GoKawiilAndy Walker / Android Authority
Mobile ads are becoming a significant issue on Android. I’ve recently encountered a spate of surprisingly manipulative pop-ups masquerading as genuine notices or system update alerts. While I’ve learned to sniff out the rubbish from the real, some people haven’t developed this skill.
I’ve previously written about my dad, who once encountered a deceptive PDF ad on his phone. He promptly tapped the fake “Update” button and installed numerous bogus PDF apps from the Play Store onto his device. This ad was lurking in a preinstalled office app, but now, it seems that even Google’s own apps are part of the growing problem.
Andy Walker / Android Authority
He recently forwarded me the above screenshot of an ad using the old “PDF app is out of date” trick. The twist? The ad was on YouTube — you know, Google’s friendly neighborhood video app. To verify that it wasn’t just his phone, I opened YouTube on my Pixel and lost it when a near-identical ad appeared at the top of the screen (see the feature image at the top of the article).
Have you or someone you know ever fallen for a deceptive ad on Android? 28 votes Yes, I have. 11 % Yes, someone I know has. 43 % No, but I've come close. 0 % No, I've never encountered deceptive ads. 4 % No, I block all ads on my device. 43 %
This was the last straw for me. I want to protect my parents as much as possible from online dangers, which means addressing the ad problem once and for all. Given that they use their mobiles for communication, financial transactions, and storing memories, I want them to have safe, secure platforms free of predatory ads and apps.
I needed to implement a solution that would stay out of their way while affording them the necessary protection. After researching and evaluating the best approaches, I settled on an old favorite content filtering solution that has served me well.
Scam ads are spoiling it for everyone
Shimul Sood / Android Authority
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