50 7 - 20August 2019the seconds you needto skip inan
average episode of that podcast, then
go to Library, tap the podcast’s
thumbnail, tap the ‘adjust’ icon andthen
enter a Skip Intro ti mein seconds.
PodcastGuru also lets you skip
forward 30 seconds with one tap when
playing an episode (ideal for zooming
pastads), as do Acast (www.acast.com)
andCastbox (castbox.fm), both freefor
Androidand iOS.
The iOS-only app Overcast (overcast
.fm) adds innovative chapter markers
created by the podcastmaker using
tools such as Chapters (chaptersapp
.com). Somegenerously include markers
for the end of the ads, so you can skip
with precision. OniOS 12 you can now
choose your own customskipping ti mes
for the Podcasts app, going up to
60 seconds.Blockadsin Skype
and uTorrent
The Windowsedition of AdLock
(adlock.com) obliterates ads from all
your installed browsers andotherinternet-connected
software, such as
videochat programs
and peer-to-peer
download tools. It’s
easy, efficient and
customisable, but not
free– it costs €16
(£14.40) per year after
a 14-day trial. However,
if you use Skype
regularly, that’s not a
bad price to pay to get
rid of its increasingly
irritating ads.
AdLock can’t block
ads in absolutely every
internet-connected
programon your PC,
though. If you’re a
confident computer-
tweaker, you can get
closer to that goal by
editing your
computer’s Hosts file so that it redirects
specific ad requests into oblivion. It’s
hardly the easiest approach, but it gives
you ultimate control without the needto
install yet more browser tools. Follow
the steps atbit.ly/hosts481, or make it a
little easier with an editing tool such as
HostsCK (redisoft.uk).Remove adsfrom
YouTube videos
AdBlocker Ultimate (adblockultimate
.net, see previous page) will efficiently
blitz the ads that YouTube plasters on
top of videos when playing, andskipthe
ones it wants you to sit through before avideostarts. If for somereason you
want to block ads in YouTube only, then
use aYouTube-specific tool such as
VideoAdblocker (bit.ly/vidblock481).
You may not realisethat YouTube
earns incomefromthe ads it sticks
on your own uploaded videos by
default, but you can stopthis, too.
Click your profile photo then Creator
Studio (or ‘YouTube Studio beta’ then
Creator Studio Classic), open the
Channeldrop-down menu andthen
click ‘Upload defaults’. Untick ‘Monetise
with ads’, ‘Overlay in-video ads’,
‘Skippable video ads’ and‘Sponsored
cards’ – all of which are enabled by
default – then click Save.It’s much harder
to clear ads from
YouTube’s mobile
app than its
website. Even
the mighty
system-level
Blokada (blok ada
.org, see previous
page) admits that it
struggles, blaming
Google’s determination to beat
ad bloc kers.
Blokada recommends using a
modifie d version of the YouTube app
such as YouTube Vanced , which has
ad-blocking built in. Download the
APK fromvanced .app.
An easier option is the new app
Stre mio (Android, iOS,www.stremio
.com), which iseffectively a YouTubeWATCHYOUTUBE AD-FREE ON YOUR PHONEclient that lets you create playlists
from third-party streamingservices
(although there’ s little other than
YouTube if you’re in the UK).
Our preferred fix may sound like a
cop-out but it’s easy and works:
ditch the app and load YouTube in
the Brave mobile browser, which
automatically rids YouTube of all ads,
even if you’re not signedin.Overcast podcasts treat listener s to
chapter markers – ideal for skipping adsAdLock eradicates ads from desktop
programs incl uding the ad-riddled Skype
YouTube plasters your own uploaded videos with ads and
doesn’t pay you the funds by defaultBlock ads everywhere