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Content Blocker

Hermit includes a built-in Content Blocker for Ads, Malware, Fake News, and any other unwanted content you want to block.

It is enabled by default for all Lite Apps you create. No need to download any extensions or add-ons! Everything you need is already in the app.

We do not, and really cannot, guarantee that all ads will be correctly blocked by our app. If you still see additional ads, you can try a system-wide ad blocker in addition to Hermit’s Content Blocker. Such ad blockers are not available on Google Play, and you may have to look elsewhere to find the best ones.

Although you can enable the default block lists for free, customizing the Content Blocker is a Premium feature.

How it Works

Hermit automatically downloads (and regularly updates) block lists that contains hundreds of thousands of hosts (domains) known to be associated with advertising, malware, fake news, and other unwanted content. It then blocks any requests to files from those domains. Thus, Hermit is good at blocking ads from third-party ad providers (with domain-based block lists).

Cat and Mouse Game

Ad Blocking in general is a cat and mouse game. As soon as we block a particular domain, advertisers start using a different domain to thwart ad blocking, and we then update our block lists to include the new domains.

That’s why Hermit automatically downloads updates to the block lists in the background.

Limitations: 99% Ad Blocking

Some sites show ads as part of their content: e.g. Instagram or Twitter. Since those ads are loaded from the same domain as the content, it is not yet possible to detect them as ads by looking at network traffic alone.

It is still possible for certain ads to make their way through the ad blocker. If you see this, send us a screenshot with the exact URL of the page and we will add those ads to the next release of the block list.

Configuring the Content Blocker

This is a Premium-only feature, available for purchase within the app. Each Premium feature can be activated forever with a one-time purchase (no subscriptions).

Enabling & Adding Your Own Block Lists

You can individually select the block lists that should be active for the Content Blocker.

  1. Launch the Hermit main app.
  2. Press the icon in the toolbar (either at the top or bottom, depending on how you have configured it.)
  3. Tap on “Content Blocker”.
  4. Select the block lists that you want to activate.
  5. Hosts from selected lists will be blocked.

Disabling the Content Blocker for a Lite App

You can disable the ad blocker for any particular Lite App if it interferes with page rendering.

  1. Launch your Hermit Lite App.
  2. Tap on the icon to reveal the “Quick Settings” sidebar.
  3. Tap on “Block Ads and Malware”

Block List Format

Hermit supports block lists in the HOSTS file format. HOSTS files contain multiple lines, with an IP address at the beginning of each line, followed by multiple domain names.

To block a particular domain, add a line with any IP address (typically 0.0.0.0 is sufficient), and the domain name.

You can subscribe to popular HOSTS block lists from online sources. Hermit will automatically update these lists once a week for the freshest protection.

Ad Block Plus and other advanced formats are not currently supported.