14 DAY TRIAL // Apparently, adblocking is a big thing on mobile phones, and Samsung can't help but follow Apple's move. The South Korean company has announced that its default browser preloaded on Galaxy smartphones will soon benefit from an adblocking feature.
Samsung's decision follows Apple's last year's move that introduced an ad block API into its iOS mobile platform, thus allowing users to block ads on their handsets.
The new API added to Samsung's Internet browser works in the same way, and it allows Galaxy owners to block certain content on smartphones.
Samsung and Adblock Fast developer Rocketship have announced that the adblocking feature will arrive on Galaxy devices powered by Android as an OTA (over the air) update.
The said update will be rolled out worldwide beginning today, but it's not available for any other mobile browser besides Samsung Internet browser, version 4.0 and up.
While this is the default browser on most Samsung handsets, there's a slight possibility that some are using other mobile browsers on their smartphones. If that's the case, then you must download Samsung Internet browser directly from Google Play store.
As soon as the update arrives on your Samsung smartphone, you can enable Adblock Fast within the browser, but if you already have the application installed, simply tap Help to get to the menu where you can enable the adblocking feature.
Aside from blocking ads, Adblock Fast developers also claim their application accelerates page loading by more than 50% on average.
If you want to download AdBlock Fast from Google Play Store, keep in mind that the application requires Android 5.0 Lollipop or higher. However, the application will soon be fully compatible with Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich devices as well.
Not compatible with Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 yet
Those who own much newer Galaxy smartphones will not be able to use this feature yet. Surprisingly, Samsung Internet browser for Android does not support high-end devices like Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, and Galaxy S6 edge+.
The South Korean company has promised that Samsung Internet Browser version 4.0 will soon be available for Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy note 3, galaxy Note 4, and Galaxy Note 5.
Samsung's official statement mentions that these Galaxy smartphones should be compatible with Samsung Internet browser sometime “in the first quarter of 2016,” so some of them might already support the application.
We've checked for compatibility on both Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S5, and Samsung Internet browser is not supported yet.
The moment you receive the OTA update with the latest version of the browser, you will be able to take advantage of Adblock Fast as well.
That being said, It remains to be seen what effect this move towards adblocking on mobile will have on the long run, as most sites providing content online rely on advertising revenue.
