AdAway
GPL-3.0-only · open source
A system-wide ad blocker. With root it rewrites the hosts file; without root it filters DNS requests through a local VPN. Either way, ads are blocked before they load.
Needs:Root, or VPN mode without root · Android 8.0+
2113 Apps is independent, not affiliated with or endorsed by the AdAway developers. Official sources: adaway.org · source code on GitHub.
- Version
- 6.1.4
- Size
- 16.1 MB
- Requires
- Android 8.0+
- Updated
- 2024-11-15
Screenshots
Introduction
AdAway blocks ads for the whole phone, not just one browser. It works from lists of hostnames known to serve ads, and it has two ways of applying them.
Two modes
- Root mode writes the blocked hostnames into Android’s hosts file, redirecting them to the phone itself. AdAway’s setup screen describes it as faster and easier on the battery, but it needs root.
- VPN mode is the fallback when the hosts file can’t be written. AdAway runs a local VPN on the phone that answers DNS requests: blocked hostnames go nowhere, everything else passes through. Nothing is sent to an outside VPN server. The setup screen calls it slower but more compatible, and it has to keep running in the background. You can exclude apps from it.
Android lets only one app use its VPN slot at a time, so VPN mode can’t run alongside another VPN app.
Things that get past it
AdAway’s own troubleshooting page lists a few:
- On newer Android versions the system partition is read-only. With Magisk, you need to turn on its systemless hosts module for root mode to work.
- Chrome’s lite mode can route traffic through its own private DNS and bypass the block.
- Some apps ship their ads inside the app itself, with no connection to block.
Privacy
Our scan found the Sentry crash-reporting SDK. AdAway uses it for telemetry that is off by default: the setting ships switched off, the project says it only works if you turn it on, and F-Droid doesn’t flag the app for tracking for that reason.
Good to know
- AdAway isn’t on Google Play. Its website says it was removed for violating the Play developer agreement and points people to F-Droid.
- This file is F-Droid’s build, signed with F-Droid’s key. The APK on AdAway’s own website is signed by the developer, so the two can’t update each other without uninstalling first.
- Version 6.1.4 came out in October 2024 and is still the latest release. The maintainer committed changes as recently as December 2025, but nothing newer has been released.
- It declares nine permissions and includes libsu, a library for running commands as root.
What’s inside the APK
Trackers
Code from these SDKs is in the package. That shows it is bundled, not how it is used.
Native code
Runs on 64-bit and older 32-bit ARM phones.
Android versions
Built for Android 13 (target API 33).
Permissions
1 of them need your approval first.
libsu (root shell). Bundles libsu, a library for running commands in a root shell. (com.topjohnwu.superuser.NoShellException)
CPU types in this build: arm64-v8a (64-bit ARM, almost every phone since 2017); armeabi-v7a (32-bit ARM, older and budget phones); x86 (32-bit Intel, emulators); x86_64 (64-bit Intel, emulators and Chromebooks).
Asks you first (1)
Android shows a prompt before the app can use these.
- Show notifications (Android 13+) · POST_NOTIFICATIONS
You switch these on in Settings (1)
Special app access. Nothing is granted until you turn it on yourself.
- Install unknown apps · REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES
Granted at install (6)
Low-risk permissions Android grants automatically, plus any we have not classified.
- ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
- FOREGROUND_SERVICE
- INTERNET
- QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES
- RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED
- WAKE_LOCK
Defined by other apps (1)
Permissions that belong to another app or to this app itself.
- org.adaway.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION
More Information
- Package name
- org.adaway
- Version
- 6.1.4 (build 60104)
- File size
- 16.1 MB (16,061,184 bytes)
- Requires
- Android 8.0 or later
- Category
- Network & Privacy
- License
- GPL-3.0-only
- Source code
- github.com/AdAway/AdAway
- Released
- Nov 15, 2024
- Signed by
- F-Droid, which built this APK from the published source code. Because the key is F-Droid’s, it won’t install over a copy from Google Play or GitHub (or the other way round) without uninstalling first.
- Signer SHA-256
- 42203f1ac857426d1496e971db96fbe1f88c25c9e1f895a5c98d703891292277
- File SHA-256
- 0de00a58a0dbb4c4b6befc9fe1f5e53800993484baab955824798f46fbf3338e
- Checked
- , against the F-Droid index · how we check · verify it yourself
Common questions
Is this APK the official AdAway release?
It is F-Droid’s build rather than the developer’s own: F-Droid compiled AdAway 6.1.4 from the published source code and signed it with its own key. Its SHA-256 matches F-Droid’s signed index. Because the key is F-Droid’s, it won’t install over a copy from Google Play or GitHub without uninstalling first.
What Android version does AdAway need?
Android 8.0 or later (API level 26). Version 6.1.4 is built for Android 13 (target API 33). Runs on 64-bit and older 32-bit ARM phones.
Can AdAway access the internet?
Yes. The APK requests Android’s internet permission. In total it declares 9 permissions, and 1 of them needs your approval first.
Does AdAway contain trackers?
Yes. Version 6.1.4 contains code from Sentry, which matches an Exodus Privacy tracker signature. That shows the code is bundled, not how the app uses it.
Is AdAway open source?
Yes. AdAway is released under the GPL-3.0-only licence, and its source code is published at https://github.com/AdAway/AdAway.
Recent releases
| Version | Released | Size | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| v6.1.4 · this download | Nov 15, 2024 | 16.1 MB | Android 8.0+ |
| v6.1.3 | Jul 10, 2024 | 16.0 MB | Android 8.0+ |
| v6.1.2 | Jun 24, 2024 | 16.0 MB | Android 8.0+ |
Versions currently kept in the F-Droid repository. We host and check only the newest one. Full changelog.
