Blokada 5 vs Blokada 6

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After the recent changes, we noticed that there was some confusion between the two apps. That’s why we decided to drop the Blokada Libre name and go back to naming Blokada variants 5 & 6 along with some minor updates to Blokada 5.

The purpose of this article is to clarify and display the main differences between Blokada 5 and Blokada 6, and to avoid the mix-up between the two apps.

Find the main differences between the Blokada 5 and 6:

Comparison Blokada 5 Blokada 6
Is it paid? No Yes
Where can I install it? Blokada’s main website Google Play Store & Apple App Store
OS requires Android 5 and above Android 9 and above
How does it work? It uses a local VPN method It connects your device to the cloud server
Is it going to be updated? Yes Yes and will come with new advanced features
Does it work with VPN (Blokada Plus)? Yes Yes
Ability to whitelist apps Yes No(due to the technical limitations)
Blue mode Libre Cloud

To sum it up, the Blokada variants will be streamlined in the following way:

  • Blokada 6, on Google Play and App Store, requires a subscription, higher OS requirements, new advanced features
  • Blokada 5, on blokada.org, no subscription required, lower OS requirements, no new advanced features but still gets updated.

Blokada 5 updates:

Blokada v22Q3B came with fixes to the QuickSettings toggle, strange date formatting in the Settings tab, and misreporting connectivity problem while there is none, and many more…

Blokada v22Q3D came with new fixes to “search” misbehavior in the Activity Screen, and a new fix to “Networks screen” perms onboarding flow (user will need to manually grant location in system settings for the networks feature o work properly. Use “always allow” instead of “allow when using the app”), we also added some minor bugfixes from beta testing.

The usual notes:

You can perform a test of your adblocking configuration by visiting this link:

https://go.blokada.org/test

Don’t forget to check the changelog for info about the latest releases.

Keep the feedback coming, and enjoy using Blokada!

Hope you are well!

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Hello
Blokada is a great app
We respect your effort
The only thing missing is the lack of location it would be great if you add more countries location
Thank you Blokada family :pray::pray:

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Thanks for your support, we will definitely be working on some locations soon.

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Several problems…

  1. you modified the web site to read Android 9 or newer for Blokada 5, but haven’t changed it back for 222q3d

  2. Downloaded and installed 222q3d on my Android 8.1 phone. It installed fine (due to experience on my tablet, i uninstalled Blokada 5 before installing 222q3d) however, it won’t run. Attempting to run it results in the opening screen (white with just the shield) and then it locks up the phone. Need to use the one thing that works, the recent apps button, and shut it down from there.

  3. Installing clean, Blokada 5.21 on phone, and 222q3d on tablet results in OISD as the default blocklist (which is okay) but an Exceptions list of some 125 or more entries. Out of curiousity, i left 222q3d at default and ran the d3ward test. Checking the Activity lists shows all those sites blocked, but without the indicator from the blocklist. IOW, they were all blocked without OISD, simply using the list in Exceptions.

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I have exactly the same problem. Got back to 5.21. 0 on Android 8

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Anyone getting this “freeze on start” situation, it’d be good if you try “clear data” (in System Settings → Applications → Blokada 5) and start again to see if it helps.

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(1) Wait, you can install Blokada 5 on Android 5 (Lollipop)? Is that for real or is it just a typo?

Because, if it is for real, maybe “upgrading” to Blokada 5 will fix the problem I’ve been having with Blokada 4!

Although, if it is a typo, would you mind explaining to me how I can share a log with hello@blokada.org?

(2) When you say “minor updates” as opposed to “new advanced features”, does that mean there will be no implementation of new features on Blokada 5, only minor bugfixes? All those features requests that have been piling up since the Blokada 4 → Blokada 5 move — most of which are requests for features that Blokada 4 already had that were discontinued in Blokada 5 to be reimplemented — will be ignored as Blokada 5 is now just a legacy version?

PS: would you mind adding to the table (maybe as a parenthesis on the “how does it work?” roll, or maybe as a separate roll “can it whitelist apps?”) that Blokada 5 can whitelist individual apps while Blokada 6 cannot?

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In the top right corner, you’ll find the option to “share the log”

sure

This is still in discussions internally, I’ll share an update once we have more info about this

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Thank you! Log shared successfully!

PS: You didn’t answer if Blokada 5 can be installed on Android 5, though

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Cleared both files and cache, prior to unistalling 222q3d, and yet again after install. Question… Blokada 5 is set to backup to the cloud. Perhaps that needs be turned off too, before uninstalling Blokada 5, and turned back on after 2222q3d is installed?

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Well we haven’t tested it yet but it can be installed on Android 5, please try it out and let us know how it works.

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There has been no change to the file available on the web site (identical Checksums to the previously downloaded file), and as stated in the post above this, i did try it again, including using your suggestion of clearing the files, both before uninstalling Blokada 5 and after installing 222q3d. That results in an install tge same as before… it won’t run and locks up the phone.

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It’s written in the comparison table:
Blokada 5 works on Android 5 and above :wink:

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Yes, but I was asking whether this was a typo or for real. I had always been told that Blokada 4 was for Android 5 or newer and Blokada 5 was for Android 7 or newer, recently I heard someone say the latest B5 versions didn’t work on anything older than Android 9.

EDIT: I just realised I hadn’t seen @Reda_Labdaoui’s answer to that (post 12) when I posted this :$ my bad, sorry

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I updated from version 5.21.0 to 5.22.Q3D and at least on my S21 Ultra it seems to work fine, but it’s Android 12.

Also all the settings, blocklists, rules, logs, etc. have been adopted correctly.

Screenshot of the Settings section (at the bottom):

Screenshot_20220731-080334_Blokada 5
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Checksums of blokada5-22q3d.apk are…

MD5: 45:3a:0d:c6:0f:bd:01:3b:2c:b5:ef:45:bf:2a:c2:30

SHA1: 6c:73:39:9d:5b:26:cd:2a:78:53:af:2e:b9:c3:e6:4c:c7:e3:fd:20

SHA256: 88:db:b6:ce:43:e0:2a:15:b2:9b:2e:ea:40:b0:04:ee:19:80:61:1c:92:21:33:c3:ce:75:32:2c:ec:a0:e7:e0

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I have been a paid member for blokada for quite some time now and recently upgraded to 6.2.0. Great work! At least Netflix is unblocked. Just a quick question, when I visit the what’s my IP address websites, they’re showing my exact location and not the selected vpn location. In blokada 5 the website showed my location as NY when I opted for NY location in the app. Not sure if that is something that’s changed. I also couldn’t find the option to show the always on vpn in my notifications. Maybe the options have been moved or something?

I’m currently on Xiaomi 10 running Android 12 running miui 13

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Thanks for the clarification @Reda_Labdaoui

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Yes we are changing the requirements a bit. Our idea is as following:

  • Blokada 6 is for Android 9 or higher
  • Blokada 5 is for Android 5 or higher

So for Blokada 5 we have actually just lowered the requirement (from Android 7 to 5), to try to cover for the same range of devices as Blokada 4. Just keep in mind we haven’t tested if the oldest devices indeed can run B5. We are looking for the feedback on this :slight_smile:

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The option you are looking for is called “Keep alive” and you can Find it in Blokada → Settings tab → This device.

Regarding the VPN, it depends if you are running in the Cloud mode (blue color) or Plus mode (orange color). The former sets up a private DNS for you, and the latter sets up the VPN.

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Thank you for reporting back. If you are willing to help debug this problem I would be happy to provide you with a special apk build that will let me identify what is the reason for the freeze you are experiencing. Please PM me in this case.

Also anyone experiencing similar issue and willing to help troubleshoot it, feel free to PM me.

3 Likes