Am I allowed to post asking about best Adblockers and best one to use, for free? I am frustrated. There is so much conflicting info on the internet! There are choices in the MS Store, Chrome Web Store and Google Play but I have no idea which one is the safest. I am seeing much info for Adguard chrome extension/private DNs for phone, and other extensions like Ublock Origin, Adblock Ultimate, as well as many more. I just want these ads gone! The Google support and MS support was no help. I already turned off Ad Personalization and Opted-Out of all Ads on the AdChoices website.
CKavanagh said:
Am I allowed to post asking about best Adblockers and best one to use, for free? I am frustrated. There is so much conflicting info on the internet! There are choices in the MS Store, Chrome Web Store and Google Play but I have no idea which one is the safest. I am seeing much info for Adguard chrome extension/private DNs for phone, and other extensions like Ublock Origin, Adblock Ultimate, as well as many more. I just want these ads gone! The Google support and MS support was no help. I already turned off Ad Personalization and Opted-Out of all Ads on the AdChoices website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Post away. I use the Adblock Plus browser extension. It is free, although they do ask for donations (but you don't lose functionality if you don't donate).
You can get it at the Edge or Chrome stores.
Download Adblock Plus
Download Adblock Plus for FREE and enjoy a faster web experience, without annoying ads. Available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer and for your Android and iOS devices.
accounts.adblockplus.org
gernerttl said:
Post away. I use the Adblock Plus browser extension. It is free, although they do ask for donations (but you don't lose functionality if you don't donate).
You can get it at the Edge or Chrome stores.
Download Adblock Plus
Download Adblock Plus for FREE and enjoy a faster web experience, without annoying ads. Available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer and for your Android and iOS devices.
accounts.adblockplus.org
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great! Some other forums removed my Adblock post stating it is against rules. Is it also available for android? I did add Adguard extension to my laptop and phone. I am liking that I no longer see ads. I don't recall so many ads before I did a reset lastweek and this week has been frustrating. Anyone else using Adguard? Is it safe?
I believe it's available for Samsung Internet.
Nobody needs to run an Ad-blocker app: All one have to do is to regularily update PC's hosts file:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
You only have to run a .BAT-file like this
Code:
:: ULTIMATE HOSTS BLACKLIST
:: REPO: https://github.com/Ultimate-Hosts-Blacklist/Ultimate.Hosts.Blacklist
:: Copyright (c) 2020 Ultimate Hosts Blacklist - @Ultimate-Hosts-Blacklist
:: Copyright (c) 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Mitchell Krog - @mitchellkrogza
:: Copyright (c) 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Nissar Chababy - @funilrys
:: This script will first create a backup of the original or current hosts
:: file and save it in a file titled "hosts.bak"
:: It will then download the latest updated hosts file
:: Finally the DNS cache will also be refreshed.
:: THIS BAT FILE MUST BE LAUNCHED WITH ADMINISTRATOR PRIVILEGES
::
:: @echo off
title Update Hosts
:: Check if we are administrator. If not, exit immediately.
>nul 2>&1 "%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\cacls.exe" "%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\config\system"
if %ERRORLEVEL% NEQ 0 (
ECHO This script must be run with administrator privileges!
ECHO Please launch command prompt as administrator. Exiting...
EXIT /B 1
)
:: Download Latest Updated Hosts File
:: Uses a Windows component called BITS
:: It has been included in Windows since XP and 2000 SP3
::
bitsadmin /transfer "Download Fresh Hosts File" https://hosts.ubuntu101.co.za/hosts.windows %TEMP%\hosts
echo Move new hosts file in-place
:: Move new hosts file in-place
COPY /Y %TEMP%\hosts %WINDIR%\System32\drivers\etc\
echo Delete downloaded hosts file
:: Delete downloaded hosts file
del /F /Q " %TEMP%\hosts"
echo Flush the DNS cache
:: Flush the DNS cache
ipconfig /flushdns
echo ALL DONE !!! Enjoy the Protection !!
echo Press any key to quit
pause >nul
exit
More info here:
GitHub - Ultimate-Hosts-Blacklist/Ultimate.Hosts.Blacklist: The Ultimate Unified Hosts file for protecting your network, computer, smartphones and Wi-Fi devices against millions of bad web sites. Protect your children and family from gaining access t
The Ultimate Unified Hosts file for protecting your network, computer, smartphones and Wi-Fi devices against millions of bad web sites. Protect your children and family from gaining access to bad w...
github.com
I tried with Adguard DNS, its work.
I tried a few and they work on my laptop for most websites I visit but not all. Some sites won't open or display content unless I turn the adblock extension off. On my phone there were still ads with both adblock download and changing private DNS (Adguard). Maybe if I pay I will get better blocking but it doesn't bother me that much to spend money.
xXx yYy said:
View attachment 5936387
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! Thars why I asked here if anyone uses it or if there is a safe method to decrease the overwhelming ads!
CKavanagh said:
Am I allowed to post asking about best Adblockers and best one to use, for free? I am frustrated. There is so much conflicting info on the internet! There are choices in the MS Store, Chrome Web Store and Google Play but I have no idea which one is the safest. I am seeing much info for Adguard chrome extension/private DNs for phone, and other extensions like Ublock Origin, Adblock Ultimate, as well as many more. I just want these ads gone! The Google support and MS support was no help. I already turned off Ad Personalization and Opted-Out of all Ads on the AdChoices website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AdBlock Plus is one of the most popular ad blockers available. It is easy to use and blocks most ads on most websites.
The second option is uBlock Origin which is a more advanced ad blocker that offers more customization options. It is also very effective at blocking ads. But first you check all the reviews and read all the terms regarding permissions and all that.
Worthwhile to read:
4 Ways to Detect AdBlockers in Javascript (Simple Examples)
This tutorial will walk through various methods to detect adblockers in Javascript. Free example source code download included.
code-boxx.com
My resume:
USE HOST FILE TO BLOCK ADS
Related
Some apps ask for more permissions than I want to give them.
With DroidWall I can take internet permissions away from individual apps, which is great for all those app that demand internet access even though they work fine without it. But what if I want to remove other permissions, such as access to my location or my contacts?
There is a manual way to edit unwanted permissions out of .apk files, but this method is not meant for human consumption.
Q: Is there an app that lets me allow/deny permissions per app?
It is not possible and is a very bad idea to do by modifying the APK.
I agree it'd be cool if Android was implemented to allow optional permissions. I hate adding permissions to my apps because I know some users don't want to give them. But Android is not designed this way.
Here's how I and just about every other developer would do something like make use of the READ_PHONE_STATE permissions to read your IMEI:
Code:
TelephonyManager tm = (TelephonyManager) context.getSystemService(Context.TELEPHONY_SERVICE);
String deviceId = tm.getDeviceId();
Without the READ_PHONE_STATE permission, the above could would do this:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
It's possible for developers to write their code to handle not having a permission they expect to have:
Code:
String deviceId;
try { TelephonyManager tm = (TelephonyManager) context.getSystemService(Context.TELEPHONY_SERVICE);
deviceId = tm.getDeviceId();
} catch (SecurityException ex) {
deviceId = "1234";
}
However no app dev does this. And unless a future version of Android itself were to allow this, it's unlikely app devs would take the time to test and update their apps to gracefully degrade when the user has used some hacky method to restrict the app. (I wouldn't. I have to do enough testing already just supporting all the manufacture skins and custom roms.)
If you question a permission you should ask the dev. And if you don't like the answer, or don't trust the dev, you should avoid the app.
(DroidWall doesn't remove the INTERNET permission, it just firewalls off the app from using the internet. Looks like a network connection issue to the app, which already has to be handle gracefully.)
DroidWall tells the apps it blocks that there is no live internet connection, even though the connection is alive and kicking for every other app. AdBlock works in a similar way: it doesn't deny apps from calling their banner farm, it just keeps it out of reach by redirecting the request to 127.0.0.1.
There are many ways to make apps believe they've got permissions that they don't really have.
For example, a permissions manager could spoof an empty contacts list for apps that want to read your phone book. Apps that want to know where you are for no good reason would only have to be fed some random coordinates instead of getting your real location.
Maybe Android was not designed that way, but one of the advantages of an open system is that you can make it do things beyond the original specs. If we root our phones and install custom ROMs to get rid of unwanted bloatware, why not apply similar techniques to get rid of unwanted app permissions?
Of course you could simply avoid apps that ask for too many permissions (but only if suitable alternative apps are available), but such a sledgehammer approach wouldn't be necessary with a permissions manager that gives you more subtle tools to tame your apps. This way you can have the best of both worlds: remove undesired permissions without throwing out the entire app.
It's been done in the lab, hopefully they release source. The paper is a pretty good read, and not overly verbose.
Can't post links, don't want to spam 8 posts for it, so Google for "Taming Information-Stealing Smartphone Applications". The paper is from NCSU.
Exactly what I'm looking for. Let's hope it hits the market soon!
The long version (in pdf format): http://www.csc.ncsu.edu/faculty/jiang/pubs/TRUST11.pdf
The short version: http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=10052
Even shorter: http://apps.findingthis.com/utilities/android/taming-information-stealing-smartphone-applications/
Screenshot:
Permissions manager for rooted phones from the author of Busybox: Permissions Denied.
Unfortunately, it looks like Permissions Denied actually denies permissions rather than spoofing them, so I would expect most apps to crash as mentioned by kevin. The spoofing approach in the NCSU papers seems like the more robust approach unless and until Google implements optional permissions, at which point app developers would hopefully start adding graceful permission exception handlers.
Sent from my Dinc via XDA app.
This is really the worst "feature" of Android. Someone should fix it really fast even creating a "shadow" distro with patched permission manager (if it cannot be done as an add-on).
Is anything new in this topic around?
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A
rogier666 said:
Some apps ask for more permissions than I want to give them.
Q: Is there an app that lets me allow/deny permissions per app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did they ever release the TISSA app? I can't find anything about the app since last April.
It doesn't matter anymore, 'cos now we have LBE, PDroid, and the built-in permissions manager of CyanogenMod.
i've been using lbe and it's been useful. it doesn't block every permission of an app but some things as internet (as droidwall), contacts, gps and sms/phone call it blocks. If you're looking for a real permission blocker, you may want to take a look at some cyanogen 7 rom. the app blocking is enabled on it, pretty handy for me.
Unfortunately LBE crashes my phone (black screen as soon as the background service starts) and Cyanogen Mod doesn't include this feature anymore. Are there any other permission manager apps? Since PDroid seams hard to setup.
white-gecko said:
Unfortunately LBE crashes my phone (black screen as soon as the background service starts) and Cyanogen Mod doesn't include this feature anymore. Are there any other permission manager apps? Since PDroid seams hard to setup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a new app called LBE Security Manager, but it's Google-translated from chinese to english so it may be hard to use.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1422479
Looks like the makers of LBE are focussing on their home market (population 1.35 billion) and ignoring the rest of the world.
Hi!
I have just got myself an android phone and I am lookign for a good permissions manager app - would be grateful for any solutions.
I've had a look at LBE, but it requires access to all your phone's functions!!! Seems silly to produce a security app that can MAKE CALLS and SEND MESSAGES from your phone!!
Are there any other alternatives for android JB?
Thank you!
PS I'm absolutely shocked by android's permissions policy - seems like a massive threat to me. maybe I'm paranoid =) I'd be grateful for any links to info about securing the phone.
Also I can't seem to set a root password but that's a different story 0_0
Mr.Chavez said:
Hi!
I have just got myself an android phone and I am lookign for a good permissions manager app - would be grateful for any solutions.
I've had a look at LBE, but it requires access to all your phone's functions!!! Seems silly to produce a security app that can MAKE CALLS and SEND MESSAGES from your phone!!
Are there any other alternatives for android JB?
Thank you!
PS I'm absolutely shocked by android's permissions policy - seems like a massive threat to me. maybe I'm paranoid =) I'd be grateful for any links to info about securing the phone.
Also I can't seem to set a root password but that's a different story 0_0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the way Android is set up all permissions managers need a truckload of permissions to do their job. Once you give your security app root access the other permissions don't matter anymore. Whether it's LBE, Permissions Denied, or the built-in permissions manager of CyanogenMod makes no difference. Once you give 'em root access they can do whatever they want.
rogier666 said:
With the way Android is set up all permissions managers need a truckload of permissions to do their job. Once you give your security app root access the other permissions don't matter anymore. Whether it's LBE, Permissions Denied, or the built-in permissions manager of CyanogenMod makes no difference. Once you give 'em root access they can do whatever they want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you.
Can LBE from XDA be trusted?..
In my understanding Google does not provide any guarantees on apps downloaded from Google Play store (i.e. i've been warned about permissions when installing an app so it's at my own risk - is that right?
What is the general public view on android security then? Is it better to let one app take over the phone (eg lbe or permission denied)?
Thank you for helping an android newbie!
Mr.Chavez said:
Thank you.
Can LBE from XDA be trusted?..
In my understanding Google does not provide any guarantees on apps downloaded from Google Play store (i.e. i've been warned about permissions when installing an app so it's at my own risk - is that right?
What is the general public view on android security then? Is it better to let one app take over the phone (eg lbe or permission denied)?
Thank you for helping an android newbie!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have used various versions of LBE without problems in the past (am not using it at the moment). You need to trust someone or something eventually.
Firewall can help.
ROM Toolbox has an advanced freeze option in app manager which can disable a number of intents, including start on boot, ad engines, analytics, etc. Of course, disabling things can at times have undesirable results but if you take notes of your changes they can easily be turned back on later.
---
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together. (via Tapatalk)
I've switched off everything in LBE Privacy Guard (Play Store version) that needs internet, blocked it with DroidWall (and later with AFWall+), and checked my router logs and packet sniffer. I never caught LBE going online when it wasn't supposed to.
PDroid is safe too, but very hard to build into your ROM.
How about permission managera under Android 4.3? No root needed...
Is it possible to unlock APP ops without an third party APP? Just editing some file? I have got root
THIS THREAD IS FOR INFORMATION AND GENERAL QUESTIONS ONLY. FOR BEST AVAILABLE SUPPORT VISIT www.mediabrowser3.com/community/ (not a mobile device forum, a media server forum)
Take your media to the next level...
MediaBrowser is more than a media manager. It's a powerful open-source platform that you can use to manage, view, play and control your media on most mainstream hardware...
MediaBrowser consists of a server and any one or more of many clients to view and manage your multimedia collection. You are able to enjoy your TV, Movies, Music, E-Books, Games* and Emulators* around your house in a wonderful 10 foot interface. (*games and emulators can only be run on a machine on which it is installed)
The MediaBrowser Android, WindowsPhone 7/8 and Windows 8.1 clients connect to your MediaBrowser server and allow you to consume your media anywhere you are connected. (Playback not supported on WP7, only library and remote functions)
Don't have MediaBrowser? Visit http://www.mediabrowser3.com/
But wait!? You said open-source? but this is in the paid section?
Yes, while the MediaBrowser server and other clients are built on free open-source systems, the android, and windows phone, and windows 8 client applications are not. These 3 clients are the only of many pieces that require any type of purchase to use, if you choose to do so. Read on, and find out about the many other free open-source parts of MediaBrowser.
Developers:
MediaBrowser is an open source project and welcomes developers from all coding backgrounds. If you are a developer and wish to get involved head on over to our github repository and check it out. https://github.com/MediaBrowser
Our plugin store allows developers to make free, premium supporters only, and paid plugins available to users. While MediaBrowser is free, it does support itself on a supporter key system, where for a small donation, users have access to premium and paid plugins, in addition to the free plugins. **Plugins are currently only available for MB server, MB Classic and MB Theater, but you just may be the developer to change that!
And a Linux/OSx mono based server is under development. If you are an experienced Linux/osx dev, and would like to help out or join our team please feel free to stop by this thread here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what exactly is MediaBrowser?
Media Browser, beginning with version 3, is no longer a single program. It encompasses a large suite of applications all communicating with a central server that manages your library.
No longer locked inside Windows Media Center, Media Browser can now bring your entire media library to not only all of the computers on your network, but also many of your portable devices. Whether it's the Roku in the living room, or your tablet on the back porch, Media Browser will bring your media right to you.
And, we mean right to you as the user profile feature allows you to set up completely different views and options on your library based on who is accessing it. Keep different display styles, parental control levels and watched and favorite status' for all the different members of your household and all of that information travels with the user no matter what client or device they are using.
Start watching something at home on the HTPC and pick it back up where you left off on your phone or tablet on the train.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little History on MediaBrowser?
Some of you may remember VideoBrowser which eventually matured into MediaBrowser and was solely a Windows Media Centre Plugin which allowed a user to display rich and detailed information about their media collections much like other available media front ends. The benefits of using MediaBrowser were having Live TV readily available and a large media collection in the same application. It then started allowing themeing and plugins to enhance the media experience?
MediaBrowser has come on leaps and bounds within the last year or so. Firstly, it’s no longer confined to Windows Media Centre, it’s undergone a complete overhaul, complete recoding and opened up a world of new beginnings for the HTPC world, where the community is always listening to improve the MediaBrowser experience as a whole to the end user.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So What’s Changed? Out with the old in with the new!
MediaBrowser now has a brain, a central nervous system which uses its Server Application and currently runs on your Windows based PC or even your server(Linux/Mono server is currently under development). The server is the hub of all things to do with your media collection, from Movies to Music Videos, Books to Games, MB has it all and allows the user to organise and categorize their collections as they deem fit for their use and application. Furthermore, it allows almost any device to connect to it from anywhere, such as Android, Windows Phone, iOS, Roku, Sky’s NowTV box, your favourite web browser, and standalone applications such as MediaBrowser Theatre, Windows 8 and still MediaBrowser Classic(WMC integration). These are all refered to as Apps/Clients within the MB world.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Collection Organization - Metadata Compatibility with Plex & XBMC
The Server and what it does for you?
The server runs on the PC where your media collection is or has fast access to, such as NAS drives, Everything is in place to automatically collect the right metadata information for your media collections including all the art that fanart.tv provides, it stores all this artwork in your item’s folder but can be edited from the metadata manager within the web dashboard. What’s beautiful about MB is that if you use MediaPortal, XBMC, Plex then MB is intelligent enough to understand the metadata structures for those front ends and also integrate with them. We now have many users using MB-Server and XBMC Front End. The server has the right amount of configuration available to not daunt a new comer to the HTPC world and can leave the settings at default, where as a power user can get stuck in and, tweak things the way they want their metadata scraped and saved.
The screen shots below show just how easy it is to edit images and the selection available that MB recognizes and uses.
At the moment, our server currently only runs on windows, however, a linux/OSx mono based server is under development. If you are an experienced Linux/osx dev, and would like to help out or join our team please feel free to stop by this thread here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Poster Editing - Backdrop Editing - Image Editing
Apps and Accessing the Servers Content
Think about the Apps like shoppers in a mall, where the mall is the MB-Server and the MB-Apps are the customers, shopping around for things they like or want to see. It seems appropriate to call them these as that’s exactly what these MB-Apps do. Just about any handheld device, pad, laptop or pc can access the server using a dedicated app or access via a web browser, which in my eyes make life easy.
MBClassic (Original MB, WMC integration)
MBTheatre (Standalone PC based application)
Win 8 App (Windows Tablet or standalone PC based application for Windows 8)
Android App- (Available on google play and Amazon for Android OS devices and Kindle)
WindowsPhone App (Available in the WindowsPhone Store)
iOS App (Available thru AppStore)
Roku (Available from Roku Store || NowTV box from Sky is available for side loading)
WebClient (Browse your collection from your favourite internet browser thru HTML5)
XBMB3C (XBMC integration using MBServer with XBMC Front End)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android
Windows Phone
MediaBrowser Theater
iOS
WebClient / WebClient on iPad(or any HTML5 enabled device)
XBMB3C
Roku
Fanart.tv and MediaBrowser
There has been a long standing partnership with MB and fanart.tv and MB would like to commend them on their hard work over the years and may it continue. I feel it’s only fair that there should be some screen shots to wet your appetite. These Screenshots have been taken from MB-Classic and show just how beautiful fanart has helped to make themes like Subdued(An MBClassic Theme) look beautiful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ClearArt - DiscArt - ThumbArt
Server and other Clients can be found through here:
For more information please visit www.mediabrowser3.com
Or for support visit www.mediabrowser3.com/community/
Git-hub https://github.com/MediaBrowser
Since less than half of all viewers of this post, actually clicked the link to the Original Thread, I edited OP to be a FULL re-post.
Newly supported:
Live TV
We now support live tv through the use of a modular service provider system. You'll need to install a service provider plugin, and at launch we have one, ServerWMC. We'd like to thank krustyreturns for being a part of this.
A next pvr plugin is also in development, and we also have a few more on our wish list - Argus TV, DVBViewer and DVBLink. If you would like to get involved and help develop one of these plugins, please let us know.
So let's get down to live tv. You have the ability to view the guide, watch a channel, and full recording management capabilities. And the web client design is responsive so that you can use it on your smartphone to schedule a recording when you're not home.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Transcoding Engine Improvements
Perhaps just as exciting as live tv, we've made significant improvements to our transcoding service that will really help reduce server cpu usage.
Media Browser Companion (Chrome Extension) Released
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/media-browser-3-companion/egofcbleniceaoleohckegkeepennpcn
Media Browser 3 Chrome Extension Gives You Quick Access to MB3 Notifications and Features
I am pleased to announce the Media Browser 3 Companion for Chrome. With this extension, you can quickly access status updates, latest news, and other important MB3 features without the need to load up the MB3 web client.
Features include:
Notification status icon displays number of unread notifications
Click status icon to review notification details including: new plugins that are available for download and new updates that have completed installation
Status icon turns red if your server is inaccessible so you can restart it ASAP
Restart server remotely through the extension
Link in header takes you directly to your MB3 server web client in case you want to restart
Ok, I use Windows Media Center....Does this mean I can watch live tv and recorded tv from Cablecard recordings and all my Movies/videos I have on my Home theater PC that is TOTALY using WMC on Windows 7 ?
If so, I need to really check this out....
MCE users used to have Webguide that used allow live/recorded tv to be played back over a browser....I miss those days.
Yes. The new live TV feature mentioned in the second post is exactly what you're looking for
- Sent from my Galaxy S IV
MediaBrowser - Take your media to the next level.
XDA developers - Your home for mobile device development.
Getting a new PC can be a magical moment, and turning it on for the first time is always a fun experience. But that can all take a backseat once you have to start setting everything up how you like it. New PCs don't come with all the apps you use, so you have to start all over again. That begs the question: what are the first five apps you install when you set up a new computer? Of course, everyone's answer is different, so we'll get things started with our own list of indispensable apps for Windows 10.
1 - Windows Package Manager (winget)Package managers aren't really new, especially for Linux users, but until Microsoft launched its own last year, I had never really gotten into them. However, I have to say I really fell in love with the concept. Like other package managers, winget is a command line-based tool that lets you quickly search for apps and install them in a single interface. You can use commands like search, install, upgrade, and more to manage your apps. You can even import a list of apps you've installed, so when you set up a new PC, you can import and install them all in one go. Using this kind of tool can seem clunky at first, but it can actually be a lot faster once you get used to it.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
It's likely that Microsoft will eventually bundle Windows Package Manager into Windows itself, and if you're using Windows 10 Insider builds, it's already installed by default. If you're not, you can join the Insider program for Windows Package Manager to get updates for it automatically through the Microsoft Store. The tool is included as part of the App Installer listing on the Store. Finally, you can download the latest version from the GitHub repository, if you want to handle everything manually.
2 - Unigram (and other social apps)One of the things we use our computers for the most is talking to our friends and family. So of course messaging and social apps are essential to many of us. My social app of choice is Unigram - an unofficial client for Telegram. Now, there are official Telegram clients for almost every platform, including Windows 10, but Unigram is really cool if you're a fan of Microsoft's design language. The experience is built almost completely on native UWP technologies, so it looks exactly how you would expect a Windows 10 app to look. Plus, while it's unofficial, the Telegram team actually supports Unigram development, and the app is even listed on the official Telegram website. Most new features arrive on Unigram alongside other versions, sometimes even faster than on Telegram Desktop. Oh, and did I mention it works on Xbox consoles?
You can download the latest version of Unigram from the Microsoft Store. Of course, there are a few other messaging apps I use until I can convince everyone to use Telegram/Unigram. Microsoft Teams has a version for personal use that I use for video calls, Facebook has an official Messenger app, and if you only use Instagram for the DMs, I really like Indirect. Much like Unigram, it's an unofficial client that leverages a lot of the Windows 10 design elements, and it's completely focused on the messaging experience on Instagram.
3 - myTube!myTube! (yes, the exclamation mark is part of the name) is another unofficial client, this time for YouTube. I first used it back when I had a Windows phone, which Google refused to support. Like Unigram, myTube! implements a ton of design and UX elements of Windows 10, which makes it feel right at home. The interface is completely optimized for touch, too, and video playback and scrubbing works really well with both a touchscreen and a mouse. You can easily cut through the clutter by going straight into your subscriptions, and it has a lot of nice features. It can remember where you were last time you watched a video, it has its own watch history that can choose to separate or merge with your official YouTube history, and more. Some syncing features are limited by Google's APIs, but I still love it.
One thing you may or may not like is that myTube, by default, won't play ads. If you're not paying for YouTube Premium or a channel membership but you still want to support your favorite creators, there's an option to use the YouTube web player for videos, which will load the ads as usual. You will be sacrificing some myTube! features, though.
You can download myTube! from the Microsoft Store.
4 - FeedLabMicrosoft includes a News app with Windows 10, but it's really meant to deliver more mainstream news from a specific set of sources. RSS feeds can still be a great way to get news from all the sources you like, and I enjoy FeedLab a lot. My original choice would have been Nextgen Reader, but sadly, that's not available anymore. FeedLab is an unofficial client for Feedly, which is a very popular RSS feed aggregator. In addition to showing you headlines, Feedly lets you read full articles for many websites directly within the app. When you sign in with Feedly, all your sources and categories are imported as they are on the website, so things will feel pretty familiar.
Feedly also offers a lot of customization options like light and dark themes, setting your homepage, changing how you prefer to see the news headlines, setting notifications, and so on. Like other apps on this list, it uses some Windows 10 design elements, and it has support touch gestures to make the experience that much better on tablets. The app is ad-supported, but for $2.99, you can remove ads and get access to offline mode, so you can sync your articles and save them for when you don't have internet. You can download it on the Microsoft Store.
5 - FeemAs connected as all of our devices are today, I still don't think there's an ideal way to send files from my phone to my PC out of the box. Both Windows and Android offer nearby sharing options, but they're not cross-compatible. Feem is a cross-platform service that does just that. You can use your home Wi-Fi or create a Wi-Fi Direct connection to send files from your phone to your PC, usually much faster than by uploading them to a cloud service. It supports any file type you might want, and you can send multiple files at once, so the whole experience is pretty seamless.
Of course, there are plenty of cloud storage services that let you access files on all kinds of devices, but if you're not willing to pay for cloud storage, Feem is a great tool. You can download it from the Microsoft Store, but it's also available on other major platforms including Android, iOS, and macOS.
If you're wondering why Google Chrome or any other browser isn't on this list, I actually really like the new Edge browser from Microsoft. It's installed automatically on recent versions of Windows 10, but if you have an older machine, you can download it here.
Those are just my picks, though, and I know have a very particular taste. What apps do you always install as soon as you set up a Windows PC? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
In a fresh windows I would install first
1. Opera as my main browser
2. Telegram
3. Foobar as my main player
4. VLC main for watching movies
5. Photoshop
Startisback
Tor
DaVinci
OBS
Notepad++
Simplewall firewall (opensource firewall software)
Firefox
keepass
dropbox
cryptomator
Firefox
KeePassXC
XnView
PotPlayer
vs code
Brave Browser
Bitwarden
Nextcloud
Chocolatey
ADB/Fastboot
(Also, thanks OP for listing your apps since they actually seem pretty cool! I'm gonna install a couple and use them for myself! )
1. vlc
2. steam
3. windows terminal
4. winrar
5. equalizer APO
for me, the five are-
1. firefox
2. qbittorrent
3. VLC
4. spotify
5. NetWorx
1. Total Commander
2. Firefox
3. MPC-HC
4. Foobar
5. IrfanView
VS Code
Launchy
Winsplit Revolution
Autohotkey
Everything (Search application)
Chrome
VLC
Steam
Telegram
Discord
Of course, the first order of business is always to get rid of Microsoft Edge.
First 'app' I install is Linux.
This thread is super interesting to me because the first one on the list is a browser, or you use Edge. For me:
Photoshop
Illustrator
Premiere Pro
Slack
Microsoft To Do
Firefox, VLC, Telegram, Steam and Winareo
Chrome
Snagit
Adobe Cloud
Slack/Telegram
Spotify
Chrome
Steam
7-zip
Obs studios
StartIsBack++
because the windows 10 start menu sucks
also i could've installed Classic Shell or something like that but meh
Notepad++
because programming languages included and i like programming sooooo...
Brave, as my main browser
because chrome sucks
and free cryptocurrency
Steam
because games
WinRar
because the creator allows not paying!
he allows that for no pirating; yes he really did that
NTGDeveloper said:
Brave Browser
Bitwarden
Nextcloud
Chocolatey
ADB/Fastboot
(Also, thanks OP for listing your apps since they actually seem pretty cool! I'm gonna install a couple and use them for myself! )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yay someone uses brave yeyeyeyeeyeyewye
XDARoni said:
Chrome
VLC
Steam
Telegram
Discord
Of course, the first order of business is always to get rid of Microsoft Edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why get rid of edge? i used it for like 3 years until i found brave
and edge has some protection in it too so why? honestly i like my tabs in the left side.
meowHelpMeRoot said:
yay someone uses brave yeyeyeyeeyeyewye
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chrome better chrome my favorite browser that and Microsoft edge
I can't root every device. But everyone needs both these 2 things at once on their device:
1. stuff like your keyboard app should never ever talk to the internet.
2. you need a vpn (also with dns and possibly tracker protection)
Android on all the popular devices famously does not let users deny the internet permission per app (it is a general always active permission)
You can also not use 2 "vpn" services at the same time.
If you're not rooted, you can't use iptables (so you can't use stuff like Afwall). -- correct me if I'm wrong and you have a godlike workaround
Most firewalls are just using android's "vpn" function. (e.g. netguard)
But we need the VPN for the actual VPN.
The only VPN app that also has a builtin firewall, is Adguard VPN. But it is too sketchy for my liking as reported here. It logs when and how much you use the vpn (which is equivalent to a fingerprint), their code was not audited, is closed source, and they are neither on fdroid nor on the paystore.
Does anyone know of any alternatives? I tried protonvpn and privateinternetaccess and blokada plus, but none of them have a firewall (you can bypass the vpn per app, but you can't block the app's internet).
I would gladly pay big bucks for a solution; seriously. Thanks.
PS: Don't suggest using a pihole or a router based VPN because I don't have that when I'm not home so that's == 0.
NetGuard perhaps...
https://netguard.me/
[CLOSED][APP][6.0+] NetGuard - No-root firewall
NetGuard provides simple and advanced ways to block access to the internet - no root required. Applications and addresses can individually be allowed or denied access to your Wi-Fi and/or mobile connection. Blocking access to the internet can...
forum.xda-developers.com
craigacgomez said:
NetGuard perhaps...
https://netguard.me/
[CLOSED][APP][6.0+] NetGuard - No-root firewall
NetGuard provides simple and advanced ways to block access to the internet - no root required. Applications and addresses can individually be allowed or denied access to your Wi-Fi and/or mobile connection. Blocking access to the internet can...
forum.xda-developers.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
m8, netguard is a "vpn" firewall. Hence you can't use netguard and also e.g. protonVPN at the same time. That is why I asked if anyone knows of an actual VPN app that happens to also have a builtin firewall. Adguard VPN is one example.
Twodordan said:
m8, netguard is a "vpn" firewall. Hence you can't use netguard and also e.g. protonVPN at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A VPN based solution is the only one that can work without root. There is no other non-root way to control the network other than to route it through a VPN.
In OpenVPN for Android you can, while setting up a profile, select which apps should be excluded from the VPN, and disallow apps to bypass the VPN at the same time. That should do the trick.
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craigacgomez said:
A VPN based solution is the only one that can work without root. There is no other non-root way to control the network other than to route it through a VPN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said, Adguard has in its VPN, a firewall and a vpn and a privacy shield all in one. It's fine that the firewall uses the vpn solution, as long as it is merged within an actual VPN app. This is what I was asking: Are there any vpn apps that also have firewall?
heinhuiz said:
In OpenVPN for Android you can, while setting up a profile, select which apps should be excluded from the VPN, and disallow apps to bypass the VPN at the same time. That should do the trick.
View attachment 5486079
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have not paid attention to what I am asking. I asked if anyone knows of any app that has both vpn and firewall.
I obviously don't want to make my system LESS SECURE by allowing apps to NOT USE VPN. Plus, every vpn app under the sun has a split tunnel feature that allows apps to bypass the vpn.
Twodordan said:
You have not paid attention to what I am asking. I asked if anyone knows of any app that has both vpn and firewall.
I obviously don't want to make my system LESS SECURE by allowing apps to NOT USE VPN. Plus, every vpn app under the sun has a split tunnel feature that allows apps to bypass the vpn.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have not paid attention to what I am answering. I tell you that OpenVPN for Android lets you to select which apps you don't allow to use the VPN and AT THE SAME TIME (yes, I can YELL too) disallow apps to bypass the VPN. That results in those apps effectively being blocked from the Internet, true or not? If an app is not allowed to use the VPN and also not to bypass it, then ...
2 - 1 - 1 = 0. Think before you write, mister.
Twodordan said:
Like I said, Adguard has in its VPN, a firewall and a vpn and a privacy shield all in one. It's fine that the firewall uses the vpn solution, as long as it is merged within an actual VPN app. This is what I was asking: Are there any vpn apps that also have firewall?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, you are looking for a VPN service that has firewall capabilities? I don't think I've seen one in the wild. Some security software providers might have this feature, but I can't verify that.
And alternative solution might be to use a local proxy server with rules to block apps from the internet which would allow you to use any VPN service you would like.
NetPatch Firewall
Full control over your network - One advanced android NoRoot firewall
netpatch.github.io
Block ads globally like this...
Concerned for the tone of the conversation here, I'll offer up THIS for your considerations.
Not to discount any previous suggestions, it is just the one that I use... sometimes... for some devices... for some reason... I'll wait in the shadows for the lashings.
heinhuiz said:
You have not paid attention to what I am answering. I tell you that OpenVPN for Android lets you to select which apps you don't allow to use the VPN and AT THE SAME TIME (yes, I can YELL too) disallow apps to bypass the VPN. That results in those apps effectively being blocked from the Internet, true or not? If an app is not allowed to use the VPN and also not to bypass it, then ...
2 - 1 - 1 = 0. Think before you write, mister.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I 100% thought if you tell an app to bypass the vpn, it bypasses the vpn, regardless of the generic setting of forcing apps to use vpn. I will experiment with this. And sorry for my harshness, my luck on forums lately was usually ppl answering the opposite of what I asked.
I will try actually to use my vpn app, set it to exclude an app from vpn, and then tell Android itself in the VPN settings to "block connections without VPN". Assuming Android's vpn switch doesn't leak (e.g. at startup or smth), that might do the trick.
Unfortunately openVPN doesn't work super well nowadays because most vpn providers chose to develop their own app / wrapper and no longer provide good openVPN guides (especially since their servers / configs change often, a static openvpn config doesn't cut it anymore). Even in linux I just use "the app" instead of openvpn configs.
Anyway, thanks I'll test soon
This isn't a practical / good solution at all for most people, because:
- you will need some apps to use the internet without a vpn (because they don't work with vpn etc)
- if you ever need to turn off your vpn globally and access the internet, say your subscription died or you just can't connect, then your "firewall" is nullified.
It's an all or nothing solution.
heinhuiz said:
Twodordan said:
This isn't a practical / good solution at all for most people, because:
- you will need some apps to use the internet without a vpn (because they don't work with vpn etc)
- if you ever need to turn off your vpn globally and access the internet, say your subscription died or you just can't connect, then your "firewall" is nullified.
It's an all or nothing solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have not paid attention to what I am answering. I tell you that OpenVPN for Android lets you to select which apps you don't allow to use the VPN and AT THE SAME TIME (yes, I can YELL too) disallow apps to bypass the VPN. That results in those apps effectively being blocked from the Internet, true or not? If an app is not allowed to use the VPN and also not to bypass it, then ...
2 - 1 - 1 = 0. Think before you write, mister.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately that's not a solution. There are many apps that need to bypass VPN while still being able to connect to Internet, like banking apps.
While I can always just turn off the VPN before using such apps, that would also turn off the firewall feature, right? Going by that logic, I can always just turn off the Internet before using any app I want to disallow from accessing to Internet.
It kills multitasking, not that Android has much multitasking capability to begin with...sadly.
sbcontt said:
Unfortunately that's not a solution. There are many apps that need to bypass VPN while still being able to connect to Internet, like banking apps.
While I can always just turn off the VPN before using such apps, that would also turn off the firewall feature, right? Going by that logic, I can always just turn off the Internet before using any app I want to disallow from accessing to Internet.
It kills multitasking, not that Android has much multitasking capability to begin with...sadly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want certain apps to use the Internet while you are connected through a VPN, you should sandbox them inside a Work Profile. Depending on your ROM, you might need an app like Island or Shelter to create that separated environment. This way you can use all your normal apps in the main profile with the VPN running, and those apps that need it can connect directly from the work environment. Mind that the apps in the different profiles cannot see each other, which can be a privacy bonus but also makes collaboration between them slightly more complex.
heinhuiz said:
If you want certain apps to use the Internet while you are connected through a VPN, you should sandbox them inside a Work Profile. Depending on your ROM, you might need an app like Island or Shelter to create that separated environment. This way you can use all your normal apps in the main profile with the VPN running, and those apps that need it can connect directly from the work environment. Mind that the apps in the different profiles cannot see each other, which can be a privacy bonus but also makes collaboration between them slightly more complex.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had no idea work profile has its own VPN slot. Thx for the suggestion. The setup is working pretty smoothoy. Only concern: work profile apps can't automatically read OTP. So far, all the apps I use allow manually entering OTP. Hopefully it would be an issue. Also, I can't disable notifications of work profile apps by categories. It is either all or none.
Hello all, I searched extensively for an answer about this on here and the Android docs but found nothing.
I'm using a Pixel 3AXL that still has security updates thru 03/22(-ish)
Google is trying to beg me to upgrade to Android 12 and I don't want the upgrade. I tested Android 12 while it was in beta and I simply don't like the bubbly interface it's the opposite of what I prefer.
That being said there's no option to refuse the upgrade and continue on with updates for Android 11 until my security end of life occurs...
Anyone know how I can get just security updates on Android 11? Will I need to manual update by "side loading" update files with adb? (or if that's even possible?)
Don't know. Android 12 might as well be malware if it screws up you're device's functionality or usability
Backup all critical data redundantly to at least 2 hdds that are physically and electronically isolated from each other and the PC. Never encrypt data drives and make sure the data is all there, intact and readable. That's your best protection against all that can happen.
In real time use it doesn't seem to matter as long as you're running on Android 9 or higher. It's fairly secure.
This N10+ hasn't been updated in over 2 years and the current load is over 1.5 yo.
Malware hasn't been an issue but I'm careful with what I install, download and back out of or close the browser, sometimes clear the cache if things get sketchy, etc. I hawk the download folder daily. Wifi is locked down as well.
Most malware is downloaded* by the user... and there's no saving dumb bunnies.
*and/or they they fail to detect malware in the download folder such as a trojan preloader. Had one breach the Samsung browser 22 months ago in spite of file settings. Tricky little rascal. It got perished before it could download its payload
Thanks, my greatest concern these days is a fdroid package gone rogue or infiltrated with malware... I suppose the same thing can and sometimes does happen on Googles play store as well. So yeah mostly package manager attacks or supply chain or whatever they're known as.
bladerunnernexus said:
Thanks, my greatest concern these days is a fdroid package gone rogue or infiltrated with malware... I suppose the same thing can and sometimes does happen on Googles play store as well. So yeah mostly package manager attacks or supply chain or whatever they're known as.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When side loading scan with online Virustotal.
Scan occasionally with Malwarebytes as it will pick off one every now and then. It found a raskily trojan preloader in the download folder once that snuck in before it could retrieve its payload.
Lol, just because it's on Playstore doesn't mean I trust it. All my apps have been in use for a long time and I don't "sample" apps unless I need too.
It's rare but a poorly written Android app will sometimes do a dirty uninstall and leave you with a mess. My current OS load is over 1.5 yo, still fast and stable. In part because I'm careful what I install.
I firewall block apps that don't need internet access with Karma Firewall.
I also use this setting modification to kill ads globally...
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"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
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Excellent idea. Can some apps hide from karma? I'm using a KeePass compatible open source password manager downloaded from fdroid and it's not listed on my karma firewall apps list.
All my other apps and fdroid apps are listed though...
bladerunnernexus said:
Excellent idea. Can some apps hide from karma? I'm using a KeePass compatible open source password manager downloaded from fdroid and it's not listed on my karma firewall apps list.
All my other apps and fdroid apps are listed though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing can hid from Karma's logging feature that I'm aware of. Problem is that feature is only active on Android 9 and below.
I've use this feature a lot as you can see what accessed the internet and when.
It's "piggybacking" on another Android service be my guess or you just didn't spot it.
Some apks show only as UID numbers.
I use the logging feature to determine their purpose.