Samsung Releases Ad-Blocking Mobile Browser

Samsung has struck an unlikely blow in support of ad-blockers in the latest version of its mobile browser.

Version 4.0 of the company’s ‘Internet’ app now comes with built-in ad-blocking capability, meaning that users are able to surf the web without being constantly interrupted by annoying adverts.

The update is available to download for free now on any Samsung device running Android 5.0 or above, which means that the likes of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are all supported.

Cluttered

Samsung itself won’t be doing the blocking, however, with the update simply allowing the installation of third-party ad-blockers as part of the app’s ‘Content Blocker’ function, which the company says will allow users “to browse the web with less clutter”.

Among the other updates in the app is the inclusion of private browsing for the first time, thanks to Samsung’s ‘Secret Mode’, which, the company says, helps users protect their security and privacy while browsing the web.

Users will need to set up authentication to use the feature, which can be boosted with fingerprint scanning for even higher levels of security.

Adblocking functions on Android devices have proved to be a hot-button issue in recent times, as consumers look for a quicker and less obstructed way to browse online.

Most notably, AdBlock Plus, one of the leading services to offer such protection, returned to both ios and Android back in October following a protracted legal wrangle concerning the issues of stopping ads.

The app has been downloaded more than 400 million times so far, and apparently offers improvements in web page load times, battery life, and can even prevent malware disguised as ads from infiltrating your device.

These features have unsurprisingly made it very popular with its users, but less so by publishers. Last month, a report suggested that online publishers could lose out on $21.8 billion (£14.1bn) of advertising revenue in 2015 due to the increasing use of ad blocking software.

In July, a Canadian university study has found that using the Adblock Plus browser extension can save between 25 and 40 percent network bandwidth if deployed across an internal enterprise network.

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