How to Remove Ads From Phone: Android and iPhone Steps

If you want to know how to remove ads from phone, the fix depends on where the ads come from: a specific app, your browser, the lock screen, or malware. Each has its own removal method, covered below.

Why Am I Getting Ads on My Phone?

Most phone ads trace back to one of four sources, and figuring out which one applies to you saves a lot of guesswork later.

Ads From Free Apps

Free apps often show ads because that is how the developer earns money from the app. This is normal, not a sign of a problem. In practice, the ads usually stop the moment the app that's showing them is closed or removed.

Ads From Your Browser

Pop-ups, redirects, and banner ads inside Chrome or Safari usually come from the website you're visiting rather than the phone itself. Browser settings can block most of these directly.

Ads From Malware or Unwanted Software

If ads appear outside of any app, such as on the home screen or as random notifications, that's a stronger sign of unwanted software.

This type of software, generally known as adware, according to Wikipedia, generates revenue by displaying ads automatically rather than as part of a single app's normal function.

Teams that handle device support commonly report this pattern showing up right after a user installs an app from outside the official app store.

Ads on the Lock Screen

Some phone manufacturers, Samsung included, run their own promotional ad service that can place ads on the lock screen. This is separate from anything installed by the user and has its own opt-out setting.

How to Remove Ads From Phone on Android

Stop Personalized Ads

Turning off ad personalization changes what kind of ads you see. It does not reduce how many ads appear, which is a common point of confusion.

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Google, then All services
  3. Under Privacy & security, tap Ads, then Ads privacy
  4. Turn off ad topics and app-suggested ads

How to Remove Ads From Phone Caused by an App

  1. Open Google Play Store and check My apps and games, then Installed, sorted by last used
  2. Note any app you don't remember using recently
  3. Uninstall that app and restart the phone
  4. Repeat if ads continue, one app at a time

In practice, this narrows down the source faster than trying to guess from the ad content itself.

Block Pop-Ups in Chrome

  1. Open Chrome and tap the three dots
  2. Go to Settings, then Site settings
  3. Tap Pop-ups and redirects, and turn it off
  4. Tap Ads, and turn it off

Block Ads in Samsung Internet

  1. Open Samsung Internet and tap the three lines
  2. Go to Settings, then Sites and downloads
  3. Turn on Block pop-ups
  4. Go back to the main menu, select Ad Blockers, and download one

Remove Ads Caused by Malware

  1. Hold the power button, then tap and hold Power off to restart in Safe mode
  2. Remove recently installed apps one at a time
  3. Restart normally after each removal to check if the ads stopped
  4. Open Play Store, tap your profile icon, then Play Protect settings, and turn on Scan apps

Play Protect's scanning is worth leaving on. As reported by TechCrunch, Google's own detection systems helped prevent millions of malicious apps from reaching users in 2025, which is the same layer of scanning that catches many ad-serving apps before they cause a problem.

Stop Notification-Based Ads

Long press the ad notification and turn off notifications for that app, or go to Settings, Notifications, and adjust it from the app list directly.

Remove Lock Screen Ads

Go to Settings, tap Samsung Account, then Privacy, then customisation service, and turn it off. This won't remove every ad, but it stops the personalized promotional ones tied to that service.

How to Remove Ads From Phone on iPhone

No major competitor page currently covers iPhone steps for this topic, which leaves a gap for iOS users searching the same question.

Turn Off Personalized Ads

Go to Settings, tap Privacy & Security, then Apple Advertising, and turn off Personalized Ads.

Remove Ads Caused by an App

Check which apps were recently installed under Settings, General, iPhone Storage. Uninstall any app you suspect, then restart the phone.

Block Pop-Ups and Use Content Blockers in Safari

Go to Settings, tap Safari, and turn on Block Pop-ups. For a stronger block, install a content blocker app from the App Store and enable it under Safari, Extensions.

Other Ways to Reduce Ads on Your Phone

Method

What It Does

Works On

Ad-blocker app

Filters ads at the browser or system level

Android and iPhone

Premium or ad-free upgrade

Removes ads within a specific app for a fee

App-specific

DNS-based ad blocking

Filters known ad domains before they load

Android and iPhone

Ad-blocker apps vary widely in what they actually block, so it's worth checking reviews before installing one. A premium upgrade only removes ads inside that one app, not phone-wide.

DNS-based blocking works at the network level and tends to catch ads that app-level settings miss.

When to Get Further Help

If ads keep showing up after trying the steps above, especially ads that appear randomly outside of any app, contact your device manufacturer's support or run a security scan.

That pattern is often a sign of something deeper than a single problem app.

Conclusion

How to remove ads from phone comes down to identifying the source, whether that's an app, a browser, the lock screen, or malware, then applying the matching fix. Most cases resolve with the steps above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off ad personalization stop ads completely?

No. It changes what ads are shown, not how many. Ads will keep appearing unless the source, such as an app or the browser, is addressed separately.

Why do I still get ads after uninstalling apps?

The ad-causing app may still be running in the background, or a different app entirely is responsible. Restart the phone after each uninstall to confirm.

Are ad-blocker apps safe to use?

Most reputable ones are, but permissions vary. Check what data an ad blocker requests before installing, and avoid ones asking for more access than needed.

Can ads on my phone mean it has a virus?

Sometimes. Ads appearing outside of any app, or alongside browser hijacking, are common malware signs. Isolated in-app ads usually aren't.

How do I stop ads on my lock screen specifically?

On Samsung devices, turn off the customisation service under Samsung Account privacy settings. This addresses the manufacturer's own promotional ads.