Samsung follows Apple’s lead, updates its Android browser with ad blocking

[Wireless News]

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/ORqrXxwsVeNmWfcG5FswVA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/e4fcb3ef1c185d19883b3e8a1b670955 (http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-follows-apple-lead-updates-224022970.html)Jealous of iPhone users who-don’t have to look at ads when browsing the Web? Well envy them no more because Samsung has updated its Android browser app — which has the catchy name “Internet” — giving it the ability to block ads as well. The new feature doesn’t automatically block ads however. Users will need to install an ad blocker app from Google Play. Adblock Fast and Crystal are the first two compatible apps. AdBlock Free is already available on iOS and desktop versions of Chrome and Opera. It has over 200,000 users and is free to install. Crystal is also available on iOS. Related: The Brave browser says it will ‘fix the Web’ with no ads and no tracking One of the biggest reasons to use ad-blocking software is speed. For example, using the Adblock Fast app along with the Samsung Internet app decreases load times on Android by about 51 percent. The other big advantage is that less data is consumed, which extends those data caps. Adblock Fast Unfortunately, this new ad blocking support is only compatible with Android Marshmallow, which means that only a handful of Samsung users can enjoy it. Samsung does plan on adding it to Lollipop devices in the coming months though. It’s unclear how popular ad blocking is with consumers. Ad blocking apps were ranked highly when Apple first introduced that functionality with iOS, but the ranking for them has since dropped. And mainstream consumers aren’t jumping on board just yet. It’s important to point out that ad blocking is only allowed with the Samsung Internet app, not with Google’s Chrome browser, which also comes pre-installed on Samsung phones. The Chrome browser doesn’t support ad blocking, and it probably won’t for sometime. Ad revenues play a significant role in Google’s profitability, but do not for Samsung and Apple. Related: Study: iOS 9 ad blockers save iPhone users time, data, and money Android users who-don’t have a Samsung device will soon have the ability to use the Brave browser, which was created by former-Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich. It’s a browser with built-in ad blocking capabilities, but it will support publishers. The app is now in beta testing for both Android and iOS. Also watch: Apple iPhone 6S Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Please enable Javascript to watch this video



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