Ad blockers, browser settings, and system-level controls can all stop ads before they load — reducing data use, lowering your exposure to malware, and cutting the overall clutter. This guide covers how to block ads on Android and iPhone using built-in settings, privacy browsers, and Surfshark’s Clean Web.
Why block ads on your phone?
Ads do more than slow down your web surfing. Here’s what’s actually at stake:
- Performance: ads with high-resolution images, animations, and autoplay video consume CPU power and drain your battery;
- Privacy: ad trackers use cookies, tracking pixels, and fingerprinting to build a detailed profile of your browsing habits;
- Data usage: data-heavy ad content eats into limited mobile plans and can trigger excess charges;
- Security: malicious ads (malvertising) can exploit browser vulnerabilities or install malware on your phone without you ever clicking anything;
- Experience: pop-ups, overlays, and autoplay audio interrupt content and make pages harder to read, use, and navigate through.
How to block ads on Android devices
Android doesn’t have a single master ad-blocking switch, but a few targeted settings tend to cover most cases:
Blocking home screen ads
Some apps misuse Android’s overlay permission — the same one that powers chat bubbles and call identifiers — to push ads directly onto your home screen. If you’re seeing ads outside of any specific app, a recently installed software is likely the culprit.
In order to block home screen ads:
- Tap and hold the app icon until you see a menu.
- Tap the i icon to open App info.
- Select Display over other apps.
- Toggle off Allow display over other apps.
Blocking pop-up ads on Samsung
On Samsung devices, pop-up ads usually arrive through an app’s notification permissions rather than overlays. To disable those notifications:
- Go to Settings and tap Notifications.
- Select App notifications.
- Tap All and filter by Most recent to spot the offending app.
- Toggle off all notifications for that app.
For more control, tap the app directly to access Advanced settings, where you can disable pop-ups specifically without turning off all notifications.
Blocking ads on Chrome for Android
Chrome blocks ads on sites flagged for intrusive behavior by default. To confirm your settings are active:
- Open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- Go to Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings.
- Scroll to Additional content settings → Intrusive ads.
- Make sure that Ads are blocked on sites known to show intrusive or misleading ads is checked.
Note that this only covers previously flagged sites — it won’t catch every ad across the web.
Using a privacy browser on Android
Privacy-focused browsers like Brave have ad blocking built in at the engine level — no extensions or extra setup required. Unlike Chrome’s default setting, they block ads across all sites, not just those flagged as intrusive.
If you want browser-level coverage without installing extra tools, switching browsers is usually the simplest path.
Blocking ads system-wide with Private DNS
Android’s Private DNS (Domain Name System) setting routes all DNS queries through a filtering server, blocking ad requests before they reach your apps — including those that completely ignore browser-level settings.
To activate Private DNS:
- Go to Settings → Network & internet → Private DNS.
- Select Private DNS provider hostname.
- Enter dns.adguard.com (or another DNS-based ad filtering service).
- Tap Save.
Keep in mind this method blocks ads at the DNS level, which means it won’t catch all ad formats — particularly those served from the same domain as legitimate content.
How to block ads on an iPhone
iOS gives you less control over ads at the system level than Android, but adjusting a few settings can meaningfully reduce what you see.
Turning off personalized ads
Apple uses your approximate location, App Store searches, and app usage data to serve targeted ads across its platforms. Disabling this limits how much of your personal data Apple uses for ad targeting — but it won’t reduce the number of ads you see.
To disable personalized ads:
- Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising.
- Toggle off Personalized Ads.
To disable location-based ad targeting:
- Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services.
- Either turn off Location Services entirely, or adjust access app by app.
Blocking ads on Safari
Although Safari’s built-in pop-up blocker stops the most obvious offenders, it won’t catch banner ads or most in-page advertising. Nonetheless, the setting is definitely worth keeping on:
- Open Settings and tap Safari.
- Scroll down and toggle on Block Pop-ups.
Safari’s built-in pop-up blocker is best paired with a dedicated ad blocking solution.
Blocking ads on Chrome for iPhone
Chrome on iOS follows the same default behavior as Android — it blocks ads on sites flagged as intrusive. To verify your settings:
- Tap the three-dot menu and go to Settings.
- Select Content Settings and make sure Block Pop-ups is enabled.
Using a privacy browser on iPhone
Privacy-focused browsers like Brave block ads at the engine level on iOS just as well, with no extra setup required.
For users who prefer to stay in Safari’s ecosystem, installing a content blocker app achieves similar results without switching browsers.
How to block ads on mobile games
Mobile games serve ads more aggressively than most other app categories — between levels, as forced video before you can continue, and as persistent banners during gameplay. To make things worse, standard browser settings don’t affect them at all.
Two options that can actually help include:
- Airplane mode: switching to airplane mode cuts your connection to ad networks, stopping ads from loading in games that can work offline. Note that this also disables online features, multiplayer, and progress syncing;
- A VPN-based ad blocker: Surfshark’s Clean Web blocks ad requests at the network level, ensuring that ads don’t load even when you’re online. This method works across all games and has no impact on gameplay or online features.
As you can see, Clean Web keeps coming up as the more complete solution — it’s time to explore how to set it up.
How to block ads using Surfshark’s Clean Web
Since browser settings can’t reach ads served directly within apps, VPN-based blockers are seen as more complete solutions. Surfshark’s Clean Web works at the network level, intercepting ad requests before they load, no matter which app or browser they come from. It also actively maintains its malware and phishing block lists to make sure you’re protected against the latest threats, not just the most common ones.
Clean Web is included with all Surfshark subscriptions, both in-app and as a browser extension, with slight but important differences in the scope of protection they provide.
Enabling Clean Web on the app
The in-app version of Clean Web is available on both Android and iOS. It helps block ads, trackers, and malware across all your apps as long as the VPN connection is active.
To enable Clean Web on your mobile device:
- Open the Surfshark app.
- Go to Settings → VPN settings.
- Toggle on Clean Web. When the switch turns green, it’s active.
- Connect to the VPN.
Once active, Clean Web runs quietly in the background — no per-app configuration needed.
Enabling Clean Web’s browser extension
Clean Web is also available as a browser extension — for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. It adds two features on top of standard ad blocking: alerts when your information has been detected in a data leak, and warnings when a site you’re on is flagged for malware.
Clean Web is enabled by default when you install the Surfshark browser extension.
To confirm your setup:
- Open the Surfshark browser extension.
- Click the Clean Web icon → Turn on Clean Web → Clean Web settings.
- Confirm the Ad blocker and Pop-up blocker toggles are both on.
Note that the extension works only in the browser and won’t affect other applications on your device, unless you also enable Clean Web in the app.
Conclusion: should you block ads on your phone?
Built-in browser and system settings are a reasonable starting point — they’re free and require minimal setup. The tradeoff is coverage: they work at the browser level and don’t affect in-app ads.
A VPN-based blocker like Clean Web works across apps and browsers with a single toggle, and it’s already included in your Surfshark subscription. For most users, that is the simpler and more complete solution.
FAQ
How to stop pop-up ads on an Android phone?
Using an ad blocker such as Surfshark’s Clean Web is the most reliable way to stop pop-up ads on Android. You can also go to Settings → Apps & notifications → See all apps, select your browser, tap Permissions, and disable Pop-ups and redirects.
Why are ads popping up on my phone?
Pop-up ads usually come from apps with extensive display permissions, websites that push overlays, or adware installed on your device. Reviewing app permissions and enabling a trusted ad blocker addresses both the symptom and the cause.
How to block ads on YouTube?
YouTube ads are best blocked using Clean Web on a desktop browser. On mobile, the YouTube app bypasses standard browser-level blockers — a VPN-based blocker such as Surfshark’s Clean Web is the most effective option.
How to block ads in apps?
In-app ads are served by ad networks directly inside the app, so browser settings can’t reach them. A VPN-based blocker like Clean Web intercepts those requests at the network level, before they load.
Is there a free way to block ads?
Browser settings and privacy browsers like Brave block many ads at no cost. For in-app and cross-platform coverage, use Clean Web — included with all Surfshark subscriptions at no extra charge.
Should I use a VPN on my iPhone?
Understanding how to use a VPN on your iPhone will help you encrypt your internet traffic and mask your IP address, keeping your data secure on public Wi-Fi and reducing tracking across sites and apps.
