My parents' Android phones were ruined by invasive ads. Here's how I fixed them for good

Mobile ads are becoming a significant issue on Android. I’ve recently encountered a spate of surprisingly manipulative pop-ups masquerading as genuine notices or system update alerts. While I’ve learned to sniff out the rubbish from the real, some people haven’t developed this skill.

I’ve previously written about my dad, who once encountered a deceptive PDF ad on his phone. He promptly tapped the fake “Update” button and installed numerous bogus PDF apps from the Play Store onto his device. This ad was lurking in a preinstalled office app, but now, it seems that even Google’s own apps are part of the growing problem.

He recently forwarded me the above screenshot of an ad using the old “PDF app is out of date” trick. The twist? The ad was on YouTube — you know, Google’s friendly neighborhood video app. To verify that it wasn’t just his phone, I opened YouTube on my Pixel and lost it when a near-identical ad appeared at the top of the screen (see the feature image at the top of the article).

This was the last straw for me. I want to protect my parents as much as possible from online dangers, which means addressing the ad problem once and for all. Given that they use their mobiles for communication, financial transactions, and storing memories, I want them to have safe, secure platforms free of predatory ads and apps.

I needed to implement a solution that would stay out of their way while affording them the necessary protection. After researching and evaluating the best approaches, I settled on an old favorite content filtering solution that has served me well.

Scam ads are spoiling it for everyone

First, let me explain why ads are such an issue on modern Android.

I understand the irony of this piece; I work in the media industry and understand the importance and value of advertisements. They are a chief revenue tool that keeps developers, websites, and the internet at large running smoothly. However, there’s a problem when nefarious actors exploit the need for advertising to push scams.

I’ve seen many stories of users encountering ads that do everything possible to trick unsuspecting users. Numerous Reddit threads have highlighted similar issues, and many of us have encountered explicit ads on platforms that should be family-safe (hello again, YouTube).

This is where I draw a firm line. If companies can’t ensure the ads they push aren’t scammy, predatory, or borderline pornographic, I’d rather block them all. It’s a case of one bad apple spoiling the entire bunch.

The solution?

Since I no longer live with my parents, the solution necessitated a few considerations.

• Remote access and monitoring: I’d need easy access to the ad-blocking tool to update it, change settings, or disable it entirely if required. This means standalone ad-blocking apps like Blokada won’t work on my parents’ phones.
• Network-wide filtering: While phone ads are the main problem, these pop-ups are possible on other devices, too. They also use an older Android streaming box to watch content on their TV, which may need to be screened too. Therefore, I need a solution that could span their entire network.
• Preferably a free solution: While I’m not against paying for a service if required, a lengthy trial period that allows me to fully evaluate its efficacy would be ideal.
• One service, multiple profiles: I would appreciate a single service that works for my mom and dad via separate instances or profiles. They use their devices differently, and the solution should accommodate this.
• Simple setup: Finally, I need a set-it-and-forget-it solution that requires them to flick a single switch on their phones.

Your needs will likely shift depending on your household’s structure or if you’re setting up this solution for someone else entirely. But, considering all of the above, I settled on an old favorite ad-blocking solution, NextDNS.

I’ve previously covered NextDNS and explained how I use it on my own devices. Since readers suggested I try it, it has been a game-changer for filtering content on my phone.

Think of NextDNS as a fine-mesh digital net that allows preferred traffic through and catches undesirable content listed by user-selected blocklists. Part of its strength is its customizability and scalability. It works with any device that has a user-customizable DNS field and uses Android’s Private DNS slot to ensure all traffic — Wi-Fi and mobile — is filtered. This means it can work on phones, streaming boxes, PCs, and beyond, making it a one-size-fits-all solution for ads across a wide range of devices.

NextDNS has other perks. Free accounts are allowed 300,000 monthly DNS queries, which should be more than enough for my parents’ combined usage. I never break the 180,000-query barrier on my main phone or my old Android tablet, so there’s plenty of headroom for their phones and additional devices.

Best of all, NextDNS supports individual profiles, allowing me to set up a specific environment for each user and device.

I can manage all this remotely, and all that’s needed is to teach my parents how to enable Android’s Private DNS feature. That’s it.

How I set up NextDNS on my parents’ network

For a deeper rundown of how to implement NextDNS on your device or network, I’ll point you to my previous coverage. I suggest you use a desktop or laptop to set up NextDNS — I find it easier — but feel free to use a phone.

Here are the basics:

• Visit the NextDNS website and click Try it now. This will create a new temporary test account that you can save later.
• Since I planned to use our family email address for their NextDNS instance, I signed up immediately using these credentials.
• Once the account is created, tap the Profile dropdown at the top of the page and select New.
• Create as many separate profiles as required — these are effectively different instances of NextDNS, each with its own blocklist selections and other settings. I created two in addition to the default My First Profile.
• Next, I tapped the Allowlist tab on each profile and added any domains that I believe my parents may want to access but might be erroneously blocked by any blocklist I’ve selected.
• Lastly, I added the blocklists, which you can find in the Privacy tab. Tap Add a Blocklist and select HaGeZi Normal. This can be tweaked in the future if required.

Finally, once each of their NextDNS profiles was set up, I sent them the NextDNS DNS-over-TLS endpoint details and had them enter this address into the required Android Private DNS field. Note that the address should be an alphanumeric string followed by .dns.nextdns.io, and, more importantly, each profile will have a different string.

That’s it! NextDNS should be up and running, and you can verify this by visiting the Analytics or Logs tab.

Of course, this is just a start. I can now easily monitor their NextDNS profiles and tweak them remotely when required. But, safe to say, ads in third-party apps shouldn’t be a problem for my parents going forward.

It’s also worth noting that NextDNS is just one DNS filtering solution. AdGuard offers a similar service, while many other readers recommend ControlD.

DNS filtering is just one aspect of a multi-layered security approach

I’ll address the elephant in the room: While NextDNS certainly casts a wide net, it doesn’t eliminate every ad in every app.

DNS filtering is ineffective against services like YouTube that deliver ads and content via similar domains. Naturally, instances like these require alternative solutions.

For YouTube specifically, I would purchase a YouTube Premium Family account for me, my fiancée, and my parents, but my folks no longer live with me at the same address. The one thing that would have solved my dad’s YouTube ad problem once and for all is rendered ineffective by YouTube’s own address policy.

Since Google doesn’t want my money, I’ve resorted to popular alternatives: SmartTube on Android TV, and Libretube and Tubular on Android phones.

There are other problematic apps that will continue to serve deceitful ads, so I recommend keeping a keen eye on any messages you might receive from your loved ones. Common vulnerabilities appear to be PDF apps, so be sure to install a reliable reader on their device.

Additionally, if they encounter a rogue ad, be sure to ask them about the context surrounding it — which app they opened and, if they closed it, how they closed it. Also, ask them for a screenshot of the culprit; it’s pretty important for troubleshooting.

Furthermore, regularly comb through their devices, review their app permissions, and uninstall any apps they don’t explicitly need. Canta and Shizuku are your friends in this regard, as the former can reach far deeper than Android’s stock uninstallation capabilities.

Of course, security on Android needs constant vigilance and a multi-layered approach, whether ads are blocked or not.

I’ve given ads a fair chance, but I’ve seen the damage some of them can cause. I might be able to identify predatory PDF promotions masquerading as system-critical update notices, but many can’t, and this is the core problem with the current advertising system that I wish Google could address.

Worryingly, many of these scam ads appear in apps you can download from the Play Store. And as I’ve demonstrated, these ads can even surface in apps that Google offers users.

In short, Android can be a dangerous place for less tech-savvy family members. It’s why setting up a secure network and regularly checking their devices are among the best gifts you can give them.