<\/a><\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n \t\t Full signal bars hid the real problem for months<\/p>\n AdGuard is no longer my preferred way to block ads in apps<\/p>\n The app started to test my patience<\/p>\n Initially, AdGuard was exactly what I needed. It aggressively blocked ads in free game apps that I liked to play and offered a decent VPN service, without giving it root access.<\/p>\n A system-wide ad blocker has become necessary to block all sorts of ads.<\/p>\n Whether it was dealing with pop-ups, banner ads that broke websites, or video ads, AdGuard could handle it all.<\/p>\n But after a while, my phone started dying earlier than it should, sometimes before my workday ended. After finding out AdGuard was the main culprit, I wanted to know why it was happening.<\/p>\n AdGuard uses a local VPN to filter data, which requires it to maintain a persistent VPN tunnel and run in the background.<\/p>\n This was causing my battery to drain in measurable ways and was causing real harm to my phone. I had to charge my phone more frequently, which further deteriorated my OnePlus 9 Pro\u2019s battery.<\/p>\n It also had a real practical impact on my daily life, as I wasn\u2019t able to use my phone like I normally would.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more annoying is that some of the more essential features were locked behind a premium subscription that didn\u2019t offer good value for money all of a sudden.<\/p>\n Features like In-App In-Game ad blocking and Browsing Security weren\u2019t being offered in the free tier.<\/p>\n AdGuard started testing my patience, and my premium subscription felt like an unnecessary expense.<\/p>\n AdGuard\u2019s basic ad blocker subscription plans start at $2.50 per month for a personal plan (up to three devices) and $5.50 for a family plan (up to nine devices). They also offer lifetime license access for $80.<\/p>\n AdGuard DNS and AdGuard VPN are separate add-on subscriptions that cost $20 per month and $12 per month, respectively.<\/p>\n I decided to cancel my subscription because AdGuard\u2019s plan started to feel exploitative and not worth the battery-drain trade-off.<\/p>\n Android already has a built-in private DNS that I could configure to do the same job as AdGuard.<\/p>\n I found the perfect replacement that didn\u2019t feel like a rip-off.<\/p>\n NextDNS is an excellent alternative that everyone should know about<\/p>\n It was a revelation after using AdGuard<\/p>\n Using Android\u2019s Private DNS service was the final nail in the coffin for AdGuard.<\/p>\n Unlike AdGuard, using the Private DNS setting relieved my phone of a persistent app that constantly drained my battery.<\/p>\n Since there was no VPN service<\/a> running either, there was no need for any background app or filtering, which in turn freed up the VPN slot for other services.<\/p>\n I chose to use NextDNS\u2019 service as it lets me try it for free on unlimited devices.<\/p>\n What\u2019s neat is that the free tier lets me use system-wide ad blocking for 300,000 queries per month. That\u2019s more than enough for a single device.<\/p>\n NextDNS offers a personal pro plan for $2 per month that enables unlimited queries for unlimited devices.<\/p>\n Setting up NextDNS is straightforward, and it only takes a minute by following these steps:<\/p>\n Visit NextDNS\u2019 website and register an account.<\/p>\n Click the Setup tab and open the Endpoints section.<\/p>\n Copy your unique DNS-over-TLS\/QUIC hostname. It should look like this: your-config-id.dns.nextdns.io<\/p>\n Open Settings on your phone.<\/p>\n Navigate to Network & Internet > Advanced > Private DNS. Alternatively, you can search for Private DNS in the search bar.<\/p>\n Select the Private DNS provider hostname option.<\/p>\n Paste the unique NextDNS hostname you copied earlier.<\/p>\n Tap Save.<\/p>\n After you tap Save, your phone will validate the Private DNS and show the \u201cConnected\u201d message.<\/p>\n You\u2019re now ready to block ads on browsers and most apps without having losing battery life on your phone.<\/p>\n After I switched to NextDNS, I noticed a considerable increase in battery life, and most of the free apps on my phone felt usable again.<\/p>\n NextDNS also provides analytics I can view on its website. The reports give useful insight into any threats it blocked and safelist websites I like to support.<\/p>\n You can also use a third-party app called NextDNS Manager that lets you tweak all the options you can on its website.<\/p>\n I also love that I can use Parental Controls to block certain apps, websites, or entire categories on all devices that use my NextDNS account.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a nifty feature to have to protect kids from predatory games with in-app purchases and other websites.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786902151_728_google-pixel-showing-private-dns-settings-with-mobile-signal-error-icons.png\"\/){kind=icon}
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\n\t\t\tI traced my Pixel’s random mobile-data drops to a single Private DNS setting
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Main](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/android_main_dark.png\")
Credit:\u00a0AdGuard![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/android_statistics_dark.png\")
Credit:\u00a0AdGuard<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Block](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/intelligent-blocking-hero-2.jpg\"\/)
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