AdAway is an open-source Android application that blocks advertising and tracking domains with either a system hosts file on rooted devices or a local VPN-based method on devices without root.
Device-Wide Domain Blocking
Combine maintained hosts sources with personal allowlists and blocklists to control which domains Android applications can resolve.
Root Hosts Mode
On a rooted device, AdAway updates the system hosts configuration so matching domains are blocked before applications establish their connections.
Non-Root VPN Mode
A local VPN option provides domain filtering without root and can exclude selected applications when they should bypass the filter.
Custom Sources and Rules
Users can combine multiple hosts sources and maintain personal allowlist or blocklist entries for site-specific control.
Open-Source Project
The application is developed publicly under the GPL and provides issue tracking, documentation, and translation resources through its project repository.
Root and VPN Modes Compared
| Mode | Requirement | How Filtering Is Applied | Important Consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root hosts | Root access | AdAway builds and applies a hosts file that redirects listed domains at the operating-system resolver level. | It does not occupy Android's VPN slot, but modifying the active hosts configuration requires root. |
| Local VPN | No root required | A foreground local VPN service evaluates domain traffic on the device and applies the configured rules. | Android normally permits one active VPN service at a time; selected applications can be excluded from AdAway's VPN handling. |
Hosts Sources and Personal Rules
AdAway retrieves domain lists from configured hosts sources and combines them into the active filtering configuration. Users can add sources recommended by the project's documentation, disable a source that is too broad, and maintain personal rules for domains that need different treatment.
Allow rules
Restore a domain required by an application or website when a source list blocks it and causes missing content, failed sign-in, or another functional problem.
Block rules
Add a domain that is not covered by the selected sources. Domain-based filtering cannot remove advertising delivered from the same host as required application content.
Documented Android Permissions
The application uses internet access to retrieve hosts sources and application updates. Network-state access lets VPN mode respond to connection changes, while boot and foreground-service permissions keep the local VPN available when that mode is enabled.
Notification permission covers source updates, application updates, and VPN controls, with individual notification categories configurable in the app. Package-query access supports choosing apps that bypass VPN mode, and install-package permission is used by the built-in updater. The upstream project describes bug-report telemetry as opt-in.
Installation and Release Channels
Current AdAway releases require Android 8 Oreo or newer. Stable builds are intended for everyday use and are published through the project's established distribution channels, while preview builds may contain recent fixes intended for testing.