AdFree Android

Summary

Who likes ad banners flashing across the screen when they’re in the middle an intense round of an RTS game? I don’t mind the little discreet ad banners, but there’s an ad pain threshold I feel should not be crossed. If you’re with me read on because today we’re reviewing AdFree Android, an app that promises that with its help ads can become a thing of the past, or almost.

NB: This application is suitable for rooted devices only!
 

Test device:
Samsung Galaxy Nexus
Android version: 4.0.2
Root: Yes (Again, this application is suited for rooted devices only!)
Modifications: None

App details:
Runs as of: Android 2.1
Apps2SD: Yes
Total size: Ca. 0.57 MB
Optimised for Ice Cream Sandwich: No, but no problems running the app

Back to the roots! We love rooting and how easy it is. Switch on the Galary Nexus, start up the fastboot mode, connect it to the computer, start up a programme and seconds later—voilà! Root rights! And because getting your device rooted is that simple I would actually recommend it to users who loathe ads, because AdFree Android is a fantastic application that will make your Android experience that much more pleasant.

The application will remove ads from applications and from the browser. As mentioned above, many free apps feature ad banners, and while some of them are relatively unobtrusive their still a bit of a nuisance on most small screens. AdFree will also free your browser of ads, similar to an ad block ad-on for Firefox or Chrome. We found the application to help keep the browser free of ads on most attempts, though not on each single one. The only ads that managed to slip by were the kind that use a static image in the ad banners. We tested the app on the Android browser and on Dolphin browser HD. It did pretty well on both.

When you first start up the app you will be asked with which boot you wish to proceed; pick "Boot normally“. Adfree Android will then check if all host files are up to date. I recommend activating the following features: daily server checks for updates and update automatically. This will ensure that the filter remains updated regularly. Downloading via mobile network shouldn’t be a biggie seeing as the download is only a few kilobytes.

A moral dilemma which I’d like to address at this point… There are tons of free apps available for Android, but developers need and want to get something in return for the hours they pour into creating applications for us to use; some even depend on the income as a means to earn their bread and butter, which is why a lot of free apps include ad banners. Now, I can only speak for myself, but I have never ever ever clicked on an ad that popped up when I was using an app. So what I’ve started doing since I’ve started using AdFree Android is revert to my device’s previous state once or twice a week (meaning that ads aren't blocked anymore), open an app and click on an ad banner. This “supports” the developers, and the rest of the time I can enjoy an almost completely ad free zone.

Bottom line:
AdFree Android is 100% fool proof, but it’s pretty spot on. The app is great for users who don’t like ads clogging up their screens—but please do remember that developers depend on some sort of revenue, and if they’re generous enough to make free apps available for users it’s only fair to support them in some way. Please keep this in mind if you plan on using AdFree in the future.
 

AdFree Android isn’t a landmark in design achievement as far as graphics go, but that doesn’t matter much seeing as you won’t actually spend much time on the app itself. Once you’ve set it up you’re good to go and won’t have to revisit it in the future.

AdFree Android purrs along nicely in the background—we didn’t experience any trouble at all throughout our test runs.

AdFree Android is free and available for download from the Android Market. It doesn’t get much better than that!