AdFree is a fantastic program created by XDA user delta_foxtrot2 (see this thread in the G1 forum) to facilitate using your hosts file to block ad servers. This makes it extremely easy. Of course you will need root access!
Unfortunately I found some ads still weren't blocked and the last update to the AdFree hosts file happened 2010-02-27. So I decided to update the hosts file myself. I merged the hosts files from adfree/mvps/yoyo and added a bunch of mobile ad providers I've found myself. The list is free of duplicates and comments, so as to keep it as small as possible (it still amounts to about 635 kB).
To install this hosts file, you still need root access obviously:
You might need to restart your phone. Also clearing the Android browser cache will apparently help in getting rid of already cached ads (worked for me, ymmv).
As for ethical discussions on blocking ads for free apps, blah. I don't so much have a problem with ads, as I do with the personal data that gets send to the ad providers. I'm talking about location data and whatever else they might want to know about my device and what I'm running ("analytics" is a fancy name for "we want to find out as much about you as we possibly can get away with").
Anyway.. use it, don't use it, up to you.
Last updated
15-4-2010 23:23 (20808 hosts blocked)
.
Unfortunately I found some ads still weren't blocked and the last update to the AdFree hosts file happened 2010-02-27. So I decided to update the hosts file myself. I merged the hosts files from adfree/mvps/yoyo and added a bunch of mobile ad providers I've found myself. The list is free of duplicates and comments, so as to keep it as small as possible (it still amounts to about 635 kB).
To install this hosts file, you still need root access obviously:
- download the zip
- unpack it to the directory where adb.exe is located (if you don't know what adb is or how to get it running, please use the search)
- open a command prompt
Code:
adb shell mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
adb push hosts.for.mobile.txt /etc/hosts
adb shell mount -o ro,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
You might need to restart your phone. Also clearing the Android browser cache will apparently help in getting rid of already cached ads (worked for me, ymmv).
As for ethical discussions on blocking ads for free apps, blah. I don't so much have a problem with ads, as I do with the personal data that gets send to the ad providers. I'm talking about location data and whatever else they might want to know about my device and what I'm running ("analytics" is a fancy name for "we want to find out as much about you as we possibly can get away with").
Anyway.. use it, don't use it, up to you.
Last updated
15-4-2010 23:23 (20808 hosts blocked)
.
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