Nord VPN not blocking ads - OnePlus Nord Questions & Answers

Guys,
Loving my Nord, only had for a few days and not rooted yet, so using Nord VPN to try and block Chrome ads.
However, despite it working flawlessly on other devices, Nord just won't block ads on any site on my OPN.
I'm using the latest apk from Nords website, and got Cybersec enabled. Any ideas??

Nope but in case you want to try something else, I am using dns66 and that works perfectly. I usually root and use adaway. But I wanted to try a non root solution at least untill I decide to root.

Blokada works as well without root

Thanks both.
I usually root and use Adaway too. But I'm a paid Nord VPN subscriber and really would have expected it to work as advertised, but seems to block absolutely nothing just now.

nstirton said:
Thanks both.
I usually root and use Adaway too. But I'm a paid Nord VPN subscriber and really would have expected it to work as advertised, but seems to block absolutely nothing just now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you enabled "private dns" on the phone? It might override the adblocking features of Nord VPN. Usually a lot of adblocking blocks by mapping for instance ads.facebook.com to 127.0.0.1 via DNS. But if you enable private DNS on the phone it's not using Nord VPNs DNS but the private DNS supplier via https.

Thanks for the tip, but no not using a custom DNS.
I guess on other phones I've not relied on the VPNs ad blocking abilities as I've always been rooted using Adaway.
Maybe it's just really bad at blocking ads - ie none at all?!

So, for what it's worth, finally have this fixed....
Whilst I hadn't set up a private / custom DNS, it seems that since I copied over settings from my previous phone (PH-1 R.I.P.) there WAS a redirect in place. I'd only checked DNS within the VPN, not on the phone.
So, VPN active and ads gone!

Related

free ad blocker app for not rooted?

Hi guys I'm wondering if there is a free ad blocker that block apps in both apps and web for unrooted phone? Thanks.
theoryzz said:
Hi guys I'm wondering if there is a free ad blocker that block apps in both apps and web for unrooted phone? Thanks.
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Click to collapse
AdHell.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S8+ using Tapatalk
Katt50 said:
AdHell.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S8+ using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I second this! Works better than the rest.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
I tend to disagree. Tried Adhell since I got my phone on launch day, this week went back to DNS66. Hate to go the VPN route, but Adhell did nothing for me browsing Chrome and in some other apps. And before it's said I do not plan on using some other browser.
Here's what I use, but the premium version. https://disconnect.me/mobile/disc
I have tried Adhell but for me it doesn't block the ads on apps only on the browser. Does Adhell block ads on apps for u guys? Well u used adblock on my s7 edge it's the best for me to block ads on both browser and apps but it's no longer a free service haha.
I tried adhell but it blocked a couple of sites I wanted to use... (gumtree)
I just use adblocker for samsung by betafish. Although that doesn't do apps, just browser.
I used BlockThis on my S7 occasionally. Haven't tried anything on the S8+ yet though.
Adhell is ok but it doesnt block everything. All it needs is the ability to import your own hosts file and it would effectively give us adfree/adaway for rooted devices but no sign of such a feature yet despite quite a few requests from people, maybe if enough people request it then he will add this. It does have the ability to change dns servers now so you can try using an ad blocking dns server with it too. Disconnect pro works in the exact same way using the knox firewall, but seems to let just as many ads through but comes with an extortionate price and is supposedly geared more towards blocking trackers than ads, and you cant change the dns.
Other than that you have the vpn based ones like adguard (not free), dns666 (free). I just spotted one called netguard (free with ads and option to buy pro version) https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-netguard-root-firewall-t3233012 which sounds good and lets you use your own hosts file but again its a vpn blocker.
I use Blokada and so far it's the best for me
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-blokada-fire-forget-root-ad-blocker-t3503374
y2k1ltd said:
Here's what I use, but the premium version. https://disconnect.me/mobile/disc
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Click to collapse
Does the pro or indeed the basic block ads on apps. I miss AdAway on my un-rooted new phone
is there anything that blocks youtube ads w/o rooting?
mrkoven said:
is there anything that blocks youtube ads w/o rooting?
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Click to collapse
Youtube Red............................works for me. lol
Aid777 said:
Does the pro or indeed the basic block ads on apps. I miss AdAway on my un-rooted new phone
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Click to collapse
Yes it will, but you don't want to touch that thing with a barge pole. It isn't specifically made for ad blocking, its for tracking blocking. The price is a joke. You can't customise what its blocking at all. adhell is free, does the same thing, is specifically targeting blocking ads, and you can add/remove things from the list, which you cant do in disconnect pro. no contest. if only the dev of adhell would implement being able to import our own hosts files then we would have an adfree/adaway for rooted phones, but I dont know why he hasnt. most of the work to enable that is already done as it is obviously using some sort of hosts file anyway, just his own one instead of one we can customise ourselves.
my main issue is that nothing seems to block the ads that are in apps in your secure folder, regardless of whether it is a knox blocker or a vpn blocker, which i find ridiculous. trying to install the blocker into secure folder does not work and would double your battery drain even if it did work so that isnt an option.
ewokuk said:
Yes it will, but you don't want to touch that thing with a barge pole. It isn't specifically made for ad blocking, its for tracking blocking. The price is a joke. You can't customise what its blocking at all. adhell is free, does the same thing, is specifically targeting blocking ads, and you can add/remove things from the list, which you cant do in disconnect pro. no contest. if only the dev of adhell would implement being able to import our own hosts files then we would have an adfree/adaway for rooted phones, but I dont know why he hasnt. most of the work to enable that is already done as it is obviously using some sort of hosts file anyway, just his own one instead of one we can customise ourselves.
my main issue is that nothing seems to block the ads that are in apps in your secure folder, regardless of whether it is a knox blocker or a vpn blocker, which i find ridiculous. trying to install the blocker into secure folder does not work and would double your battery drain even if it did work so that isnt an option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where can I find more info on adhell... The website or github does not give much at all... Also what is package disabler integration for?
Does it work if Knox is disabled in package disabler?
Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk
DNS66. Just make sure your select all the sources. Works great
While it's not free I use adgaurd. They had a sale and I think it was under 15 bucks for a life time license. it's a VPN app and I haven't found anything else be able to compete with it's protection from ads. I love it. Probably had it about 6 months now. The free stuff tends to not work well at all. I've tried them all.

Can't make adway work.

Hello xda users.. today im facing a big problem..
I have op6 with rooted (magisk installed). oos 9.02
Ive installed latest adway 4.0.11. Everything works fine (adway gets permisions.. etc). But he does not stop the ads.
In magisk i have ticked systemless hosts same for adway in prefs. What i am doing wrong?
I am missing something?
zubyro said:
What i am doing wrong?
I am missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't routed a phone for a few years now but I seem to remember Adaway wrote its hosts file to the system partition. And isn't it the way of Magisk to not write anything to system?
I use Adguard directly from Adguard.com. It just works, (apart from the odd time Oneplus closes it ,) and I ALWAYS have Google Pay working too - so no hassle at checkouts.
Ended up using dns66.. cant make adway to work..
zubyro said:
Ended up using dns66.. cant make adway to work..
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Click to collapse
I have Adaway running on my rooted OP 6, but I'm not using that systemless switch you mentioned...
zubyro said:
Ended up using dns66.. cant make adway to work..
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Click to collapse
Use AdAway v3.3. I have it working perfectly fine.
croques said:
I haven't routed a phone for a few years now but I seem to remember Adaway wrote its hosts file to the system partition. And isn't it the way of Magisk to not write anything to system?
I use Adguard directly from Adguard.com. It just works, (apart from the odd time Oneplus closes it ,) and I ALWAYS have Google Pay working too - so no hassle at checkouts.
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Click to collapse
I agree with you. Adaway just doesn't do anything for me. Adguard just works, and it works very well.
On unrooted phones, the VPN adapter is used to reroute traffic. As I use a normal VPN permanently to prohibit carrier deep packet inspection, any adblocker relying on the VPN approach is a nogo for me as Android only supports one VPN connection at a time.
akxak said:
On unrooted phones, the VPN adapter is used to reroute traffic. As I use a normal VPN permanently to prohibit carrier deep packet inspection, any adblocker relying on the VPN approach is a nogo for me as Android only supports one VPN connection at a time.
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Click to collapse
I agree with you totally. I would much prefer your way of a permanent VPN and to block ads some other way.. However,
I need Google Pay to work all the time and not be in an arms race with Google;
I need to block ads;
I need a VPN that always has good connection speeds for downloads and not just a high burst speed for a few seconds..
That little list just won't work together. And that last point seems impossible to achieve - certainly with the many VPN services I've tried. I'm currently using Mullvad when I need security but cannot recommend it for speed
I use an OP6 with Android 9, OOS 9.0.1 routed with Madison 17.2
I have Google Pay, Adaway and my permanent VPN with OpenVPN.
I use NordVPN for which I pay but it's reliable and fast, allows multiple connections from my home router and my mobile.
Reliable and without any problems.
akxak said:
On unrooted phones, the VPN adapter is used to reroute traffic. As I use a normal VPN permanently to prohibit carrier deep packet inspection, any adblocker relying on the VPN approach is a nogo for me as Android only supports one VPN connection at a time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adguard works both in vpn or in proxy mode. But for proxy mode, root is required. Using Adguard for an year ans its always my fav adblocker.
If you're using Magisk, both Magisk and Adaway need to be set to systemless via the settings in each application.
For some reason Adaway 4.x just ignore the restart warning and then just press check for updates again and it'll start properly downloading the host files.
My Adaway has the systemless setting grayed out and not ticked. I'm using Adaway 3.3 from F-Droid which is the latest version, there's no version 4. It's not available on Google Play.
akxak said:
I use NordVPN for which I pay but it's reliable and fast, allows multiple connections from my home router and my mobile.
Reliable and without any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well and good for you. TrustPilot (UK) gives them only 5.8/10. There are some good and bad comments - as to be expected -but this is recent post. It chimes with my own experiences of paid VPN - more promises than delivery.
Extremely slow server
Extremely slow servers. Absolutely horrible app. They make it next to impossible to select a specific server you've used in the past and instead give you an unsorted list of thousands of servers to manually scroll through and try to find the one you want. You can search for a server but if you do it this way you can't add it to favourites.
They advertise as fast for p2p, yet my speeds are the slowest I've ever experienced with a VPN, including those lousy free vpn.
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Click to collapse
I'm aware this is off-topic for Adaway; apologies to OP for possible thread hi-jacking; but if you are in to ad-blocking the next step is VPN
I use the app OpenVPN which gives me more control, speed of servers vary but I am satisfied.

Blokada settings

Hi
I've come from a rooted phone where I had a hosts file to block ads, but now on P30 with no root I'm struggling to find a good alternative. I have found blokada works but sometimes the system kills it, or it eats a lot of battery.
Can anyone recommend any settings or alternatives for adblocking?
Ps. This phone is otherwise perfect!
Bump! I also need to know a way to make this work!
I'm using AdGuard for 2 years now and it works perfect. SInce v3 was released it is I guess the best adblocker not requiring root. You might need to make a few settings, but nothing hard. Also, if you don't want to pay for it, you can use BlockThis.
Thanks, I've installed block this and it doesn't appear to get killed by battery management and it also isn't using any battery. Guess the trade off is there is very limited customisation available.
Also for those interested, blokada downloads block lists and filters traffic accordingly on your device, BlockThis directs all traffic to their DNS and so in a way filtering happens server side. Maybe that's why it is more battery efficient.
sheyac said:
Thanks, I've installed block this and it doesn't appear to get killed by battery management and it also isn't using any battery. Guess the trade off is there is very limited customisation available.
Also for those interested, blokada downloads block lists and filters traffic accordingly on your device, BlockThis directs all traffic to their DNS and so in a way filtering happens server side. Maybe that's why it is more battery efficient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just changed from Block-this to Blokada on my P10 on Pie and there's hardly any difference in battery drain. Set your dns in Blokada to Keweon instead of the default settings. Keweon is also an ad blocking dns.

Best Adblocking solutions for rooted phone, no VPN?

I know the title is rather generic and not strictly related to OP7, but I didn't know where else to post, and as this applies to my OP7, I thought to post here.
OP7
OOS 10.0.7
Rooted, Magisk+TWRP
So far I have been using Blokada to stop ads and it's been a bliss, but the limitation of Android to only run one VPN at a time makes using another VPN a compromise.
Recently I decided to use NordVPN, but as the situation stays now, I must choose between really no ads (Blokada), or NordVPN, but rely on Nord's as filtering which isn't really doing much.
Can you recommend me some reliable Adblocking solutions for rooted phone that can work in parallel with NordVPN and do equally good job as Blokada is doing? I need to block apps across the whole system (apps, websites).
P.S. using YouTube Vanced, so that one is sorted.
Energized magisk module, energized.pro for info on which version best suits you
Adguard dns without any app
Isn't DNS ad-blocking problematic? I've been reading that apps and websites can detect ad- locking DNS and act strangely.
Also, some ISP may not like some DNS... What has been your experience with DNS Adblocking so far?
Hi
I'm using OP7T OOS Beta 7 at the moment. I've been using Blokada for a short time and liked it a lot. But a minor was indeed not being able to combine it with a VPN from another provider. So I tried Blokada VPN. I had the feeling that it was working smoother than the VPN I'm always using. And I like the way they handle accounts. So you could use Blokada and VPN together if you pay for the VPN from Blokada.
So what stopped me using it? Having a long time subscription at NordVPN. I'm not using a vpn much lately. My setup is as follows:
- setup private dns under settings-networks-private dns: dns.adguard.com
- setup Adaway from FDroid (you need root)
- setup NordVPN. Beware to use the apk from the website and not from the Play Store. Only the apk from the website has working cybersec functionality. It can be used together with Adaway.
I've no problems using a dns server that blocks ads and malware. Neither do I have problems using hosts file based blocking like Adaway. Besides that I'm using browsers like Privacy Browser, Firefox nightly, Bromite and ungoogled chromium. And I try not to use apps with ads.
SvenC said:
- setup private dns under settings-networks-private dns: dns.adguard.com
- setup Adaway from FDroid (you need root)
- setup NordVPN. Beware to use the apk from the website and not from the Play Store. Only the apk from the website has working cybersec functionality. It can be used together with Adaway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I made the same setup... Seems less strict compared to Blokada, but this I am sure is just a matter of hosts list in adaway.
Do you recommend any hosts in particular besides the ones already in Adaway?
Also, what kind of apps do you split tunnel in NordVPN? Or no need? Everything working as it should?
derei said:
Thanks, I made the same setup... Seems less strict compared to Blokada, but this I am sure is just a matter of hosts list in adaway.
Do you recommend any hosts in particular besides the ones already in Adaway?
Also, what kind of apps do you split tunnel in NordVPN? Or no need? Everything working as it should?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be sure to update hosts file in Adaway regularly. I haven't changed any sources in Adaway. Just the standard setup. It blocks system wide and I don't want it to be too strict. Maybe I want to reach a domain sometimes on some site without hassle. You can start up "dns log"in Adaway and then just use your phone like you always do. It then monitors every request. After a while you can go back to Adaway to view which requests occurred. From there you can block domains that were allowed. Or allow domains that were blocked.
I'm not using vpn a lot lately as I'm in my home country. I use it especially when I'm abroad in less privacy conscious countries. That's why I haven't split anything. But I would just it more, I would split apps like Signal private messenger which are end to end encrypted, and apps that don't seem to work well going through the vpn tunnel.
If you are really concerned about your privacy/ISP, then you should setup VPN always on, or force apps to use vpn tunnel by using a firewall. Although opinions differ on this. To me that's overkill anyway. Do you have apps still showing ads? Or do you mean ads while browsing websites?
SvenC said:
Do you have apps still showing ads? Or do you mean ads while browsing websites?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, some apps are still showing placeholders. Didn't check all apps...but with Blokada I didn't even have the placeholders. Isn't a big nuisance, but if I can find a solution for it, for the better.
As for vpn usage... i just made some network speed tests... what do you see... it was better over the vpn. For some reason my isp was throttling my mobile (weird). So, I decided to allow NordVPN to always connect to the fastest server.
About tunneling, I was interested if any app misbehaves when on vpn (for example Netflix, or banking apps, if you personally encountered some issue).
derei said:
Yes, some apps are still showing placeholders. Didn't check all apps...but with Blokada I didn't even have the placeholders. Isn't a big nuisance, but if I can find a solution for it, for the better.
As for vpn usage... i just made some network speed tests... what do you see... it was better over the vpn. For some reason my isp was throttling my mobile (weird). So, I decided to allow NordVPN to always connect to the fastest server.
About tunneling, I was interested if any app misbehaves when on vpn (for example Netflix, or banking apps, if you personally encountered some issue).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I keep apps with ads at a minimum, so probably that's why I haven't any problems like that. I remember having problems setting up Payconiq and Transferwise while on vpn. After finishing the setup, only Transferwise still gives problems while on vpn. I don't have streaming or social apps besides Telegram and Keybase.
That said, if I didn't have a subscription from NordVPN, I would use Blokada and pay for its vpn. Everything in one app. But in case speed is important, probably Nord is a better option.
derei said:
Isn't DNS ad-blocking problematic? I've been reading that apps and websites can detect ad- locking DNS and act strangely.
Also, some ISP may not like some DNS... What has been your experience with DNS Adblocking so far?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may have the same problems you have with VPN apps, I have not had any problems for the moment and I have been using dns adguard for some time ... once there was a problem in the server and they crashed but just set '' automatic dns' 'until the problem is solved. In any case, if you don't have root the only way is vpn or dns
I tried the Magisk module Energized but couldn't make it work. I got an error that it was not compatible although I had systemless hosts installed. Otherwise it seemed promising.
I'm testing another app now: Nebulo. At first sight I like it very much. But don't download it from Google Play cause that's a very limited version. Downloading it from Aurora Droid seems the easiest way. It's like Blokada, but I like it more. You can add packages to block ads. And the choice is large. You have a lot of dns servers to choose from. You can test the speed of the servers. Not just a ping test, but a revolution test. You can use cache to avoid sending the same dns requests over and over to the server; to speed up browsing. And a lot of other settings. Worth taking a look at.
Tried Magisk module energized.pro module on another ROM with success now. Using private DNS settings in android combined with that module. My favorite setup at the moment.

Modify hosts file without root?

OP 8T phone I use for company work, can't root. Is there a way to replace the hosts file with a larger, modified one to block all the spam advertising when browsing? or an Android FireFox add-in that blocks them?
Phone is original unlocked 8T (no TMo bloatware), with TMo 5G SIM.
TIA
No way to replace hostfile without root as far as I know.
Wisiwyg said:
OP 8T phone I use for company work, can't root. Is there a way to replace the hosts file with a larger, modified one to block all the spam advertising when browsing? or an Android FireFox add-in that blocks them?
Phone is original unlocked 8T (no TMo bloatware), with TMo 5G SIM.
TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use DNS66 - see https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/app-5-0-dns66-open-source-host-ad-blocker-without-root.3487497/
Thank you for the suggestion of DNS66. I'll pass.
Couple of reasons... It isn't found in PlayStore, you have to side load outside of 'protected' apps. Also, it functions as a private DNS, routing all lookups through a DNS service that resides.... somewhere.
I've found another possible way by using ADB and Android Tools, pull/push files. But don't know if I need to unlock to do this.
Change to any dns with adblocking like dns.adguard.com by setting private dns in android settings.
Wisiwyg said:
Thank you for the suggestion of DNS66. I'll pass.
Couple of reasons... It isn't found in PlayStore, you have to side load outside of 'protected' apps. Also, it functions as a private DNS, routing all lookups through a DNS service that resides.... somewhere.
I've found another possible way by using ADB and Android Tools, pull/push files. But don't know if I need to unlock to do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello
Did you find a way to edit the host file without root on OnePlus 8t ?
Thank you in advanced
you could use surfboard or clash for android to modify hosts ,but it need use VPN
You can use AdAway in VPN mode or
install Ublock Origin Firefox plugin or
use private DNS as suggested by @Rootk1t

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