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Blocking AdBlock pop-ups injected by Google?

Screenshot_20260514-084205

Hi! When using Google News, a lot of pages have exactly the same AdBlock pop-up like the one in the screenshot. Wheather it's injected by Google or they really all have the same system for showing them, is there a way to block it? I tried all regularly updated block lists but no luck so far.

6 replies

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    • jroks123
    • 5 days ago
    • Reported - view

    This isn’t Google injecting the popup. The site itself is detecting blocked ad/telemetry scripts and responding with an anti-adblock wall.

    DevTools shows Google ad resources failing with:

    …all returning:

    net::ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID

    That usually means DNS-level blocking (NextDNS, Pi-hole, AdGuard DNS, etc.) prevented the domains from resolving.

    So the site logic is basically:

    1. Load ad scripts
    2. Scripts fail
    3. Assume adblock is active
    4. Show popup / restrict content

    This isn’t cosmetic filtering anymore. Modern sites often check whether ad/analytics JavaScript successfully executed.

    Realistically, the only workaround is:

    • whitelist the site, or
    • allow the specific ad domains it depends on.

    Otherwise the site will continue treating the blocked requests as adblocking and trigger the warning.

    • jroks123
    • 5 days ago
    • Reported - view

    As a followup, I clicked on an article on my laptop using chrome.

    • jroks123
    • 5 days ago
    • Reported - view

    The issue here is that DNS-level blocking (NextDNS, Pi-hole, etc.) is preventing Google ad/telemetry scripts from loading at all. The site detects those failed requests and triggers the popup.

    Firefox + uBlock Origin behaves differently because uBO works at the browser level and can often suppress the anti-adblock overlays or neuter the detection logic itself while still letting enough of the page load to avoid detection.

    Unfortunately, since Google crippled Manifest V2 support in Chromium-based browsers, uBlock Origin no longer functions at full capability in Chrome/Edge the way it does in Firefox.

    So realistically, if someone wants the best anti-adblock suppression experience today, Firefox + uBlock Origin is still the strongest option. Otherwise, the practical workaround is whitelisting the site or allowing the ad domains it depends on.

      • John.66
      • yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Firefox + uBlock Origin is still the strongest option.

      I'd argue with that: Brave browser is Chromium-based, but still supports Manifest V2 (letting uBlock Origin work just the same) and has a decent built-in adblock feature ("Shields") which supports 3rd party adblock lists. Either of these two (uBlock Origin or Brave's Shields) seems to be capable of blocking those popups on that article.

      • jroks123
      • yesterday
      • Reported - view

       

      You’re absolutely right that Brave is currently one of the better Chromium-based alternatives, especially since Brave Shields is built directly into the browser and Brave is continuing limited Manifest V2 support for extensions like uBlock Origin.

      That said, Brave’s own blog post also highlights some longer-term caveats. Google is still removing MV2 from the broader Chromium ecosystem and Chrome Web Store, and Brave is effectively maintaining compatibility themselves through patches and limited support mechanisms. Even Brave notes that some MV2 extensions now need to be downloaded separately from Brave’s own backend instead of the Chrome Web Store.

      So I don’t disagree that Brave is a strong option right now. I just personally lean toward Firefox + uBlock Origin as the safer long-term recommendation because Mozilla controls both the browser and extension ecosystem independently from Chromium/Google governance.

      That said, none of this is guaranteed forever either. Browser ecosystems change, APIs change, and companies change direction over time. Right now both Firefox and Brave are still very solid choices compared to stock Chrome.

       

      brave's blog post ->

      blog/brave-shields-manifest-v3/

       

      (Since external linking isn't terribly allowed here. Which I personally find acceptable, just thought I'd make it easy to go find the post from Brave though.) 

    • jroks123
    • 5 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Since my first reply is still pending review, my following replies here likely don't make sense. So, to make like easy, this is technically reply #1. Censored approved, I bet the external links is what threw up the pending review.

     

    This isn’t Google injecting the popup. The site itself is detecting blocked ad/telemetry scripts and responding with an anti-adblock wall.

    DevTools shows Google ad resources failing with:

    • pagead2(.)googlesyndication(.)com
    • adsbygoogle(.)js
    • ads_initiator(.)js

    …all returning:

    net::ERR_ADDRESS_INVALID

    That usually means DNS-level blocking (NextDNS, Pi-hole, AdGuard DNS, etc.) prevented the domains from resolving.

    So the site logic is basically:

    1. Load ad scripts
    2. Scripts fail
    3. Assume adblock is active
    4. Show popup / restrict content

    This isn’t cosmetic filtering anymore. Modern sites often check whether ad/analytics JavaScript successfully executed.

    Realistically, the only workaround is:

    • whitelist the site, or
    • allow the specific ad domains it depends on.

    Otherwise the site will continue treating the blocked requests as adblocking and trigger the warning.

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