Introducing Blokada Cloud
Blokada Cloud is our new adblocking solution with zero performance and battery usage overhead. It is based on our secure DNS servers, and since it is not using the fake VPN approach known from the original Blokada, it’s more reliable across a wide selection of devices.
Blokada Cloud is available as a web platform with setup instructions for a wide range of devices, as well as two native apps for both Android and iOS.
Benefits of Blokada Cloud
Blokada Cloud is based on an entirely different technical solution compared to the original Blokada. This brings several major improvements:
- No noticeable effect on device speed and network speed
- No battery drain
- Much more reliable and stable compared to the original solution
- No need to run our app in the background
- Possible to use in combination with any third party VPN with web setup
- Native apps for Android and iOS for the easiest setup, and seamless integration with Blokada Plus VPN
- Possible to use Blokada Plus VPN through Wireguard app (on any platform) and have the adblocking out of the box
- Any device supporting DNS over HTTPS or DNS over TLS protocols can be used
- Ability to manage configuration of all connected devices remotely from our dashboard
- Fixes the adblocking issues experienced by iOS users introduced by the iOS 14.5 update
Minimal requirements
The following platforms are currently supported. Some manual configuration may be required at the moment, as we are working on making the setup more straightforward.
- An Android device supporting the Private DNS feature (Android 9 or higher)
- An iOS device (iPhone, iPad) with iOS 14 or newer
- A macOS device with macOS 11 or newer
- A PC with Windows 10 or newer (manual configuration required)
- A modern Linux distro (manual configuration required)
- A modern up to date web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave)
- A router with support for “DNS over HTTPS” or “DNS over TLS” protocol
- A platform with Wireguard support (when used with Blokada VPN)
How to enable Blokada Cloud
Android
Simply click here to download Blokada Cloud from the PlayStore. Follow the onboarding instructions in-app for a proper setup.
iOS
Simply click here to download Blokada Cloud from the App Store. The app will guide you with the setup.
The web panel (other platforms)
Blokada Cloud can be accessed and managed in our web dashboard. You can use it for setup instructions on platforms other than Android and iOS. You can also manage your blocklists and see the activity log same as you can with the native apps. Your account ID is what connects all your devices.
Log in to your account
To access the Blokada Dashboard, simply go to:
… and then enter your account ID. You can find your ID in Blokada mobile app, by navigating to Settings → My Account
Make sure you do not misspell your account ID. There is no digits, only lowercase latin letters.
Set up your devices
Once you log in, you’ll see the new black section on the Home screen. Simply tap it to navigate to setup guides:
Choose your device from the dropdown to see setup instructions for this type of device. The first option is the recommended one.
Follow the setup instructions on your device. After that, you are done! You may test the adblocking by navigating to this testing page on the device you just configured:
You should be getting a solid score by default. To achieve 100% please enable the dedicated d3host list but make sure to pair it with different lists since it itself is rather small.
How to configure Blokada Cloud
The default setup allows you to easily activate adblocking on any device, with our (always up to date) selection of blocklists. This selection is equivalent to the default configuration of our Blokada 5 app, so if you are used to that, there is nothing else you need to do.
However, similar to the original Blokada, you may fine tune your configuration by managing active blocklists, or creating exceptions necessary for your particular device or network.
You may also activate logging, so that you can monitor your devices’ activity in real time. This is optional, and you don’t have to activate this option at all, if you wish for Blokada to not store any of your logs whatsoever.
Manage active blocklists
Simply navigate to the “Blocklists” section in the sidebar. You’ll find a list very similar to the one you know from the Blokada 5 app. Choose your blocklists and their configurations as you wish.
All configuration changes are applied in real time to all your devices.
Manage blocking exceptions
Navigate to the “Exceptions” section in the sidebar. Add and remove hosts to either always block them, or always allow. The exceptions always take precedence before the blocklists. Again, it is equivalent to what you are familiar with from Blokada 5.
Monitor device activity
Once you navigate to the “Activity” or “Stats” sections for the first time, you will see a popup to allow logging. As mentioned above, this is necessary for the monitoring feature to work. You may disable logging anytime by tapping on the gear icon in top right of the Activity screen.
Once enabled, you’ll be able see the activity list from all of your connected devices, in real time. You may sort, filter and search this list. Tap the circular arrows button for auto refresh. Finally, tap on any item if you wish to create an exception for it.
Last but not least, navigate to the “Stats” section for a quick overview of all device activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Blokada app to use Blokada Cloud?
No, but it is recommended for Android and iOS, since it makes for a much easier experience. Other than that, the setup instructions described above, will utilise operating system features, and as such, do not require any additional app to be running in the background.
Can I use it together with Blokada Plus VPN?
Yes. The native apps support Blokada Plus seamlessly. The alternative way is to use the Wireguard app, and install Blokada VPN profile (you can generate it using Blokada Dashboard). This profile will be already preconfigured to use Blokada Cloud DNS.
Can I use Blokada Cloud together with any VPN?
You should be able to run any VPN app you wish. Depending on your platform, the system may or may not respect your Blokada Cloud configuration while VPN is active. You’ll need to test it by checking the Activity section in our dashboard panel, and / or using the adblocking testing page (as described above).
Is my data stored? Where is the Privacy Policy?
No, by default your query data is not stored at all. That’s why you will not see anything in the Activity or Stats sections either. If you enable logging, then you’ll be able to use those features. In that case, your query data will be stored only for the chosen time period (see the instructions above). The privacy policy is available here.
When I cannot use Blokada Cloud?
There are several possible reasons when you don’t want to use it. We are working on addressing those in the future:
- Your device is too old and it does not support DoH / DoT (see the Requirements section)
- You have to access network DNS on some networks (eg. work WiFi), LAN hostnames, or need to configure different DNS for different networks
- You prefer more stable software and are OK to wait as we improve its quality (this is early beta!)
Troubleshooting
This is the very early version of Blokada Cloud, so you may experience some hurdles along the way. In case you do, don’t hesitate to let us know, either here on the forum, or just create a ticket through our support chat.
We hope you will find our new solution useful and are curious what you think!