are hard-coded in those apps but without specific examples it's anybody's guess. The best approach is often to simply avoid using the applications in question... ;)
[Android Apps and Games] dimex:
I'm asking about browser social media ads, not ads within apps.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
OK. Earlier you asked about "removing social media plugins from apps", hence the confusion! ;)

As mentioned before, you need to check your DNS Requests Log and if nothing useful appears on there, that simply means the web sites you are looking at directly serve the social media stuff without going through DNS and I'm afraid there's nothing AdAway or any hosts file can do about that.

I know that some of those ads are extremely annoying and some web sites overdo it grossly. Frankly, the best option is often to simply avoid such sites, but those are decisions that you have to make on your own, keeping in mind that the same content is often found in various other places, some of which might be in a more palatable form. I suppose you could try contacting the webasters, but it's unlikely to do much good.
[Android Apps and Games] dimex:
No, I did not say that. I said I conducted a search and only found one guy asking about social media ads within apps. I wrongfully assumed that you would infer that I'm then talking about regular social media ads within web browser.

Attached is a comparison of EasyList Antisocial hosts applied to my desktop browser and AdAway. As you can see, AdAway doesn't do anything.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
For the record, AdAway never "does anything" besides entering the redirections YOU select into your hosts file, nothing more, nothing less."

It's tough to know what you are asking and what you are comparing to what unless you tell us. Apparently you are referring to something on this XDA site but I'm not sure exactly what your screenshots show. I have no clue what your "desktop" is, but I just now tried to access the very same page from by phone using various browsers. They don't appear under Firefox (I use various "debloating" scripts), but under Chrome, I see those buttons, pointing to "facebook.com", "twitter.com" and "plus.google.com". Have you tried blacklisting those servers?

Once again, adding source lists only serves to slow down your system unless you're absolutely positive that most of their contents will be beneficial. Since those social sites are very popular, it's unlikely that any list would block them and it would be drastically easier to simply try a quick blacklist, keeping in mind that not all sites display similar buttons in the same manner

For the record, I believe you are referring to the DIV ID "xda_header_social" in this web page's source code, but hiding specific components it not within AdAway's power.
[Android Apps and Games] dimex:
With all due respect, I can't be any more clear than I've already been. On desktop Chrome, I added EasyList Antisocial host and took a screenshot. On AdAway, I added the same host list and took a screen shot, AND CIRCLED IN RED the exact thing that appears on Android Chrome.

It's not getting applied the same way as it is on Chrome using AdBlock, but I'm using the exact same thing.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Not as clear as you apparently think, I'm afraid! ;)

Unfortunately I have no way of guessing which hosts tools ("ad blocker"?) you are using for which browser with which settings under which OS and through which ISP on your desktop, or even how that relates to your android issue.... unless you're running android and AdAway on that desktop.

If you still suspect that AdAway is somehow misbehaving, simply uninstall it (temporarily) but keep your hosts file, then reboot, then see if your problem goes away. One of the many remaining mysteries is whether your hosts file contains all those "EasyList" entries since some devices simply don't have sufficient room for large files. I know you said that "It applies successfully" but that doesn't tell me if you mean that AdAway didn't generate any errors or if you actually checked the hosts file to verify that android itself was able to replace it and include the EasyList entries. For example, if your source list was empty or didn't contain any usable entries, AdAway would not complain but then you wouldn't see any change in your hosts file.

From a cursory glance at the "fanboy-annoyance.txt" link you posted it seems that at least portions of that list are not in an AdAway-compatible (or hosts-compatible) format. Specifically, I didn't see any of the three servers I suggested earlier. Once again making a guess, I think you might be comparing AdAway to an unrelated app/plugin/extension for your desktop browser called "Adblock Plus" which uses different input files for a different purpose even though both happen to have the ability to change the hosts file. If my hunch is correct, to properly compare, shouldn't you try Adblock Plus for Chrome on your phone/tablet.

If we could forget about "desktop" matters for a moment and stick to relevant AdAway issues, have you tried the suggested approach of checking your DNS Request Log? Have you tried blacklisting the 3 servers I mentioned?
[Android Apps and Games] dimex:
I think that's the issue. I went to EasyList forums and the syntax wont work with AdAway. If I try adding *facebook.com* to blacklist, it gives me the error "Improperly formatted hostname." If I just add "facebook.com" it works, but I reapplied AdAway, rebooted, and those buttons are still there. Browsing directly to Facebook.com still works, which I assumed should be blocked at this point after blacklisting it.

I literally don't use any social media, so all the buttons and "share using ___" images just annoy me.
[Android Apps and Games] Mike B.:
Finally we're getting somewhere! Let's forget about unrelated matters such as Adblock Plus and EasyLlist.

Wildcards (e.g. *.facebook.com) are not allowed in the hosts file and therefore are rejected when you try to do so from AdAway as well. If you blacklist "facebook.com" then reboot, all references to facebook.com should be "blocked" (redirected). If somehow that entry vanishes after another reboot or your browser doesn't redirect it, you might have a caching problem or a forgotten whitelist entry. As suggested earlier, take a look at the generated hosts file and see if your "facebook.com" entry is still there. If it is but you can still access facebook.com, then there has to be a cache or proxy (including Chrome's "data saver") in the way.

Don't forget to remove any additional source list you may have attempted to load while trying to solve your problem. More input files is almost never the solution and often causes more problems. Concentrate on what ends up in your hosts file, whether placed there by AdAway from a source list, from your personal blacklist, or from a manual edit. AdAway is merely the tool that makes editing that hosts file easier.

Finally if you're unhappy with the beautiful simplicity of AdAway, try various "ad blockers" such as AdBlock Plus, uBlock, scripts, etc. Many of us like AdAway because it does its job flawlessly while using no permanent resources, but it can't possibly clean up all the garbage that clutters the internet! Personally, when on android, I tend to visit XDA using the ad-free XDA Premium app and when needed I switch to a heavily customized Firefox with uBlock Origin and a few homemade scripts/extensions. I only see references to "social sites" when trying to debug a user problem, such as during this lengthy and painful exchange... ;)