What can DNS not block?
DNS is the phone's address book. Before an app or site loads anything, it looks up where to go. A DNS filter can refuse that lookup. It can't look inside the traffic that follows. Everything below comes from that one fact.
Why do video ads in video apps stay?
Video apps serve their ads from the same address as the videos. If our servers refused that address, the videos would stop too. So ads inside videos stay, and we don't promise otherwise. Ads on websites and in many apps that load from separate ad servers on our lists are blocked.
Why do sponsored posts in social feeds stay?
A sponsored post is part of the feed itself. It arrives through the same address as the posts around it. DNS sees one address and can't tell which item in the feed is an ad.
What about ads inside games and other apps?
Some in-game and in-app ads load from a separate ad server, and those are blocked when the address is on our lists. Others come from the same address the app uses for its own content, and those stay. The result differs from app to app, so we don't give a number.
Is EZOBLOCKER a VPN that hides my IP or location?
No. The app uses the phone's VPN setting only to catch DNS lookups and send them to our servers, encrypted. Your IP address and location don't change. Pages, videos and messages load directly and don't pass through us. If you need to hide your location, EZOBLOCKER isn't the tool.
Can Android's Private DNS setting switch the filter off?
Yes. Android has its own Private DNS setting under Settings, Network and internet. When it holds a specific address, Android sends the lookups there and EZOBLOCKER doesn't see them, so nothing gets blocked. Keep it on Off or Automatic. The app checks this under Advanced and warns you if it needs fixing.
Can I use EZOBLOCKER with another VPN?
Not at the same time. A phone runs only one VPN at a time. If you turn on a work VPN or another blocker that uses the VPN setting, EZOBLOCKER stops. When you're done, turn EZOBLOCKER back on.
Which apps and browsers can skip a DNS filter?
Apps that use their own encrypted DNS or fixed IP addresses don't ask the phone's DNS where to go, so they skip the filter. The Bypass tools category blocks well-known providers of that kind, which narrows the gap and doesn't close it. On iPhone, iCloud Private Relay can also resolve addresses outside the tunnel in Safari. On Android, an app that deliberately binds itself to the underlying network skips the filter too, though normal apps don't.
What about a site I just opened, or a login page on public Wi-Fi?
The phone remembers addresses for a while, so a category change or a My list change can take a few minutes to show for a site you opened just now. Some hotel and cafe networks have a login page that may not open while the filter is on. Use Pause on the home screen for 5 minutes, log in, and the filter comes back by itself.
Can a child turn the protection off?
That depends on the setup. With Family lock on, turning protection off needs the parent's PIN. On iPhone the VPN can still be turned off in Settings and deleting the app removes the lock. A forgotten PIN can't be recovered. See parental control for what Family lock does and doesn't cover.
What does EZOBLOCKER not scan or read?
It doesn't scan your phone, apps or files, and it doesn't read pages. It acts on addresses, which is why the security page talks about harmful and fake sites on our lists and not about threats in general.
So what is it good for?
It is good at one job: stopping addresses on our lists, such as ad servers, trackers, harmful and fake sites and the categories you pick, on our servers before they load. The lists refresh every 6 hours and you can read them on the blocklists page. To see whether your phone is filtered right now, run the protection check.