How To Stop Pop-Up Ads on an Android Phone: Do Ad Blockers Work?

Your Android phone is suddenly displaying a lot of pop-up ads. The constant notifications are disrupting your browsing experience. The culprit is most likely a recently installed app or a browser filled with cookies.

While you can fix these issues, you may also want to invest in one of the best ad blockers. The software can block all ads and trackers, ensuring your peace and privacy.

Keep reading to learn how Android users can stop pop-up ads once and for all.

1. Use an ad blocker

Dedicated ad blockers for Android can stop pop-ups, ads, trackers, cookies, and more. You could even block ads on YouTube.

You need to choose a reliable ad blocker that has undergone third-party testing to effectively block trackers and ads. Trackers help advertisers follow your browsing history, so they can show you relevant ads.

You should also consider ad blockers that offer additional security features to protect your device from online threats. Some ad blockers also come with antivirus protection or a virtual private network (VPN).

One of the best ad blockers for Android is Total Adblock. It tests great for blocking ads and trackers, makes your online journey faster, and can help provide an ad-free browsing experience.

Once you've installed the app or Chrome extension, you can modify the settings to your preference. For example, Total Adblock features whitelisting, which allows you to specify certain websites that can display ads. It's ideal if you want some sites to provide a personalized ad experience or to support content creators who rely on ads.

2. Toggle off notifications

Sometimes all you need to do is turn off notifications for an app. Settings may vary by phone, but here is the general process to toggle off notifications on an Android phone:

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap Notifications.

3. Choose App notifications.

4. Find the app that is bothering you and select it.

5. Customize notifications to your preference, such as disabling them all or modifying the settings to show fewer notifications.

3. Delete the annoying app

If you're unsure if an app is causing annoying pop-ups, try enabling safe mode on your device. It disables all third-party apps and keeps only essential systems running. If the ads disappear, then an app is likely causing the issue.

Devices can have slightly differing processes for enabling safe mode.

Here's how to enable safe mode on a Galaxy device:

1. Turn off your phone.
2. Turn on the phone.
3. When the Samsung logo appears, press and hold the Volume down button.

Safe mode will display on your screen once it's enabled. Start using your phone and see if you still get pop-ups. If not, then an app was the problem. You can exit safe mode by restarting your phone like normal.

It may take a minute to discover which app is responsible for the ads. Start by removing newly installed apps and see if the issue stops.

You may also want to delete any apps downloaded from third parties. Ideally, you should use the Google Play store to install apps since it automatically scans apps for potential problems.

4. Clear browsing data

Cookies are stored on your browser to track your browsing and remember your preferences (like having a site remember you so you don't have to log in every time you visit).

Pop-ups often rely on cookies to know when to appear. Deleting cookies, cache, and other browsing data can help reduce the number of pop-ups.

Here's how to delete browsing data on Chrome on an Android phone:

1. Open the Chrome browser.

2. Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner.

3. Select Delete browsing data.

4. Choose a duration (Select All time to delete all browsing data).

5. An optional step is to tap More options and choose specific data to delete.

6. Click Delete data.

Alternatively, you can use privacy browsers to prevent third parties from collecting your data and to block ads. If you use a privacy browser, you’ll never need to delete your browsing data to avoid pop-ups. Some popular options include Brave and Firefox.

5. Update browser settings

Check your phone browser. Some browsers, such as Chrome and Samsung Internet, have built-in ad blockers that prevent pop-ups.

Let's look at the step-by-step process to block pop-ups on Chrome:

1. Open Chrome on your phone.

2. In the same line as the address bar, tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner.

3. Select Settings.

4. Under Advanced, choose Site Settings.

5. Click on Pop-ups and redirects.

6. Toggle the switch to block pop-ups and redirects.

6. Review app permissions

Some of your apps may have permission to display ads on your phone. You can choose which apps are allowed to send you notifications. This will help reduce pop-ups.

Here's how to review app permissions:

1. Navigate to Settings.

2. Using the search bar, type Permission manager and select it. (Alternatively, you can go to Security and privacy. Then select Privacy controls and tap on Permission manager.)

3. Scroll down to Notifications.

4. Enable or disable notifications for each app.

Most annoying Android pop-ups

Pop-ups can easily disrupt your digital experience. While some are simply a nuisance, others may be malicious.

Here are some of the most annoying Android pop-ups you may encounter:

• Adware: Adware is a type of malware that displays ads without your consent. It could also collect your data for targeted advertising.
• Deceptive malware: Pop-ups may claim that you've won a prize or that a virus is on your device. These scareware tactics are typical of online scams and are designed to steal your data or inadvertently install malware. You may want to scan your Android devices for viruses if you believe this is the problem.
• Browser hijacker malware: Browser hijackers can modify your default settings to automatically use an alternative browser, which may share your data and install malware on your device.
• Interstitial ads: Full-page ads take over your screen, blocking the content you are viewing. You may need to wait a few seconds before you can exit the pop-up.
• Overlay ads: Similar to interstitial pop-ups, overlay pop-ups cover only a portion of your screen. It can disrupt the flow of your browsing experience and obscure content.

FAQs

Bottom line

Follow best practices to stop annoying ads. This includes removing compromised apps and deleting browsing data. You can also customize notification settings to receive only the pop-ups you want to see.

An ad blocker can also help stop pop-ups from appearing on your screen. It constantly works to block ads, trackers, and other nuisances from disrupting your browsing experience.