{"slug": "netguard", "name": "NetGuard", "category": "networking", "category_name": "Networking and VPN", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 5, "warners": 0, "score": 3.261, "rising": 0.02, "first": "2025-12-05", "latest": "2026-10-20", "why": "For privacy reasons, I use NetGuard to block this and other similar domains.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 2, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "For privacy reasons, I use NetGuard to block this and other similar domains.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/m66b/netguard", "official_url": "https://netguard.me", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["NetGuard"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 802579857, "item_id": 50161241, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50161241", "by": "aceazzameen", "date": "2026-10-20", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I run Netguard on my Android TV and completely block Google Play along with a hundred other services.", "excerpt": "This is similar to my setup, except I use FLauncher instead. In addition, I run Netguard on my Android TV and completely block Google Play along with a hundred other services. I only give Google Play internet access whenever I have to update a streaming app. One had connection issues the first time I set up Netguard, so I had to look at the logs and open some specific ports to get it working. But all the streaming ap", "context": "", "use_case": "blocking ads on Android TV", "switched_from": "", "story": "An ad-free Android TV"}, {"id": 763349664, "item_id": 47709354, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47709354", "by": "bornfreddy", "date": "2026-04-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For privacy reasons, I use NetGuard to block this and other similar domains.", "excerpt": "> ...my primary line of defence is AdGuard Home. By handling privacy at the DNS level... To each their own, I guess, but that would be a hard pass from me. One example from mobile: FF on android keeps trying to connect to its various services (like firefox.settings.services.mozilla.net). For privacy reasons, I use NetGuard to block this and other similar domains. But there is a gotcha: there are sites (like seekingal", "context": "", "use_case": "blocking Mozilla domains on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Little Snitch comes to Linux, but the core logic is closed source"}, {"id": 740030256, "item_id": 46251891, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46251891", "by": "aceazzameen", "date": "2025-12-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "on the TV itself I installed f-droid and netguard. Netguard's UI sucks on a TV, but it's workable. I use it to block Internet access", "excerpt": "We're running a solution that isn't perfect and isn't for everyone. We have a nice Sony Android TV along with a pihole. But on the TV itself I installed f-droid and netguard. Netguard's UI sucks on a TV, but it's workable. I use it to block Internet access to everything including Google. Only a few streaming apps have internet access. There was some trial and error with a handful of dependencies too. If I need to upd", "context": "runs Sony Android TV with Pi-hole", "use_case": "blocking internet access on Android TV", "switched_from": "", "story": "Sick of smart TVs? Here are your best options"}, {"id": 738623186, "item_id": 46163949, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46163949", "by": "stiray", "date": "2025-12-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Graphene OS + NetGuard is just a far better alternative", "excerpt": "I wouldnt recommend it. TLDR: while the OS is great (really GREAT), the real-world compatibility is not. I had Sailfish OS for a daily driver for two years, and OS is great (let me say that again, Sailfish IS GREAT!), but there are \"the details\". Jolla is completely ignorant to needs of their users. While they do have an android layer, they are ignoring to things that are of huge importance for daily life, like bluet", "context": "", "use_case": "blocking app network access", "switched_from": "", "story": "Jolla Phone Pre-Order"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "aceazzameen", "context": "runs Sony Android TV with Pi-hole", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46251891", "date": "2025-12-12"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["blocking ads on android tv", "local ad blocking", "per-app network access", "blocking mozilla domains on android", "blocking internet access on android tv", "blocking app network access"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50158942", "title": "An ad-free Android TV", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49983647", "title": "System-level ad-blocking in Android", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49045159", "title": "Android May Soon Restrict On-Device ADB", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47705834", "title": "Little Snitch comes to Linux, but the core logic is closed source", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46243655", "title": "Sick of smart TVs? Here are your best options", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46162368", "title": "Jolla Phone Pre-Order", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {"neutral": 1, "recommend": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 802579857, "item_id": 50161241, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50161241", "by": "aceazzameen", "date": "2026-10-20", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I run Netguard on my Android TV and completely block Google Play along with a hundred other services.", "excerpt": "This is similar to my setup, except I use FLauncher instead. In addition, I run Netguard on my Android TV and completely block Google Play along with a hundred other services. I only give Google Play internet access whenever I have to update a streaming app. One had connection issues the first time I set up Netguard, so I had to look at the logs and open some specific ports to get it working. But all the streaming ap", "context": "", "use_case": "blocking ads on Android TV", "switched_from": "", "story": "An ad-free Android TV"}, {"id": 799744564, "item_id": 49984035, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49984035", "by": "Onavo", "date": "2026-10-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "There are local device-only resolver apps like", "excerpt": "Sigh, that's a lot of words to describe DNS based adblocking. In Android you can either set your DNS server in the system settings or via the VPN API. Sample code here https://github.com/t895/DNSNet/blob/a-couple-updates/service/src/main/kotlin/dev/clombardo/dnsnet/service/vpn/DnsNetVpnService.kt They both do the same thing. There are local device-only resolver apps like https://rethinkdns.com/ https://github.com/m66", "context": "", "use_case": "local ad blocking", "switched_from": "", "story": "System-level ad-blocking in Android"}, {"id": 785263523, "item_id": 49078970, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49078970", "by": "1vuio0pswjnm7", "date": "2026-07-27", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "to be more like NetGuard, i.e., only allowing selected apps to have network access", "excerpt": "ShizuWall seems quite useful For example, the user can keep network access for all apps disabled Then enable apps needing connectivity on-the-fly only when need to use them It can be combined with a VPN that does port forwarding like PCAPDroid to be more like NetGuard, i.e., only allowing selected apps to have network access I have been using Shizuku for years with NMM and some other apps but wasn't aware of ShizuWal", "context": "", "use_case": "per-app network access", "switched_from": "", "story": "Android May Soon Restrict On-Device ADB"}, {"id": 763349664, "item_id": 47709354, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47709354", "by": "bornfreddy", "date": "2026-04-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "For privacy reasons, I use NetGuard to block this and other similar domains.", "excerpt": "> ...my primary line of defence is AdGuard Home. By handling privacy at the DNS level... To each their own, I guess, but that would be a hard pass from me. One example from mobile: FF on android keeps trying to connect to its various services (like firefox.settings.services.mozilla.net). For privacy reasons, I use NetGuard to block this and other similar domains. But there is a gotcha: there are sites (like seekingal", "context": "", "use_case": "blocking Mozilla domains on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Little Snitch comes to Linux, but the core logic is closed source"}, {"id": 740030256, "item_id": 46251891, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46251891", "by": "aceazzameen", "date": "2025-12-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "on the TV itself I installed f-droid and netguard. Netguard's UI sucks on a TV, but it's workable. I use it to block Internet access", "excerpt": "We're running a solution that isn't perfect and isn't for everyone. We have a nice Sony Android TV along with a pihole. But on the TV itself I installed f-droid and netguard. Netguard's UI sucks on a TV, but it's workable. I use it to block Internet access to everything including Google. Only a few streaming apps have internet access. There was some trial and error with a handful of dependencies too. If I need to upd", "context": "runs Sony Android TV with Pi-hole", "use_case": "blocking internet access on Android TV", "switched_from": "", "story": "Sick of smart TVs? Here are your best options"}, {"id": 738623186, "item_id": 46163949, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46163949", "by": "stiray", "date": "2025-12-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Graphene OS + NetGuard is just a far better alternative", "excerpt": "I wouldnt recommend it. TLDR: while the OS is great (really GREAT), the real-world compatibility is not. I had Sailfish OS for a daily driver for two years, and OS is great (let me say that again, Sailfish IS GREAT!), but there are \"the details\". Jolla is completely ignorant to needs of their users. While they do have an android layer, they are ignoring to things that are of huge importance for daily life, like bluet", "context": "", "use_case": "blocking app network access", "switched_from": "", "story": "Jolla Phone Pre-Order"}]}