Why is AdGuard not on Google Play?
adguard.com
AdGuard for Android is a powerful app that blocks ads and protects your privacy. But why it's not available on the Google Play Store? Read on to find out.

The article is AdGuard centric but it sheds light on the whole process where Google suddenly decided to ban ad blockers.

    • glockenspiel@programming.devEnglish
      211·
      1 year ago

      For now. Google is locking down certificates in Android 14 which absolutely cannot be changed even by devs (barring exploits, which will be patched because this is Alphabet’s bread and butter on the line).

      Google has put into place infrastructure to lock apps down as well with its App Bundles to replace APKs. And, wouldn’t you know it, they just so happen to rely on Google to be functional and even built! Custom made for your device and configuration and account. What a coincidence that you can’t rip that off your device and widely share it without massive workarounds. And even then, with Google clamping down on CAs….

      People best become acquainted with ROMs again. Providing, of course, that Android doesn’t start employing anti-root tactics like Apple does which essentially eliminates the possibility of almost everybody actually owning their devices.

      • BlinkerFluid@lemmy.oneEnglish
        111·
        1 year ago

        Guess I’ll get a Linux-based phone(please don’t make me argue about semantics on Android being Linux or not when we both know what I mean). By the time it matters, they’ll be decent enough. I don’t really live with the same sort of technological necessity as most people.

      • 𝕸𝖔𝖘𝖘@infosec.pubEnglish
        72·
        1 year ago

        This is a good thing. Or, can be. Android exists due to the lacks that existed/exists in iOS. With those same limitations coming to android, something new, something better will come. Maybe something like the current Linux phones, but with increased support that will come from the exodus. Like Lemmy stagnating for a while, then suddenly becoming close to amazing due to the Reddit enshitification, so will come this new generation of smartphones due to the enshitification of Android and iOS. It could be good. It could be much worse. Time will tell.

      • Rikudou_Sage@lemmings.worldOP
        62·
        1 year ago

        Google is locking down certificates in Android 14 which absolutely cannot be changed even by devs

        Hopefully Firefox adds an easy way to add a certificate. They had it already, never understood why they removed it.

        Google has put into place infrastructure to lock apps down as well with its App Bundles to replace APKs

        I don’t think they can replace APKs with AABs as the only solution - EU wants them to have support for alternative stores. In theory they could do separate Android for EU and the rest of the world, but I don’t think they will.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    31·
    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    At the time, there were a number of apps on Google Play that offered content filtering functionality, such as AdAway, AdFree, Ad Blocker, and AdBlock Plus.

    In 2016, Google tweaked its developer policy to clarify what actions are prohibited, and for the first time directly named ad blockers as a target.

    After AdGuard for Android, which filters traffic for all apps on your device, could no longer be distributed through the Google Play Store, we had to find another way to reach our users and provide them with updates.

    The increased visibility this store provides would allow us to introduce the app to more people who can block ad-based tracking, thereby protecting their privacy.

    The reality is that most casual users install apps exclusively from the Google Play Store, and that means they are currently missing out on a chance to protect themselves from trackers and ads.

    We hope that Google will change its stance and give people the choice and tools to protect themselves from pervasive tracking technology and invasive advertising.

    The original article contains 1,019 words, the summary contains 172 words. Saved 83%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

    • correcthorsedickbatterystaple@kbin.social
      419·
      1 year ago

      i’m sorry but i have to be pedantic here. it’s not how you get your revenue it’s the good or service you provide.

      magazines are not ad companies. TV channels are not ad companies. the source of your revenue does not make you a company in a sector of that source.

      • Jaded@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        18·
        1 year ago

        Google literally considers itself an ad company. They have a huge framework meant to profit off of ads shown on other products and platforms. They sell data as a service to better target consumers for advertisement. It’s not comparable to a tv channel.

      • XTornado
        10·
        1 year ago

        Yeah but Google biggest services are mostly free. The main source of income, although they have improved that by offering other paid services all these years, has been ad revenue on their free services.

      • belated_frog_pants@beehaw.org
        6·
        1 year ago

        All of googles products except cloud exist to either sell customer data to companies to advertise to or they direct you to websites who pay.

        They are an ad data company. Search is a means to deliver ads. Chrome, mail, docs, etc were all there for ecosystem lock in… for what money? Customer data. For ads. Google+? User base. For ads.

        Youtube doesnt make them shit except for advertising. Youtube premium isnt selling which is why they are getting aggressive with it.

        Google is an advertising company and secondarily , a cloud provider.

  • TheProtagonist@lemmy.world
    7·
    1 year ago

    That’s no surprise to me. Ads are Google’s core business. Why should they support technologies that potentially limit their profits?

  • 52fighters@kbin.social
    81·
    1 year ago

    Blokada on Android is the best. Get it from the website, though, not Google Play. Even though it is there, the website version is better.

        • Gamey@feddit.rocks
          4·
          1 year ago

          Well, not about the DNS blocking, that’s absolutely great but it can only block on a domain basis so ads from the same domain aka first party ads (E.g. Youtube ads) can’t be blocked using it.

    • lenathaw
      3·
      1 year ago

      AdAway is the best choice if you’re rooted.

      Some banking apps might break, but the DNS request log will help you debug and put the necessary domains on a whitelist. Or you can just google it.

        • Dawn@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          I use it not rooted, on both an android tablet and phone. Haven’t run into any issues, it uses a VPN to block the ads

          Edit: there was one issue where youtube wouldn’t update the watch history, to fix this just allow s.youtube.com on the allow list

  • Zerush
    2·
    1 year ago

    F_Droid InviZible Pro also blocks, among others, ads (DNScrypt Proxie, I2P and TOR network), also in Google Play, but there only the “descaffeinate” version.

    Vivaldi browser has an inbuild and customizable ad- and trackerblocker.