New Android Browser Update Allows Ad-Blocking for Samsung Users

Samsung users may now getting the ad-blocking facilities that they need, thanks to a new update from Samsung. It will be a more pleasurable browsing experience for all Samsung users.

BBC reports that the South Korean tech giant has updated Samsung's Web browser. The browser allows plugins for ad-blocking. This is following Apple's enabling ad-blockers in extensions for its Safari browser.

The default Samsung browser is pre-installed on Samsung devices. Samsung's ad-blocking facility is only made available on the app itself, and not on third party browsers such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. 

Samsung has become the first Android based company to incorporate this ad-blocking feature on their devices, following the move of Apple when they launched their iOS 9. 

The Verge additionally reported that the update is available for Samsung devices running on Android Marshmallow. Android Lollipop users will also be getting the update soon, though there is no definite date as to when they will be receiving the service. It is speculated that the roll-out should be made available in the coming months.

Mobile ads are considered by many users to be a main annoyance, as they disrupt browsing time and slow down the speed of phones and tablets, the website says. 

To date, Android users have been making use of popular ad-blocking facilties such as Adblock Fast and Crystal. Adblock Fast is free to download on the Google Playstore and boasts over 200,000 users. However, the company says that the app tends to decrease load time on Android devices by as much as 51 percent Crystal. On the other hand, it is one of Android's earliest ad-blocking services. 

The ad-blockers mostly work by removing scripts in the web page code. These would normally pull content from ad networks' servers.

Industrial analyst Daniel Knapp said that it was high time that Samsung gets a move on the ad-blocking wagon, as many Samsung users have complained of malware and lags on their phone because of malicious ads. He also added that it was time that Samsung stepped up their game in providing a more premium service of blocking ads and malware, noting that many people tend to view Apple as a premiere brand when it comes to ad blocking.

"I think it's an expression of massive consumer dissatisfaction with the way the ad industry works," he told BBC.