Samsung Follows Apple With Android AdBlocker

Smartphone maker Samsung announced support for ad-blocking plugins on the default Web browser installed on its Android devices Sunday.

The update is being applied to those devices running the Android Lollipop and higher.

The update allows third-party developers to create plugins that will allow users to block all ads on their Web browsers. Ad blockers also strip out extra content and allow Web pages to load faster.

Ad-blocker developers are already releasing versions of their apps made for Samsung phones — Crystal and AdBlock Fast, the latter of which claims to have 200,000 users through Safari on iOS.

Google’s Chrome browser, the most popular browser on Android, currently doesn’t support ad blocking.

Ad blocking on the mobile Web became a divisive issue for those in the mobile marketing community last year after Apple announced that it was including ad-blocking software in its Safari Web browser. The practice of ad blocking is not new, but Apple’s announcement brought it under intense scrutiny from the media and various tech vendors.

Ad blockers quickly became some of the most popular apps on Apple’s app store, though their download rate fell rather abruptly after the initial hype was over. However, ad blockers are now nearly as popular on phones as they are on laptops and desktops.

Globally, according to a survey from GlobalWebIndex, at least 70% of users -- regardless of age group -- are either already blocking ads or are interested in doing so in the future.

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