How to Block Ads on Android Without Rooting the Device

This step-by-step guide explains how to block ads on Android without rooting the device. It covers the required setup, the main actions, and the checks that help prevent common problems.

If you use Android, you'll see ads appear everywhere. Not only are they annoying, they also monitor users or even carry malicious code. If you no longer want to see ads on your phone, follow the simple steps in the tutorial below.

Previously, if you wanted to block ads on Android, you would have to root the device, which would be very complicated. But now with just a few steps, you can help your Android device run faster and still avoid being bothered by ads.

Blokada is a free app on the F-Droid Repository, you can download it if you install the F-Droid app on your phone. If not, download and install the APK from the F-Droid website.

Note: Please choose to allow the installation of apps from unknown sources in the Settings section before installing this APK file.

Blokada uses Android's VPN system to block ads similar to AdGuard, but instead of filtering all traffic data, it only filters DNS traffic. This is how Blokada blocks ads.

Step 1 - Blokada doesn't have many installation options. After installing and opening the app, select the Power Button under the screen.

Select the Power button below the screen

Step 2 - A message appears asking to confirm the VPN settings on the device, select OK.

Connected status

Step 3 - Blokada's icon will turn orange, a small key icon on the status bar shows that the VPN session is active, meaning Blokada has started blocking ads.

The default DNS is blocked

Step 4 - By default the app will have a notification when blocking 1 ad but you can turn it off from the home page. Alternatively, choose Keep alive To avoid deactive machines.

List of editable DNS users

Step 5 - Although Blokada doesn't need to set up much settings, you can still adjust. On the home page, select Default DNS to see the list of DNS servers that Blokada blocks. If you want, you can turn on or enter the DNS server address you want.