Most phone ads come from apps, browser settings, or notification permissions, not the phone itself. Knowing how to remove ads from phone starts with identifying what type of ad you are seeing, then applying the right fix for your device. The steps below cover both Android and iPhone.
What Type of Ad Is Showing Up on Your Phone?
Before changing any settings, it helps to know what you are actually dealing with. The fix for a notification ad is completely different from the fix for a browser pop-up. Getting this wrong means you could spend twenty minutes in the wrong settings menu and still see the same ads.
Here is a breakdown of the five most common types:
In-app ads show up inside free apps while you are using them. These are built into the app deliberately by the developer as a way to earn money from free users.
Browser pop-ups appear in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Brave. These are usually caused by a website you visited granting itself notification or pop-up permission, or occasionally by an adware app interfering with your browser.
Notification ads appear in your phone's notification tray, alongside your messages and alerts. Some apps push promotional content as notifications even when you are not using them.
Lock screen ads show up on your lock screen before you unlock your phone. These are more common on budget Android devices and are often tied to a specific app's settings.
Home screen or full-screen pop-ups appear suddenly over whatever you are doing. These are the most disruptive type and are almost always caused by a background app, sometimes one you installed weeks ago and forgot about.
Ad Type Quick Reference
|
Ad Type |
Where It Appears |
Likely Cause |
Fix Method |
Platform |
|
In-app ads |
Inside an open app |
Free app monetisation |
Upgrade app or use ad blocker |
Both |
|
Browser pop-ups |
Chrome, Safari, Firefox |
Site permissions or adware app |
Browser settings or uninstall app |
Both |
|
Notification ads |
Notification tray |
App notification permission enabled |
Revoke notification access |
Both |
|
Lock screen ads |
Lock screen |
OEM setting or specific app |
App settings or uninstall |
Android |
|
Home screen pop-ups |
Full screen, any time |
Background app or adware |
Identify and uninstall app |
Android |
In practice, most people dealing with sudden random ads are experiencing either notification ads or full-screen pop-ups from a recently installed app. Those two types are also the easiest to fix without any third-party tools.
How to Remove Ads from Phone on Android
If you are trying to figure out how to remove ads from phone on an Android device, the approach depends on where the ads are appearing. The steps below are arranged so you can work through them in order without skipping.
Note that Settings menu labels can vary slightly across manufacturers. Samsung Galaxy, Xiaomi, and OnePlus devices may use different wording than stock Android (Google Pixel), but the options themselves exist on all of them.
Step 1: Find the App That Is Causing the Ads
This is the step most people skip, and it is the most important one. If you do not find the source, every other fix is temporary.
Open the Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, and go to Manage Apps and Device. Sort by "Last Used." Look for any app you do not recognise or one you have not opened recently that still appears as recently active. That is your most likely culprit.
If you want to isolate the problem more precisely, restart your phone in Safe Mode. On most Android devices, press and hold the power button, then long-press the "Power Off" option until a Safe Mode prompt appears. In Safe Mode, only pre-installed apps run. If the ads stop in Safe Mode, a third-party app is definitely causing them. You can then uninstall recently installed apps one at a time until the ads stop.
Step 2: Turn Off Notification Ads on Android
If ads are arriving in your notification tray, you can stop them quickly without uninstalling anything.
When an ad notification arrives, long-press it. A toggle will appear that lets you turn off notifications for that specific app immediately.
To manage all notification permissions at once, go to Settings, then Notifications, then App Notifications. From here you can scroll through every app and turn off notifications for any app that has no reason to be sending you alerts.
Step 3: Remove Lock Screen Ads on Android
Lock screen ads are usually tied to a specific app's settings rather than a system-wide option. Open the app you suspect is responsible, go into its settings, and look for options labelled "lock screen," "screen ads," or "display on lock screen."
If you cannot find a setting, or the app does not give you the option to disable it, uninstalling the app is the most reliable fix.
Step 4: Block Ads in Chrome on Android
To stop pop-up ads on phone through Chrome, open the Chrome app and tap the three-dot menu in the top right. Go to Settings, then Site Settings. Tap "Pop-ups and Redirects" and make sure it is turned off. Then go back and tap "Ads" and turn that off too.
To stop a specific website from sending notifications, go to that site in Chrome, tap the lock icon or info icon next to the address bar, tap Permissions, then Notifications, and turn it off.
Step 5: Block Ads in Samsung Internet (Galaxy Devices)
Open Samsung Internet and tap the three-line menu. Go to Settings, then Sites and Downloads, and toggle on "Block Pop-Ups." Go back to the main menu and select "Ad Blockers." Samsung Internet supports ad blocker extensions that you can download directly from this menu.
Step 6: Block Ads in Firefox or Brave on Android
If you use Firefox on Android, you can install uBlock Origin directly from the Firefox add-ons menu. This is one of the most effective ways to block ads on Android in a browser without needing a separate app.
Brave browser has ad blocking built in by default. No setup is needed. If you have been using Chrome or another browser and ads are a persistent problem, switching to Brave for everyday browsing removes most browser-based ads immediately.
Step 7: Turn Off Personalised Ads on Android
This does not remove ads. It is worth saying clearly because a lot of guides skip over it. Turning off personalised ads means the ads you see become less targeted to your interests. You will still see ads. They will just be less relevant to you.
To adjust this, go to Settings, then Google, then All Services. Under Privacy and Security, tap "Ads" then "Ad Privacy." From here you can manage ad topics, app-suggested ads, and ad measurement independently.
Step 8: Turn Off Personalised Ads on Samsung Galaxy
For Samsung-specific ads, open Settings, tap your Samsung Account, go to Privacy, then Customisation Service, and toggle it off. Again, this reduces personalisation, not the total number of ads.
Step 9: Use Private DNS to Block Ads on Android
This is the most effective system-wide method to block ads on Android without installing a separate app, and almost no mainstream guide covers it.
Go to Settings, then Connections (or Network and Internet on stock Android), then More Connection Settings, and tap Private DNS. Select "Private DNS Provider Hostname" and type: dns.adguard.com
Save it. Your phone will now route DNS requests through AdGuard's servers, which block known ad and tracker domains before they ever reach your apps or browser. This works across most apps, not just browsers. It does not block ads inside apps that serve them from the same domain as their content, but it significantly reduces ad frequency across the board.
How to Remove Ads on iPhone
iPhone gives you fewer system-wide controls than Android, but the options available are straightforward. iOS also has stronger built-in privacy protections, which means aggressive adware is far less common on iPhones than on Android devices.
Step 1: Turn Off Notification Ads on iPhone
Go to Settings, then Notifications. Scroll through your apps and tap any app that is sending you promotional notifications. Turn off "Allow Notifications" for that app. You can also turn off specific notification types (banners, sounds, badges) rather than blocking all notifications from an app entirely, which is useful for apps you still want real alerts from.
Step 2: Block Pop-Up Ads in Safari
Open Settings, scroll down to Safari, and make sure "Block Pop-ups" is turned on. Also enable "Fraudulent Website Warning" while you are there. It will not block ads broadly, but it will stop certain redirect-based pop-ups that try to send you to fake pages.
Step 3: Block Ads in Chrome or Firefox on iPhone
If you use Chrome on iPhone, go into the Chrome app settings, tap Content Settings, then Block Pop-ups, and enable it. For per-site notifications, visit the site, tap the lock icon, and revoke notification permission.
Firefox on iPhone supports content blocker extensions. Go to Settings within Firefox, tap Extensions, and you can add a content blocker that filters ads across your browsing sessions.
Step 4: Turn Off Personalised Ads on iPhone
Go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Apple Advertising. Turn off "Personalised Ads." As with Android, this reduces how targeted the ads are. It does not make ads disappear from free apps.
Step 5: Use a Content Blocker on iPhone
Content blockers are the closest iPhone equivalent to an ad blocker app. Install one from the App Store (AdGuard and 1Blocker are among the well-known options). After installing, go to Settings, then Safari, then Extensions, and enable the content blocker there.
Content blockers on iPhone work primarily within Safari. They cannot block ads inside other apps. For broader coverage, some content blocker apps include a DNS-filtering mode that works similarly to the Private DNS method on Android.
Cross-Platform Option: Ad Blocker Apps
If working through individual settings feels like too much maintenance, a dedicated ad blocker for phone use handles most of it automatically.
Ad Blocker Apps for Android
On Android, DNS-based ad blockers like AdGuard work without requiring root access. They set up a local VPN connection on your device to filter traffic before it loads. This means they can block ads in browsers and, to a degree, in apps as well.
Ad Blocker Apps for iPhone
On iPhone, content blockers from the App Store work within Safari. For system-wide blocking, some apps offer a DNS filtering mode that operates similarly to AdGuard DNS on Android.
What Ad Blockers Can and Cannot Do
Ad blockers are effective at removing browser-based ads and many tracker-based ads in apps. What they generally cannot block are ads that come from the same server as the app's own content, which is how most major apps (streaming services, social platforms) serve their ads. Those require an upgrade to the paid version of the app.
When Paying for an App Is the Simplest Fix
For in-app ads specifically, the most reliable fix is paying for the ad-free version of the app if one exists. Ad blockers rarely touch in-app ads from well-built apps, and the cost of removing them through other means (time, configuration) often exceeds what the upgrade costs.
When Phone Ads Could Mean Adware or Malware
Most phone ads are annoying but normal. They come from apps deliberately built to show them. Adware is different. It is software that shows ads without your knowledge, often installed alongside another app. As reported by TechCrunch, some adware pushes ads to your lock screen and runs in the background to generate fraudulent revenue, all without you noticing.
Signs That Suggest Adware Rather Than Normal Ads
These patterns are worth paying attention to:
- Ads appear when no app is open and your phone screen turns on
- Your browser homepage has changed without you changing it
- Apps you do not remember installing are present on your device
- Your battery is draining noticeably faster than usual
- Your phone runs warm even when idle
If you are seeing several of these at once, the problem is likely adware rather than a standard app showing normal ads.
How to Check and Remove Adware on Android
Open the Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, and go to Play Protect. Tap "Scan" to run a check. Play Protect scans installed apps against known malware signatures. If it finds something, it will prompt you to remove it.
You can also run a manual check by booting into Safe Mode (as described earlier) and uninstalling any apps you do not recognise. Teams who manage Android devices at scale commonly report that a large proportion of adware cases trace back to apps installed outside the Play Store.
As noted by Fortune, malware-laden apps have repeatedly appeared in the Play Store itself after being disguised as legitimate tools, which is why avoiding unfamiliar apps from unknown developers remains one of the most practical preventive steps regardless of where they were downloaded from.
How to Check for Malware on iPhone
Genuine malware on iPhone is rare due to Apple's app review process and iOS sandboxing. If you are experiencing persistent browser redirects or unusual behaviour, the most likely cause is a website granting itself notification permission, or a Safari setting that needs resetting. Go to Settings, then Safari, then "Clear History and Website Data." Also check Settings, then Safari, then "Advanced," then "Website Data," and remove any unfamiliar entries.
If the problem persists after that, a factory reset is the most thorough option, though it is rarely needed.
Conclusion
To remove ads from your phone, start by identifying the ad type, then apply the fix that matches your platform. Notification and pop-up ads are the easiest to stop. Private DNS on Android and content blockers on iPhone cover the broadest range. If nothing works, adware may be the cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I suddenly have ads on my phone?
A recently installed app is the most common reason. Check your Google Play or App Store install history for anything added in the past few weeks and remove it. Apps with aggressive ad behaviour often start showing ads after a short delay to avoid immediate uninstalls.
Does turning off personalised ads remove all ads?
No. Turning off personalised ads reduces how targeted they are, but ads continue to appear in free apps and websites. The only way to remove in-app ads fully is to upgrade to a paid version or use an ad blocker where it is effective.
Can I block all ads on my phone for free?
Largely yes for browser ads. Private DNS on Android (dns.adguard.com) and a free content blocker on iPhone handle most browser-based ads at no cost. In-app ads from major apps are harder to block without paying for the app.
Is it safe to use ad blocker apps?
Ad blockers from reputable developers are generally safe. Be cautious with unknown VPN-based ad blockers, as they can route your traffic through servers you have no visibility into. Stick to widely reviewed options with clear privacy policies.
Why are ads appearing on my lock screen?
Lock screen ads on Android are almost always caused by a specific app that has permission to display content on the lock screen. Go into that app's settings and look for a lock screen or display option. If none exists, uninstalling the app removes the ads.
