Wanted to share something I’ve been trying for the last few months on my Samsung phone (I know, I know) to cut down ads, tracking, and random background noise. Perhaps it is of use to others.

It’s a bit more manual than most setups, so YMMV. Also, my device doesn’t have reliable custom firmware that keeps VoLTE working (which I need here), so this is the “no-root, stock OS” route.

TL;DR: I’m running a layered setup. DuckDuckGo App Protection (local VPN), Private DNS (Mullvad adblock), Karma Firewall to sandbox network access, plus ADB to disable stubborn background/analytics apps. All free tools.

What each layer actually does:

1. DuckDuckGo “VPN” (App Protection) - this is a local/on-device VPN, not a traditional “change your IP” VPN. It routes app traffic through Android’s VPN interface so it can block trackers and hidden connections system-wide. It’s more of a privacy filter than an anonymity tool, but it still reduces data leakage.

2. DDG Browser - lightweight, minimal background noise, and pairs nicely with the tracker blocking above. I know DDG has some controversy attached to it but it works for me / is somewhat faster on my device than alternatives (eg: Fennec). YMMV.

3. Mullvad Private DNS (adblock) - filters at the DNS level, so many ad/tracking/malicious domains never resolve in the first place. Works across the whole device without root. Free to use with ZDR policy.

4. Karma Firewall - lets me block apps from accessing the network unless I explicitly allow them. Stops a lot of “phone home” behavior from random apps. Testing between this and DDG as only 1 VPN slot.

5. ADB cleanup - disables leftover bloat/analytics services that keep waking the phone (Samsung, M$oft etc) that otherwise can’t be killed.

My approach is basically: filter first, restrict second, minimize trust, sleep the rest.

Results so far:

• On a 2019 Galaxy A20 (3 GB RAM), I’m getting ~2 days of usable battery. Thats a 6yr old phone.
• UI feels noticeably snappier (setting animations to 0.5x in Developer Options helps too).
• Less background traffic, less tracking/metadata leakage, built-in ad filtering (no root).
• Lower data usage → cheaper mobile plan is now viable (I switched to a $120 for 365 days unlimited SMS and calls with 120GB data)

Fair warning: because multiple layers are filtering traffic, some people may see:

• Apps/login flows breaking
• Slower connections
• Certain services (banking/streaming/region-sensitive apps) acting weird

In my case it’s been stable, but layered setups always depend on your exact app mix and network.

Anyway, just sharing my “no-root privacy stack” setup. YMMV.

Karma FW: https://droidify.app/app/?id=net.stargw.fok&repo_address=https%3A%2F%2Ff-droid.org%2Farchive

DDG: https://droidify.app/app/?id=com.duckduckgo.mobile.android&repo_address=https%3A%2F%2Ff-droid.org%2Farchive

DNS: adblock.dns.mullvad.net

Note: Private DNS can run alongside a VPN-based tracker blocker just fine, but Android typically allows only one VPN-based firewall/tracker-blocker per profile at a time.

So DDG App Tracking Protection and a VPN-style firewall may conflict unless you separate them by profile or choose one.

The work around is: Settings → Connections → Data usage → Data saver Enable Data Saver Only allow a short whitelist of apps as “Unrestricted”.