Sure! An adblocker is a piece of software that helps you to avoid unwanted ads when you’re surfing the internet.
Here’s how it basically works:
List of ad sources: An adblocker keeps a list of sources of ads, like specific URLs or domains. This list is compiled by dedicated users and organizations who continuously update it.
Blocking requests: Every time you visit a webpage, it sends out requests to fetch the content of the page. Each request URL is checked against the adblocker’s list. If it matches an entry on the list, the adblocker stops the request, so the ad never reaches your browser.
Page element hiding: In addition to blocking sources of ads, many adblockers can also hide elements of a webpage that are often used to display ads.
As for your second question, yes, there are adblockers that work on phones! Here are a few examples:
AdGuard: available for iOS and Android, offers protection against ad tracking.
Blokada: a free and open-source adblocker for Android.
1Blocker: a native adblocker for iOS.
Remember that some websites depend on ad revenue to operate, so it’s good practice to disable your adblocker for sites that rely on ads but don’t misuse them.