How to Remove Ads from Phone: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Knowing how to remove ads from phone — whether they're pop-ups, notification alerts, or system app banners — starts with identifying the source. Third-party apps, browser permissions, manufacturer UI, and Android's ad layer all require different fixes. No single setting eliminates them all.

What Kind of Ads Are You Seeing? Start Here

Before jumping into settings, it helps to know what type of ad you're dealing with. The fix for a pop-up that covers your screen is different from one that slides into your notification tray — and both are different from ads inside a system app like your file manager.

Use the table below to identify your ad type, then jump to the relevant step.

Ad Type	Where It Appears	Likely Source	Go To
Pop-up ads	Over any screen or app	Third-party app or malware	Step 3
Notification ads	Notification tray	App with notification access	Step 2
Browser ads	Inside Chrome or Samsung Internet	Website permissions	Step 5 / Step 6
System app ads	Phone Manager, File Manager, etc.	Manufacturer UI	Samsung or OPPO section
Personalised ads	Across multiple apps	Android OS ad tracking	Step 1
Lock screen ads	On your lock screen	Third-party or manufacturer app	Step 7

Why Are Ads Appearing on Your Phone?

Most people assume it's the phone doing it. It usually isn't — at least not entirely.

Third-Party Apps You've Installed

Apps you download from the Play Store can push ads to your screen, notification tray, or even your lock screen. This is how many free apps generate revenue. The more ad impressions they serve, the more they earn. You agreed to this — buried somewhere in permissions — when you installed the app.

In practice, users often can't pinpoint which app is responsible because the ad appears outside the app itself, with no obvious source label.

Manufacturer System Apps

This one catches people off guard. Samsung, OPPO, and other Android manufacturers pre-install apps — Phone Manager, File Manager, App Market, Weather, Calendar — that serve their own ads and personalised recommendations. These aren't from apps you downloaded. They come from the phone brand itself, typically enabled by default in certain regions.

Browser Notification Permissions

If you've ever tapped "Allow" on a website's notification prompt without thinking, that site can now push alerts directly to your notification tray. These often look like ads and are easy to mistake for app-generated ones.

Android OS-Level Ad Tracking

Android itself tracks your app usage and builds interest profiles used to personalise ads across apps. This is separate from what individual apps or manufacturers do. Turning this off is worth doing — but here's what's often overlooked: disabling personalised ads at the Android level does not reduce how many ads you see. It only makes them less targeted. The ad slots remain; they just get filled with less relevant content.

How to Remove Ads from Phone — Step by Step

Step 1 — Turn Off Personalised Ads on Android (All Phones)

Open Settings
Tap Google > All Services
Under Privacy & Security, tap Ads > Ads Privacy
Turn off Ad Topics, App-Suggested Ads, and Ad Measurement

Again — this reduces how personalised ads are, not how many appear. Think of it as opting out of the targeting layer, not the ads themselves.

Step 2 — Stop Notification Ads from Apps

Go to Settings > Notifications
Under Recently Sent, look for any app you don't recognise or haven't used
Tap the app and toggle off its notification permission
Alternatively, long-press a notification as it arrives and switch off notifications for that app instantly

This is one of the quickest wins. Many notification ads come from apps people forgot they installed months ago.

Step 3 — How to Remove Ads from Phone Caused by Apps

Pop-ups that appear over other apps or on your home screen are almost always caused by a third-party app running in the background. Safe mode is the fastest way to confirm this.

To enter Safe Mode:

Press and hold the power button
Long-press Power Off until the Safe Mode prompt appears
Tap OK to restart in Safe Mode

In Safe Mode, third-party apps are disabled. If the ads stop, a downloaded app is the source.

To identify which app:

Open Google Play Store
Tap your Profile picture > Manage Apps & Device > Manage
Sort by Last Used to see recently active apps
Uninstall suspects one at a time and restart normally after each to test

Step 4 — Enable Play Protect

Open Google Play Store
Tap your Profile picture > Play Protect
Make sure Scan Apps with Play Protect is turned on

Play Protect is not an ad blocker. It targets apps that behave maliciously — serving ads outside their own interface, changing browser settings, or installing software without permission. It won't stop a legitimate app from showing ads inside itself.

As reported by TechCrunch, Google Play Protect identified over 27 million new malicious apps in 2025 alone — making it one of the most actively maintained mobile threat detection systems available.

Step 5 — Block Ads in Chrome on Android

Open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu > Settings
Go to Site Settings > Pop-ups and Redirects — set to Blocked
Go to Site Settings > Ads — set to Blocked
To remove notification permissions from a specific site: open that site, tap the lock icon > Permissions > Notifications > Off

Step 6 — Block Ads in Samsung Internet (Samsung Phones)

Open Samsung Internet and tap the three-line menu > Settings
Go to Sites and Downloads > toggle on Block Pop-Ups
Return to the menu and tap Ad Blockers
Download one of the listed ad blockers from the suggested options

Samsung Internet's built-in ad blocker support is one of the more practical options on Samsung devices — it works at the browser level without needing a separate app.

Step 7 — Remove Lock Screen Ads

Lock screen ads are usually served either by a manufacturer app or a third-party app that has been granted display-over-lock-screen permission.

To remove the permission:

Go to Settings > Apps
Find the suspected app
Tap Permissions or Display over other apps
Disable the lock screen or overlay permission

On Samsung devices, also check Settings > Lock Screen for any promotional content or suggestions toggle that may be enabled by default.

Step 8 — Use Private DNS to Block Ads System-Wide (Advanced)

Private DNS routes your internet traffic through a DNS server that filters out known ad domains before they load — across all apps and browsers, not just one.

Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Private DNS
Select Private DNS Provider Hostname
Enter a DNS address that filters ads (AdGuard's free option is commonly used: dns.adguard.com)
Tap Save

This is the most thorough option available without installing a dedicated app. The trade-off: it can interfere with some workplace networks, VPNs, or institutional Wi-Fi setups. If something stops connecting after enabling it, this is the first thing to switch off and test.

How to Turn Off Ads in Samsung System Apps (One UI)

These steps apply to Samsung Galaxy phones running One UI. They reduce Samsung-served personalised content — they don't affect ads from third-party apps.

Disable Personalised Ads via Samsung Account

Open Settings > Samsung Account
Tap Privacy > Customisation Service
Toggle off Customisation Service

This stops Samsung from using your data to personalise promotions across its own apps. Ads from Samsung apps may still appear, just without personalisation.

Turn Off Ad Notifications from Samsung Apps

Go to Settings > Notifications
Look under Recently Sent for Samsung apps (Galaxy Store, Samsung Health, Bixby, etc.)
Disable notification permissions for any app sending promotional content

How to Turn Off Ads in OPPO / ColorOS System Apps

These steps are confirmed for OPPO phones running ColorOS, particularly in South East Asia and Middle East & Africa regions where in-app ads are more commonly enabled by default.

Phone Settings — App Content Toggle

Open Settings > Security & Privacy > More Security & Privacy
Turn off App Content

Phone Manager

Open Phone Manager
Tap the three-dot menu > Phone Manager Settings
Scroll to Privacy > turn off Personalised Recommendations

App Market

Open App Market > My Account tab
Tap the gear icon > Privacy Settings > Ads & Recommendations
Turn off Personalised Advertising

My Files (File Manager)

Open My Files > three-dot menu > Settings
Go to Privacy > turn off Personalised Services

Weather App

Open Weather > gear icon
Find About Weather > turn off Personalised Services

Calendar App

Open Calendar > three-dot menu > Calendar Settings
Go to Displayed Items > turn off Personalised Services

One honest note: the Music and Videos system apps on ColorOS do not currently offer an option to disable ads. Some users avoid updating these specific apps to prevent ad settings from resetting after an update — but skipping updates removes security patches, so that's a trade-off worth understanding before doing it.

What to Do If Ads Keep Coming Back

Check Whether an App Update Reset Your Settings

Some manufacturer apps re-enable ad or personalisation settings after an update. If ads return after your phone updates, revisit the relevant section above and toggle the settings off again. This is a known pattern with certain ColorOS system apps in particular.

Signs That Ads May Be Coming from Malware

Legitimate apps serve ads inside themselves. According to Wikipedia's entry on Adware, adware generates revenue by automatically displaying ads in the user interface — but malware-grade adware goes further, collecting user data, tracking behaviour across apps, and serving ads outside the context of any specific application. The practical difference is clear: malware behaves differently from legitimate in-app advertising:

Ads appear when no app is open
Your browser homepage or default search engine changes on its own
Unfamiliar extensions or apps appear without you installing them
You're redirected to unknown pages mid-browsing

If you're seeing these signs, Safe Mode testing and Play Protect scanning are the right starting points. If neither resolves it, a factory reset may be necessary.

Quick-Reference — How to Remove Ads by Phone Brand

Phone Brand	Key Ad Settings Path	System App Ads?	Browser Ad Blocking	Private DNS
Stock Android	Settings > Google > Ads Privacy	Minimal	Chrome site settings	Yes
Samsung (One UI)	Settings > Samsung Account > Privacy	Yes — One UI apps	Samsung Internet + Ad Blockers	Yes
OPPO (ColorOS)	Settings > Security & Privacy > App Content	Yes — multiple system apps	Browser settings	Yes

Conclusion

Ads on your phone come from multiple layers — Android's tracking system, manufacturer apps, browser permissions, and third-party installs. Removing them means working through each layer separately. The steps above cover every major ad type, across stock Android, Samsung, and OPPO devices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I completely remove all ads from my Android phone?

Not entirely. Some system apps — particularly on Samsung and OPPO — serve ads that can't be fully disabled yet. The steps above significantly reduce them, but a fully ad-free experience isn't guaranteed on every device.

Will turning off personalised ads reduce how many ads I see?

No. Disabling personalised ads changes how targeted they are, not how often they appear. Ad frequency depends on the apps installed and how they're monetised.

How do I find which app is causing pop-up ads?

Restart your phone in Safe Mode to confirm the source is a third-party app. Then check Google Play's Last Used list and uninstall recent downloads one at a time until the ads stop.

Is private DNS safe to use for blocking ads?

Generally yes for personal use. It can interfere with some workplace or institutional networks. If connections drop after enabling it, disable it and test — that's usually the cause.

Is it safe to stop updating apps to prevent ads returning?

No. Skipping updates to prevent ad settings from resetting removes security patches too. The better approach is to re-toggle the relevant ad settings after each update.