Chrome update negates Blokada

Support
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Blokada 22.4.19, downloaded from web site, tablet (wi-fi only) w/ Android 9, Chrome 107.0.5304.141

Recently updated Chrome to current version. Immediately afterward, ad blocker test went from 99-100% to 10-12%. Multiple anamolies… adding additional block lists has no effect. Clearing the Activity list and running the ad test results in a new Activity list almost invariably listing 9 items, 8 of which are blocked and one that should be as has in the past is allowed. Repeating this procedure multiple times, and maybe once of 10 times, ALL of the web sites will show as green (allowed) but selecting one to block it displays it as red and already blocked. (N.B. in spite of the test showing 10-12% blocked, only those 9 sites appear in the Activity list, not all the other supposedly not blocked sites.

Final two notes… ads that before the Chrome update were blocked no longer are, and second, none of this applies to my Android 8.1 phone with the identical setup of Chrome and Blokada… it invariably shows 100% in the ad block test.

Anyone have any ideas? (I use the tablet due to a larger screen, making this super annoying.

2

Hi,
Did you try this?

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Forst of all, isn’t doing that a contradiction? To make this setting, you have to turn “Use secure DNS” back on, which is opposite what we have been told in the past.
Second, i did indeed try this, with absolutely no change in the results. Even setting to another provider, and setting that for Cloudflare made no difference.
Another anomaly however… with it set to “Use your current provider”, i cleared the activity list and ran the ad blocker test. The result on the Activity list was, as currently expected, the same 9 web sites, with the same one allowed and the others blocked. Without clearing the Activity list, i ran the test again. When i went back to the Activity list, it was as if the second test had never been done… the Activity list after the second test did not change a single item, nor did it add or subtract anything. The same after a going back to Chrome and running a third test… no change to the Activity list at all.

4

I’m experiencing the same issue

Downloaded newest Blokada release from the GitHub repository

And it shows that my ad blocking is completely ineffective

Screenshot_20221201_184235_Chrome
Screenshot_20221201_184235_Chrome1440×3088 251 KB

I’m on an Android Samsung Galaxy s22 ultra stock ROM

This is extremely frustrating because I’ve been using Blokada to block ads for a very very very very very very very very very very very very long time and it’s my go-to application to block not only ads but also tracking and telemetry it’s also my primary VPN to keep me safe secure and anonymous while online

Not being able to block ads tracking and telemetry defeats a lot of the anonymity that’s crucial for everyone’s online safety for everyone’s online safety

5

As a follow up, using 22.4.20…

For a long while, i have used the same 4 Blocklists and Cloudflare DNS. With the last two Chrome updates (107 and 108). For the following tests, i added a 5th blocklist, tested usind the ad blocker test, checked tha Activity list, cleared the added blocklist and added another.

Invariably, the ad blocker test indicated between 10 and 13% blocked, and the Activity list showed 9 or 10 web sites, the 9 blocked sites and sometimes a Samsung site allowed (although clearly from the site url, it is an ad/tracker site and should be blocked). It is important to note here that the Activity list was always the exact same url’s, in spite of clearing the list before each test.

Next test… clear the blocklists, and select each one in list order, always that blocklist and no other. Not really surprising, the ad blocker test was between 10 and 13% AND the Activity list remained the same for each blocklist… 9 or 10 items, always 9 blocked, sometimes a tenth allowed, and ALWAYS the same url’s.

Next test… deselect ALL blocklists and test again. I was no longer surprised to see 12% blocked on the blocker test, and the same 10 url’s in the Activity list.

Final test… force close Blokada and run ad blocker test. Not at all surprising, it said 12% blocked. Since Blokada was not running, i could not check the Activity list, but i would bet it read those same 10 url’s if it recorded the Activity when closed.

And before anyone asks, i ran a similar (though slightly less comprehensive) set of test uninstalling Blokada, and reinstalling each of the last 3 versions, both by upgrading to the next version and by uninstalling before installing the newer version. The results of those tests were the same as above. I haven’t tried testing with Chrome 106 as i don’t have access to it.

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I would try to test with another browser, Chrome can be unstable with this particular test.

Please try it and get back to me with the result that way we are 100% sure that the issue is not Chrome.

We can take it from there, also please share the log if your score is below 70% with another browser.

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Tested with Edge. Got 21%. Log sent to hello email.

1 Like
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Reply to sending log was nothing unusual appeared in the log. Suggestion was to try different combinations of blocklists and see if on changes things.

Well, after approx. 200 various test settings… running a blocklist alone, or in combinations of between 3 and 6 blocklists (including the list from the ad blocker test), there has been no change. Ad block test consistently reads between 10% and (VERY) occasionally, 13%, even if NO blocklist is selected, and when blocklist(s) selected, the Activity list consistently shows the same 9 or rarely, 10, blocked web sites, not just in number, but the same sites exactly…

Rebooting the tablet has no effect, nor does uninstalling Blokada and reinstalling it…

In practice, this is born out… ads are NOT blocked, whatever web site is visited (as long as it is ad supported). IOW, Blokada with Chrome for Android, v. 106, 107 or 108, on my Android 9 tablet does absolutely nothing. Indeed, turning off Blokada gives results no different than having Blokada running.

Any ideas, anyone? This is driving me crazy.

1 Like
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Googledoesnt work on my device

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