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Adblock Plus just released an ad-blocking Android browser – here’s how to get it

Published May 20th, 2015 4:00AM EDT
Adblock Browser Download
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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Adblock Plus is the most popular desktop ad-blocking software on the planet, and the team behind the popular browser extension is now taking its talents to the mobile web. Meet the Adblock Browser, a mobile app for Google’s Android platform that focuses on delivering users all the content they want with none of the ads that support it.

DON’T MISS: Android is about to get a new Google Maps update – download it here before it’s released

Beginning Wednesday, users can join a special Google+ community that will give them access to an early beta version of the Adblock Browser for Android devices. The company says its browser will “block annoying ads automatically, saving users battery speed, keeping them safe and handing them control while they’re on the go.”

Adblock Plus highlighted four key features in the new Adblock Browser app:

  • Automatic adblocking – This is the first browser of its kind to offer users ad blocking as an integrated, out-of-the-box feature. As more people use ad blockers, the need is shifting toward mobile; automatic ad blocking at the browser level is the first step in this evolution.
  • Fast, efficient browsing – Ads cause pages to load slower and can consume 23 percent of your battery. Loading ads also costs data, so if you’re blocking them on your browser it saves you on your data plan.
  • Safer browsing – Lots of nasty stuff like malware can hide behind ads. Blocking annoying ads reduces your risk of infection, and Adblock Plus has been recommended by Stanford University, UC Santa Barbara and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
  • Total control – Annoying ads are always blocked, but users can encourage better ads by allowing nonintrusive ads to display. Users can change this setting at any time by simply tapping the Menu icon > Settings > Acceptable Ads.

“As people have embraced the mobile web, advertisers have rushed in after them and destroyed the user experience with ads that are often thoughtlessly designed, as well as mobile ad networks that are riddled with security holes,” Adblock Plus co-founder Till Faida said in a press release. “Adblock Browser for Android puts the control back into users’ hands.”

Adblock Browser for Android is a free download, and the beta version is available for download from Adblock Plus’ Google+ community.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.