How to block ads on Android · Seawall
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Setup guide · Android 9 and newer

How to block ads on Android

You don’t need an ad blocker app. Android has a built-in setting called Private DNS: point it to Seawall and ads stop loading in every app and browser, on Wi-Fi and mobile data.

  • About a minute
  • No app to install
  • Wi-Fi and mobile data

In short

Open Settings › Network & internet › Private DNS, choose “Private DNS provider hostname”, paste your Seawall address and tap Save.

  1. Settings
  2. Network & internet
  3. Private DNS
Get your Seawall address

Block ads on Android with Private DNS

Menu names are from a Google Pixel. On other phones the steps are the same, only the menu is in a different place.

  1. Get your Seawall address

    Create a Seawall account and copy your personal address from it.

    Seawall address

    example.dns.seawalldns.com

    This is an example. Your personal address appears after you sign up. Get yours

  2. Open Private DNS

    Go to Settings › Network & internet › Private DNS. On Samsung, Xiaomi and some other phones the menu is elsewhere: see where to find it, or type “Private DNS” in the search at the top of Settings.

    1. Settings
    2. Network & internet
    3. Private DNS

  3. Paste your address

    Choose “Private DNS provider hostname” and paste your Seawall address. Type it exactly, without https:// or spaces.

  4. Tap Save

    Ads stop loading right away, in apps and browsers, on Wi-Fi and mobile data. If an app was already open, close and reopen it.

  5. Check that it works

    Open the ad blocker test on your phone. All 24 addresses should show “blocked”.

    Run the ad blocker test
Private DNS on Android, illustration

Where to find Private DNS on your phone

Can’t find it? Type “Private DNS” in the search at the top of Settings: it works on any phone.

PhoneWhere Private DNS is
Google Pixel, Motorola, Nothing
  1. Settings
  2. Network & internet
  3. Private DNS
Samsung Galaxy
  1. Settings
  2. Connections
  3. More connection settings
  4. Private DNS
Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO
  1. Settings
  2. Connection & sharing
  3. Private DNS
OnePlus, OPPO, realme
  1. Settings
  2. Connection & sharing
  3. Private DNS

Samsung and Xiaomi phones can also show ads in their own system apps. Separate guides explain how to turn them off: Samsung, Xiaomi.

If something doesn’t work

“Private DNS server cannot be accessed”

Android shows this when it can’t reach the address in Private DNS. Check that your Seawall address is typed exactly, without https:// or spaces. If a public Wi-Fi blocks encrypted DNS, switch to mobile data or set Private DNS to Automatic while you’re on that network.

Pop-ups over other apps or on the home screen

That’s adware: an app that shows ads by itself. Open Settings › Apps and uninstall apps you don’t recognize or installed just before the pop-ups started.

Pop-up notifications from websites

They come from sites you once allowed to send notifications. In Chrome, open Settings › Site settings › Notifications and block the sites you don’t know.

Ads in YouTube, Facebook or Instagram

These apps serve ads from the same servers as their videos and posts, so DNS can’t tell them apart. Seawall blocks the ad networks that other apps, games and websites use.

Your browser uses its own secure DNS

If secure DNS in your browser is set to another provider, the browser skips Private DNS. In Chrome, open Settings › Privacy and security › Use secure DNS and switch it back to your current service provider.

A site or app stopped working

Add it to your allow list in your Seawall account or pause protection for 10 minutes.

Android ad blocking questions

Do I need an ad blocker app for Android?

No. Private DNS is built into Android 9 and newer, so there’s nothing to install and nothing running in the background.

Does it work on Wi-Fi and mobile data?

Yes. Private DNS works on any network your phone joins: mobile data, home Wi-Fi, a café or a hotel.

Will it slow down my phone or drain the battery?

No. A DNS lookup takes milliseconds, and pages without ads load faster. Your phone makes these lookups anyway; Seawall just answers them.

How do I stop pop-up ads on my Android phone?

Turn on Private DNS with your Seawall address in Android settings. Ads from ad networks stop loading in every app at once. If ads pop up on top of your home screen, that is adware: find the app among recently installed ones and uninstall it.

Which Android versions does Private DNS work on?

Android 9 and newer. On an older phone, set Seawall on your home router instead: it then covers every device on your Wi-Fi.

How do I turn it off?

Open the same Private DNS setting and choose Off or Automatic. To keep Seawall but let everything through for a moment, pause protection for 10 minutes in your account.

Set up your other devices

Get your Seawall address

Then follow the steps above. It takes about a minute.

Try it freeRun the ad blocker test