To block ads in every app on Android without root, use a DNS filter: before an app loads an ad, it asks for the ad server's address, and the filter doesn't give one, so the ad never loads. In PryVPN, turn on Ads in the Protection tab; trackers and malware are blocked already.
How does a DNS ad blocker work on Android?
Before an app shows an ad, it looks up the ad server's name to get its address. A DNS filter keeps lists of known ad, tracking and malware domains and answers that those names don't exist, so nothing is downloaded and the ad never appears. It works the same in browsers, apps and games, because they all use the same lookups.
Two ways to use a DNS filter on Android
| Private DNS with a filtering service | A VPN with a DNS filter | |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks ads in apps | Yes | Yes |
| Encrypts all your traffic | Only the lookups | Yes |
| Hides your IP address from websites | No | Yes |
| Where you set it up | Android settings | The VPN app |
Choose one of the two for filtering: when Android's Private DNS is set to a provider's hostname, lookups go there instead of to the VPN, and the VPN's filter doesn't apply. DNS filters and Private DNS explains how they fit together.
Block ads with PryVPN
- Open the Protection tab.
- Turn on Ads. Trackers and Malware are on by default.
- Check that Android's Private DNS is set to Automatic or Off, so lookups reach PryVPN's filter.
- Connect. The filter works in every app while the tunnel is up: see how to use a VPN on Android.
The resolver runs on your PryVPN server, inside the tunnel, and checks DNSSEC. The counters in Protection are totals for everyone on your server, never your own lookups. The leak test warns you if Private DNS is sending your lookups elsewhere.
Some sign-in pages and shopping links go through ad or tracking domains. Turn Ads or Trackers off for a moment, open the link, then turn them back on.
What does a DNS ad blocker block?
Everything an app tries to load from a known ad, tracking or malware domain: banner and video ads, the analytics kits that report what you do, and phishing pages. Because the filter answers lookups for the whole phone, it covers apps, games and browsers alike, with no root and no extension in each browser.
- Banner and video ads in apps and games that load from ad domains.
- Trackers and analytics kits that report what you do in apps.
- Known malware and phishing domains, in any app.
Ads served from the same domain as the content itself, as on some video platforms, look like ordinary content to any DNS filter. For those, the settings of the app or the browser are the place to look.
Two more ways to see less tracking
- For the sites you visit, use a browser with its own tracking protection, together with a VPN for private browsing.
- See what your phone reveals to the network with our Wi-Fi privacy test.
Key takeaways
- A DNS filter blocks ads in every app and browser, without root.
- Use either Private DNS or the VPN's filter: the two don't combine.
- In PryVPN, turn on Ads in Protection; trackers and malware are blocked by default.
- Pause a filter for a moment if a link stops working.