Ad-Blocking Browser #NoChromo Receives Update; Now Built on Newer Sources

Ads. Ads. Ads. They are everywhere. And none of us like them.

Ads are a necessary evil for websites like ours to function. It might seem hypocritical for a website that earns revenue from ads to shoot itself directly in the foot by promoting a browser that removes the main source of income of the internet in general. But XDA Developers also serves the purpose of highlighting the work of the Android community, and as such, we do not feel that bad about promoting #NoChromo.

#NoChromo, in its basic essence, is Chrome for Android except all the ads. Blocking ads on the Chrome browser on desktop is as easy as installing the appropriate extension, but if you are on Android (chances are you are, since you are reading this) and use Chrome, you do not get the privilege of extensions because of memory constraints. Rooted users still have ways to disable ads by modifying the hosts file in the system, but the options are limited if you wish to stay unrooted. You can still disable ads by opting for a VPN based service, but the drawback is that all of your data will be routed through the VPN, which is an undesirable scenario for many.

#NoChromo makes life easier for non-rooted users who do not wish to dabble with VPNs. It provides them a way to browse the internet without being bogged down by advertisements. Since #NoChromo is based on Chromium, which is an open-sourced version of Chrome for Android sans a few proprietary bits, you get a similar experience with regards speed and stability as you do on Chrome for Android.

The latest update to #NoChromo (v51.0.2695.0 for those keeping track) is built on sources from April 1, 2016. Generally speaking, it is good practice to be on the newest version. You can grab the latest apk from the forum thread, or from inside the XDA Labs app.

As a side note, blocking advertisements blocks revenue of your favorite websites. However, some websites allow you to contribute in order to have an ad-free experience. You can sign up for the Ad-free XDA experience over here. Google also has a Contributor program in place, based on the same principles, but has limited geographical coverage as of now.

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2042laP
via IFTTT