Android owners - Get TrackerControl
f-droid.org
Title.
There's also a version on the Play Store, but you should definitely get the F-Droid version. It's the one with the full features enabled.
It lets you fully block some apps' access to the internet, including system apps. Depending on your phone manufacturer, like Xiaomi and Samsung, they can be extremely invasive and show ads on your stock apps.
These types of apps are great. Unfortunately they use a VPN to limit apps' Internet usage, which means I can't use it at the same time as a vpn. I have tailscale running 24/7 on my phone, so it's either this app, or tailscale.
I use Rethink DNS, which you can use either as a vpn app, or just as a customisable dns.
Interesting app, but it has the same problem. I can't use a vpn at the same time.
You can just use your dns setting in your Android dns settings, and then you can use a vpn too. It'll be up to the vpn whether it respects the dns or not.
I see. But then you don't get the firewall functionality of these privacy apps.
You get some of it, as the blocklists contain the domains these apps connect to. Like adblocks. Not as refined as a fw, but you can use a vpn at the same time and it doesn't impact the battery.
Makes sense. Unfortunately doesn't fix my use case. I want to block apps from accessing the Internet and use a VPN at the same time.
I'm guessing if I'm already using adguard I don't need this, right?
Yeah, I think so. I'm also using AdGuard.
According to AdGuard it's blocked around 2,500 trackers and 24,000 requests just in the last 24hrs. Every app must be constantly connecting - staggering!
Just learned yesterday about duckduckgo's app tracker blocker - is this essentially the same ??
I haven't tried that DDG app tracker blocker, but if it acts as a "local VPN", then it probably works the same.
It does act as a VPN and puts the VPN icon on the top right (android)
Tried tracker control it works very well
Any guides recommended for dummies like me?
I don't think it should be too difficult to set up and understand what's going on.
Download it, install it, run it. Click on the listed apps to toggle whether you want them to be monitored (toggling this off means the app will be "ignored" by TrackerControl), if they can access the internet, or if you only want to block certain general categories (advertising, tracking, others). Some of the blocked domains that show up on those categories can be allowed by tapping them, the text will display if they're allowed or blocked.
Running it can make some apps not work properly. If manually allowing some stuff doesn't work, simply stop monitoring said app. I have to do this with some shopping apps: i stop monitoring them, finish the checkout, pay, turn monitoring back on.
If you already use a VPN app, then TC won't work, since it acts as a "local VPN"
I hope this response was useful and helpful. If not, please do say so and I'll try to make things clearer ;)
Many thanks!