How to prevent ad blocker from blocking ads on an app

Question

One of my users let the cat out of the bag and told me they were using one of my free apps, which is monetized by ads, but they were blocking the ads with an ad blocker. The

Answer 1

First, let me say that I believe that Ad Blocking, when it comes to applications, is actually a form of piracy. These apps are supported by the ads, and sometimes, a "paid license" to turn off ads and/or add features. By blocking ads, users are stealing potential revenue from the developer that took the time to create the app that you are using.

Anyhow, I want to add a way to help prevent the use of Ad Blockers. I use this method and I do not allow users to use the app if I detect an ad blocker. People get very angry and will give you poor ratings for it. But I also state very clearly in my applications descriptions that you will not be able to use the app if you have an adblocker.

I use the package manager to check if a specific package is installed. While this will not get all of the adblockers, if you keep "up to date" on some of the popular ones, you can get most of them.

PackageManager pm = activity.getPackageManager ();
Intent intent = pm.getLaunchIntentForPackage ( "de.ub0r.android.adBlock" );
if ( Reflection.isPackageInstalled ( activity, intent ) ) {
  // they have adblock installed
}