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Tutorial: How to install & set up free ad-free GSF dependent AdClear on unrooted Android to block ads by application and skip YouTube ads
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Arlen Holder
Mar 19, 2020, 6:09:01 PM3/19/20
to
Tutorial:
How to install & set up free ad-free GSF dependent AdClear on unrooted
Android to block ads by application and skip YouTube ads
<https://i.postimg.cc/C5whgdtD/adclear01.jpg>
<https://i.postimg.cc/s2wxgYYm/adclear02.jpg>
As always, please improve by answering questions & testing it out.
This thread is opened based on a suggestion from "kelown" over here today:
o How do you snap a screenshot on Android 9 given a delay time in seconds?
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/lBbHJdKgBaM>
Where the purpose of this thread is to be purposefully helpful by adding
value by documenting the (somewhat unusual) steps required to set up
AdClear by "Seven.com" on an unrooted Android phone (mine is Android 9,
Moto G7).
<https://i.postimg.cc/C5whgdtD/adclear01.jpg>
To be clear, AdClear from "Seven.com" is not on F-Droid, and while a
crippled version is on Google Play, you almost certainly will want to get
the full (non-crippled) version of AdClear from the developer instead.
Here's my log file of my installation and first impressions:
1. Download the APK from the "Seven.com" web site:
<http://www.seven.com/android-adblocker-download.php>
Specifically the AdClear.apk:
<https://github.com/SEVENNetworks/AdClear/releases/latest/download/AdClear.apk>
Opening the app on Android 9, the AdClear app asks me to agree to:
o EULA <https://adclear.com/en/terms/>
o Privacy Policy <https://adclear.com/en/privacy/>
It then says:
o Securely block ads in the apps you actually use.
o No root access or remote services required.
This is good because I have all Google services I could find
on my phone already long ago already disabled!
It then says:
o Keeps apps offline to prevent reporting your data,
requesting malware or requesting ads.
And then it says:
o Use the Snooze feature to keep noisy apps from draining your
battery while you aren't using them.
Then it asks me to tap to start, and then warns:
o Battery drain and data usage on Android will not be accurate
for apps that use a VPN connection.
o Android will attribute network traffic of any app to the VPN.
o This causes VPN apps like AdClear to show higher battery drain
and data usage than is actually useful.
VPN apps?
o I wonder aloud at this point, "Is this AdClear a VPN?"
To which the very next popup from AdClear answers:
o AdClear is a local VPN.
o Which means that data stays on your device instead of going
through an external server.
I'm not at all sure what that means to be a "local VPN".
o Can someone clarify what that means in terms of AdClear operation?
The next step is to "Create a local VPN".
o AdClear wants to set up a VPN connection that allows it to
monitor network traffic.
At that point, I "think" it's up and running, where it says:
o Ads blocked total 0
o Filters enabled: 37539
As one might expect, there are a ton of settings, only a small amount of
which do I understand yet, but AdClear does seem to _explain_ each quite
nicely with a sentence or two that is written by someone who spoke fluent
English (thankfully so).
I'm not sure _which_ settings actually matter, where, for example, there is
a "Manage apps" setting for each and every app installed on the phone, each
of which has three options:
o Ad blocking is enabled (blocks ads for each app)
o Snooze is disabled (blocks app access to data when the screen is off)
o Firewall is disabled (blocks app access to the Internet)
There are five "Ad Blocking" settings:
o HTTPS filtering (requires trusted certificate)
o Additional filters (seem to be language-based filters)
o User Filters (none by default)
o Filter Log (says "Nothing has been blocked yet")
o YouTube ad skipper (says "allows to skip the skippable ads in youtube")
(Requires "Accessibility permission" to be set for AdClear.)
After a few minutes of use, I saw of ads blocked I had never even known
were happening in the background (apparently), based on this output:
<https://i.postimg.cc/s2wxgYYm/adclear02.jpg>
Where the heck were those ads coming from if I've _never_ seen them before
from "Google Backup Transport" (what's that?) and "AutoBoy BlackBox" (which
I rarely use and which wasn't running, even, I assume, in the background)?
--
Pro Tip on perfect YouTube ad blocking: <https://newpipe.schabi.org/>
How to install & set up free ad-free GSF dependent AdClear on unrooted
Android to block ads by application and skip YouTube ads
<https://i.postimg.cc/C5whgdtD/adclear01.jpg>
<https://i.postimg.cc/s2wxgYYm/adclear02.jpg>
As always, please improve by answering questions & testing it out.
This thread is opened based on a suggestion from "kelown" over here today:
o How do you snap a screenshot on Android 9 given a delay time in seconds?
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/lBbHJdKgBaM>
Where the purpose of this thread is to be purposefully helpful by adding
value by documenting the (somewhat unusual) steps required to set up
AdClear by "Seven.com" on an unrooted Android phone (mine is Android 9,
Moto G7).
<https://i.postimg.cc/C5whgdtD/adclear01.jpg>
To be clear, AdClear from "Seven.com" is not on F-Droid, and while a
crippled version is on Google Play, you almost certainly will want to get
the full (non-crippled) version of AdClear from the developer instead.
Here's my log file of my installation and first impressions:
1. Download the APK from the "Seven.com" web site:
<http://www.seven.com/android-adblocker-download.php>
Specifically the AdClear.apk:
<https://github.com/SEVENNetworks/AdClear/releases/latest/download/AdClear.apk>
Opening the app on Android 9, the AdClear app asks me to agree to:
o EULA <https://adclear.com/en/terms/>
o Privacy Policy <https://adclear.com/en/privacy/>
It then says:
o Securely block ads in the apps you actually use.
o No root access or remote services required.
This is good because I have all Google services I could find
on my phone already long ago already disabled!
It then says:
o Keeps apps offline to prevent reporting your data,
requesting malware or requesting ads.
And then it says:
o Use the Snooze feature to keep noisy apps from draining your
battery while you aren't using them.
Then it asks me to tap to start, and then warns:
o Battery drain and data usage on Android will not be accurate
for apps that use a VPN connection.
o Android will attribute network traffic of any app to the VPN.
o This causes VPN apps like AdClear to show higher battery drain
and data usage than is actually useful.
VPN apps?
o I wonder aloud at this point, "Is this AdClear a VPN?"
To which the very next popup from AdClear answers:
o AdClear is a local VPN.
o Which means that data stays on your device instead of going
through an external server.
I'm not at all sure what that means to be a "local VPN".
o Can someone clarify what that means in terms of AdClear operation?
The next step is to "Create a local VPN".
o AdClear wants to set up a VPN connection that allows it to
monitor network traffic.
At that point, I "think" it's up and running, where it says:
o Ads blocked total 0
o Filters enabled: 37539
As one might expect, there are a ton of settings, only a small amount of
which do I understand yet, but AdClear does seem to _explain_ each quite
nicely with a sentence or two that is written by someone who spoke fluent
English (thankfully so).
I'm not sure _which_ settings actually matter, where, for example, there is
a "Manage apps" setting for each and every app installed on the phone, each
of which has three options:
o Ad blocking is enabled (blocks ads for each app)
o Snooze is disabled (blocks app access to data when the screen is off)
o Firewall is disabled (blocks app access to the Internet)
There are five "Ad Blocking" settings:
o HTTPS filtering (requires trusted certificate)
o Additional filters (seem to be language-based filters)
o User Filters (none by default)
o Filter Log (says "Nothing has been blocked yet")
o YouTube ad skipper (says "allows to skip the skippable ads in youtube")
(Requires "Accessibility permission" to be set for AdClear.)
After a few minutes of use, I saw of ads blocked I had never even known
were happening in the background (apparently), based on this output:
<https://i.postimg.cc/s2wxgYYm/adclear02.jpg>
Where the heck were those ads coming from if I've _never_ seen them before
from "Google Backup Transport" (what's that?) and "AutoBoy BlackBox" (which
I rarely use and which wasn't running, even, I assume, in the background)?
--
Pro Tip on perfect YouTube ad blocking: <https://newpipe.schabi.org/>
Arlen Holder
Mar 25, 2020, 3:40:32 AM3/25/20
to
On Thu, 19 Mar 2020 22:09:00 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:
> Where the heck were those ads coming from if I've _never_ seen them before
> from "Google Backup Transport" (what's that?) and "AutoBoy BlackBox" (which
> I rarely use and which wasn't running, even, I assume, in the background)?
UPDATE:
> Where the heck were those ads coming from if I've _never_ seen them before
> from "Google Backup Transport" (what's that?) and "AutoBoy BlackBox" (which
> I rarely use and which wasn't running, even, I assume, in the background)?
As of this moment, I had 34 ads blocked in total (for about a week or so),
with 12 coming from Google Backup Transport, but I disabled that and also
replaced the dashcam app with a free one that doesn't serve ads.
Wanting to start fresh, I don't see any "clear log" button on AdClear so I
uninstalled & reinstalled just now so that I could start fresh after those
changes to Google Backup Transport and the dashcam app:
o Google Backup Transport [What is it & why is it serving ads I've never seen which AdClear had to then block?]
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/Y3oZYE6Gb7U>
I'll update the thread as to how many ads are served in the next week or
so, where it would be nice to know of others have a similar number blocked.
Bear in mind I have over 450 freeware apps installed on my 64GB Moto G7,
where most are well-behaved as the only apps, other than Google Backup
Transport, that are serving ads appear to be the free second-phone number
programs at this point in time).
--
Each thread on Usenet should strive to further our tribal knowledge.
Arlen Holder
May 16, 2020, 9:29:19 PM5/16/20
to
On Thu, 19 Mar 2020 22:09:00 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:
> Where the heck were those ads coming from if I've _never_ seen them before
> from "Google Backup Transport" (what's that?) and "AutoBoy BlackBox" (which
> I rarely use and which wasn't running, even, I assume, in the background)?
How many ads does AdClear generally block for you?
> from "Google Backup Transport" (what's that?) and "AutoBoy BlackBox" (which
> I rarely use and which wasn't running, even, I assume, in the background)?
o And does it block a _lot_ of ads from "Google Backup Transport"?
Mine has blocked 34 ads since it was installed on March 19th, none recently
(all but 12 from the 2nd-line phone apps)
<https://i.postimg.cc/KzkFKtDb/adclear03.jpg>
But 12 were from Google Backup Transport, whatever that's doing!
o Google Backup Transport [What is it & why is it serving ads
I've never seen which AdClear had to then block?]
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/Y3oZYE6Gb7U>
How many does your AdClear block in four or five days?
I've never seen which AdClear had to then block?]
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/Y3oZYE6Gb7U>
--
Usenet is so much more valuable, and pleasant, when adults share ideas.
Arlen Holder
Sep 12, 2020, 9:57:28 PM9/12/20
to
UPDATE:
See also this thread opened by MajorLanGod today...
o Ad blocker software, by MajorLanGod
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/h-cnkgA0DPY>
"Is there a good ad blocker app for Android that doesn't carry its own
risks/hassles. One tablet is Android 6, the other is Android 10."
--
Usenet allows intelligent people to discuss ideas of a complex nature.
See also this thread opened by MajorLanGod today...
o Ad blocker software, by MajorLanGod
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/h-cnkgA0DPY>
"Is there a good ad blocker app for Android that doesn't carry its own
risks/hassles. One tablet is Android 6, the other is Android 10."
--
Usenet allows intelligent people to discuss ideas of a complex nature.
Arlen Holder
Dec 2, 2020, 7:39:07 PM12/2/20
to
On Wed, 2 Dec 2020 00:00:41 -0600, kelown wrote:
>>> Brave (built-in adblocker)
>>> Firefox + uBlock Origin
>>> NOTE: try to get 68.10.1: last good version; all later
>>> versions are a disaster - see comments in Google Play.
>
>> Why not solve the global problem for all apps; not just one browser.
>> o Is there any inherent advantage to browser-specific ad blockers?
>>
>> Just curious why people use browser-specific blocks when an overall block
>> "should" (would? could?) work even better (as it blocks all ads always)?
>>
>> For example, wouldn't something like "AdClear" beat browser-specific plugins?]
>> o <https://adclear.com/>
>>
>> While there must be other similar apps, my question for you is one of...
>>
>> ... Isn't it a better approach to block all ads, rather than to set up each
>> and every browser with browser-specific ad blocker extensions?
>
> System-wide Android ad-blockers require giving VPN permission to the
> ad-blocking app. Browser-specific ad-blocking doesn't require enabling a
> VPN. And Android allows only one VPN to be in use at a time. So if you
> need an encryption VPN to use at a public library, you'll need to
> disable the ad-blocking VPN while using the other one.
Hi kelown,
As per today's thread:
o Ad block, by Joe Rock
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/HjS35pNIQj0>
Thank you for posting to help others out of the goodness of your heart.
o Your point is valid, and well taken.
1. System wide ad blockers come with their own VPN
2. Given Android negates the use of two VPNs at once...
3. That negates use of another VPN at the same time
Fair enough.
o I'll update the record in the cross reference so all benefit always.
See also:
o Tutorial: How to install & set up free ad-free GSF dependent AdClear on unrooted Android to block ads by application and skip YouTube ads
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/GouWPiwXuaw>
--
Most of us post on Usenet to help others out of the goodness of our heart.
>>> Brave (built-in adblocker)
>>> Firefox + uBlock Origin
>>> NOTE: try to get 68.10.1: last good version; all later
>>> versions are a disaster - see comments in Google Play.
>
>> Why not solve the global problem for all apps; not just one browser.
>> o Is there any inherent advantage to browser-specific ad blockers?
>>
>> Just curious why people use browser-specific blocks when an overall block
>> "should" (would? could?) work even better (as it blocks all ads always)?
>>
>> For example, wouldn't something like "AdClear" beat browser-specific plugins?]
>> o <https://adclear.com/>
>>
>> While there must be other similar apps, my question for you is one of...
>>
>> ... Isn't it a better approach to block all ads, rather than to set up each
>> and every browser with browser-specific ad blocker extensions?
>
> System-wide Android ad-blockers require giving VPN permission to the
> ad-blocking app. Browser-specific ad-blocking doesn't require enabling a
> VPN. And Android allows only one VPN to be in use at a time. So if you
> need an encryption VPN to use at a public library, you'll need to
> disable the ad-blocking VPN while using the other one.
Hi kelown,
As per today's thread:
o Ad block, by Joe Rock
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/HjS35pNIQj0>
Thank you for posting to help others out of the goodness of your heart.
o Your point is valid, and well taken.
1. System wide ad blockers come with their own VPN
2. Given Android negates the use of two VPNs at once...
3. That negates use of another VPN at the same time
Fair enough.
o I'll update the record in the cross reference so all benefit always.
See also:
o Tutorial: How to install & set up free ad-free GSF dependent AdClear on unrooted Android to block ads by application and skip YouTube ads
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/GouWPiwXuaw>
--
Most of us post on Usenet to help others out of the goodness of our heart.
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