Samsung Android Browser Gets Ad-Blocking Support

Samsung is jumping the ad-block bandwagon by adding support for the technology on its own Android browser.

Right now, it only works on phones running Android Marshmallow, but is coming soon to Lollipop. Once you upgrade to or install Samsung Internet browser version 4.0, you can install third-party ad-blocking apps/extensions and rid the mobile browser of intrusive ads.

The first app to take advantage of this is Adblock Fast. To enable it, open the app, press "Help," and follow the instructions (i.e. tap the provided URL and toggle the button on). Then, start browsing the mobile Web with fewer distractions.

"Adblock Fast for Android runs just seven optimized filtering rules as on other platforms and, as a result, webpages in Android load an average of 51 percent faster," Brian Kennish, CEO of Adblock Fast maker Rocketship, wrote in a blog post.

Crystal has also added support for the Android browser.

On mobile devices, Google's Chrome is still the most popular browser with 41.57 percent of the market globally, according to Net Applications, followed by Safari at 34.12 percent.

The move comes after Apple added ad-blocking support to iOS 9. Adblock Fast became a popular choice for iPhone users, alongside services like Purify Blocker and Crystal, though they are no longer at the top of the App Store charts.

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Cupertino in October removed several apps, including ad-blocking service Been Choice, over concerns they could view encrypted traffic. Developer Marco Arment also pulled his own ad-blocking app, Peace, from the App Store because he was concerned about its effect on companies that rely on ads for regular income.

The New York Times in the fall found that while ad blockers save battery and promise speedier access to Web content, average users might not notice much of a difference.