blockads-android

Project Url: pass-with-high-score/blockads-android

Introduction: Block ads system-wide on Android using local VPN-based DNS filtering. No root needed. No data collection.

Tags:

BlockAds

BlockAds is a free, open-source ad blocker for Android.

It blocks ads, trackers, and malware system-wide using local VPN-based DNS filtering — no root required, no data collection.

Built with Jetpack Compose and Material 3 for a modern, premium experience.

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Features

Dual Routing Modes: System-wide ad blocking via VPN (no root needed) OR Root Proxy Mode (via iptables)
Privacy-first Optional Crash Reporting & Manual Local Logs Export
Comprehensive Onboarding Flow (Permissions, Battery Optimization, Opt-in telemetry)
WireGuard Profile Import & HTTPS Filtering (Beta)
Multiple built-in filter lists (StevenBlack, AdGuard DNS, EasyList, and more)
Region-aware defaults — auto-enables filters for your language
Real-time DNS query logs with search & filtering
Security protection — blocks phishing, malware, and malvertising domains
Dark / Light / System theme with Material 3 dynamic colors
7 accent color options + Material You dynamic theming
Quick Settings tile & home screen widget
Custom block/allow rules and whitelisting
Per-app filtering (bypass VPN for selected apps)
DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) support with multiple providers
Auto-update filter lists on schedule (6h / 12h / 24h / 48h)
Export / Import settings backup
Auto-reconnect on boot
Multi-language support (English, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Spanish)
100% local — all data stays on your device

Community

Join our community:

Sponsor

If you enjoy BlockAds, consider supporting the project! Your sponsorship helps us maintain and improve the app.

Build Instructions

Requirements

Android Studio Ladybug or newer
JDK 17 or higher
Android SDK 36 (min SDK 24)
Go 1.21 or higher
gomobile

Steps

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/pass-with-high-score/blockads-android.git 
cd blockads-android

Initialize gomobile (one-time setup):

go install golang.org/x/mobile/cmd/gomobile@v0.0.0-20240404231514-09dbf07665ed
export PATH=$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin
gomobile init

(Optional) Build the Go tunnel AAR/JAR (with Android 15 16KB page size support):
```
./scripts/build_tunnel.sh
```
Note: A pre-built version is already included in app/libs/.
Open the project in Android Studio
Sync Gradle and run the app on a device or emulator

Build from command line:

./gradlew assembleDebug
./gradlew bundleRelease   # requires signing key

How It Works

BlockAds routes DNS queries locally either through a VpnService (Vpn Mode) or via iptables redirection (Root Proxy Mode). These queries are matched against loaded filter lists using a memory-efficient Trie data structure. Matching queries are blocked locally, while all other traffic passes through normally — no data leaves your device.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.
You are free to use, modify, and distribute it under the terms of the license.
See the full LICENSE file for details.