Samsung debuted its own support for content and ad blocking in the default web browser installed on its Android smartphones. The update, which is rolling out now to devices running Android Lollipop or higher.
That is, it allows third-party developers the ability to build apps that that will block distracting and intrusive ads on the mobile web, as well as strip out extra content from web pages, allowing them to load faster and consume less data.
These apps are made possible by way of Samsung’s new Content Blocker extension API arriving in the latest version of the Samsung Internet Browser. That means Samsung owners will have to be using the company’s own browser, not a third-party browser like Google Chrome, in order to take advantage of the new functionality.
The addition of the content blocking API makes Samsung the first major Android smartphone maker to introduce ad blocking.
That being said, the fervor around ad blocking has died down in recent weeks, but consumers’ dissatisfaction with the mobile web and its ad-crammed pages has not. Other initiatives are also underway that take a different angle on making the web more usable on mobile devices, including Google’s sped-up, mobile-friendly websites built by way of its AMP Project. Meanwhile, Facebook now offers “Instant Articles” on its social network, which are said to load up as much as 10 times faster than the mobile web.
That is, it allows third-party developers the ability to build apps that that will block distracting and intrusive ads on the mobile web, as well as strip out extra content from web pages, allowing them to load faster and consume less data.
These apps are made possible by way of Samsung’s new Content Blocker extension API arriving in the latest version of the Samsung Internet Browser. That means Samsung owners will have to be using the company’s own browser, not a third-party browser like Google Chrome, in order to take advantage of the new functionality.
The addition of the content blocking API makes Samsung the first major Android smartphone maker to introduce ad blocking.
That being said, the fervor around ad blocking has died down in recent weeks, but consumers’ dissatisfaction with the mobile web and its ad-crammed pages has not. Other initiatives are also underway that take a different angle on making the web more usable on mobile devices, including Google’s sped-up, mobile-friendly websites built by way of its AMP Project. Meanwhile, Facebook now offers “Instant Articles” on its social network, which are said to load up as much as 10 times faster than the mobile web.
Soon after Samsung’s announcement, ad blocker makers launched versions of their apps for supported Samsung phones. This includes Crystal and Adblock Fast, which were among the first out of the gate. The latter claims over 200,000 users for its app that’s also live on Chrome, Opera and Safari. It offers seven optimized filtering rules which make websites run, on average, 51 percent faster, the company says.
Crystal offers a similar filter list, and blocks tracking technology, malware and social networking annoyances, while also offering users the ability to support sites that conform to the Acceptable Ads criteria by allowing non-intrusive advertising.
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