- cross-posted to:
- privacy@programming.dev
- cross-posted to:
- privacy@programming.dev
I have been using the hosts file based ad blocker AdAway for at least two years. It runs on my smartphones and tablet, all rooted, thus I can run a VPN simultaneously. Since it has always worked flawlessly, I never really took the time to compare it to other similar apps.
But as of today, there hasn’t been an update since 2024.
I am asking for alternatives and the reason you think they’re better.
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Use Mullvad’s dns servers https://mullvad.net/en/help/dns-over-https-and-dns-over-tls#android. Their vpn also has dns blocking capabilities.
I use controld.com DNS over TLS. They have a free ad blocking and malware blocking DNS that works incredibly well.
There’s a magisk module for this.
You mean
systemless hostsworks without being called/used by an app? Do you know the systemless hosts file path?I think it had a configurable parh? Or at least it told you. But sure, automatic updates is another matter. I don’t think it can do that.
Can’t you just point AdAway to Stevenblack’s hosts or something?
I think we’ve got off track. Stevenblack’s is already shipped with AdAway. AdAway works perfectly fine with Magisk’s systemless hosts. I have no other reason for wanting to change to another app than the fact that it hasn’t been updated since 2024.
I would tbh recommend to just switch to DNS-based blocking by changing your DNS provider in the Android settings (“Private DNS”).
That’s a great idea for the ad blocking, which is what I am writing about in the OP, but I also would like to be able to block specific hosts and IP addresses on a hosts file level, in order to stop system apps from connecting.
I’ve used a VPN based ad filter for years.
It was called dns66, but has been replaced by DNSnet on F-Droid.
It creates a loopback VPN connection and forwards all traffic through it, when can then be filtered.
You also can put the hosts file made for a Linux system into the mounted
/system/etc/hosts, the system partition/systemcan be mounted on/mntor/mnt/systemtoo.As you have root, or with just a custom recovery, you can change it, just going to the recovery, using adb in there and mounting the system partition as rw, then moving the hosts file to the mounted expected location.
Interesting! And thank you! I already see a hosts file under /system/etc/, for now only containing localhost. Could I not just edit this file and be done? I know too little about how Android works…
If I do need to mount /system, can I not do it from the stock recovery? I think I saw a “mount system partition” in there the other day.
I know too little about how Android works…
Yeah, this is a more advanced thing, I think the other methods described on the post are better, if you don’t have a custom recovery AND custom rom. If the device is locked or have the stock rom, it might not boot, because of the signature checking on the image.
On fdroid Dnsnet and Blockads are nice, i also used and help translate Athena.
Sweet! Thank you for your contribution! :D
Don’t know about your specific use case but blockads is quite good
This is all I do. It works pretty well. I sometimes have to turn it off briefly to log in to airplane wifi or such.
Thanks! For this, I am using Mullvad’s ad blocking DNS. 😊 I want to be able to block specific hosts and IP addresses on a hosts file level in order to block certain system apps from connecting.
FWIW, if you self-host Adguard, you can do those things without needing to bother with touching individual hosts files. It’ll also then just work for every device on your network. Create your own domain and expose adguard via a subdomain and you can just point your phone at your DNS server while you are on external networks too.
Used adaway, too but long before 2021. Good alternative is to host a small vps server, install adguard home, use hosts confs as common and then use DoT on a unrooted phone to this vps. GrapheneOS for example.
Or easier, just use a DoT provider with adblock which you trust. Quad9, adguard-dns and so on.
I use DNSnet on my phone, which has the benefit of not requiring root
