What are the limitations of website blocking on Android?
Website blocking on Android works really well, but it does have a few limitations worth knowing about — most of them come from how Android browsers and the Accessibility service interact.
Where website blocking works
- Most major browsers — see “Which browsers are supported by AppBlock?” for the full list.
- Keyword blocking — works in supported browsers, with In domain and Anywhere in URL options.
Where website blocking may fall short
- Unsupported browsers may bypass blocking entirely. If a browser isn’t on our supported list, AppBlock can’t read its URLs.
- Browser updates can occasionally break detection. If a browser changes its internal structure, AppBlock may need an update to keep working with it.
- In-app browsers (inside social media or messaging apps) may not always be blocked.
- A page may flash briefly before the block screen appears. This is normal Accessibility-based behavior.
- Incognito or private browsing in unsupported browsers may bypass blocking. AppBlock supports tracking incognito statistics in some browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave, and others), but blocking behavior in incognito mode can vary.
What you can do
- Use a supported browser for the most reliable blocking.
- Turn on Block unsupported browsers in Extra options — any browser AppBlock can’t control directly will be blocked entirely.
- For betting, adult, or other distracting categories, combine specific URLs, keywords, and the Porn sites blocking filter for maximum coverage.
