How to Block Websites on Android Phone or Tablet: 6 Ways

With easy access to phones and the internet, all websites are literally just a tap away, which is convenient. However, your favorite websites can be distracting, and those inappropriate websites can be harmful to children. Don't worry. In this article, I will show you how to block websites on Android phones and tablets in six different ways.

 Cisdem AppCrypt

The Best Free Website Blocker for Android

• Block websites on Chrome, Samsung Internet, and other browsers
• Block specific websites or URLs containing specified keywords
• Lock individual apps
• Allow you to block websites and lock apps 24/7 or during scheduled times
• Use a password to lock restrictions on websites and apps
• Easy to use
• Hard to bypass
• Help with productivity, parental control, and privacy protection
• Completely free to use for Android (and iOS)

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Method 1. Block websites on Android using a website blocker app

The easiest way and effective way to block websites on Android is using a professional website blocker app, which can help you block a website on all popular web browsers at once, including Chrome, Samsung Internet, Opera, Opera Mini, Opera GX, Firefox, Edge and DuckDuckGo. There are many highly rated web blocker apps to choose from in the Google Play Store. Cisdem AppCrypt is one of the good ones I tested.

With it, you are able to:

• Block specific websites/webpages on your Android phone.
• Decide when to block. Let you choose to block websites at scheduled time or permanently.
• Lock certain apps with a PIN or pattern on Android.
• Create multiple schedules for website blocking and app locking.
• Automatically re-lock apps after they've been unlocked for a period, like 10 minutes
• Lock your blocking settings to prevent others from changing it.

Here are the detailed steps to block websites on Android using the AppCrypt app.

Step 1. BlockSite is available for download on Google Play. Get it there and install it on your Android phone.

GET IT ONGoogle Play

Step 2. Launching the app. Set a PIN or pattern.

Step 3. In the main window, go to the Web Block tab.

Step 4. In the top box, enter the address of the website you want to block on Android. Click Add. 

Repeat this step to add more unwanted website one by one to the block list.

Now the website blocker app for Android has started working and will block all the websites you added in the block list on the supported web browsers.

Method 2. Block websites on a kid's Android device using Family Link

Unlike the first method, which can be used for adults and children, this method is specifically for kids. And it allows you to do the following:

• Block specific websites added by you
• Filter mature websites automatically
• Allow you to whitelist websites
• Allow you to set restrictions on Google Play and do more

Below is how to use this method.

Step 1. On your child's Android phone or tablet, go to Settings > Google and choose Parental controls.

Step 2. Tap Let's do this to continue.

Step 3. Choose your child's account (that you want to restrict websites for). Tap Next to continue.

Step 4. Enter your (as a parent) Google account and tap Next to continue.

Step 5. Enter the password of your kid's account.

Step 6. Tap Allow in the Allow supervision message that appears.

Step 7. On your Android or iOS device, download and install Google Family Link.

Step 8. Sign in with your Google account. (Make sure it's the same one you entered on your kid's device in a previous step.)

Step 9. Tap the three-line icon in the top left corner. Select your child.

Step 10. Choose Manage settings > Filters on Google Chrome.

Step 11. Select Try to block mature sites. Then, tap Manage sites.

Step 12. On the screen that appears, add the specific websites that you want to block on your kid's Android device.

From now on, the websites you want to restrict along with inappropriate sites will become inaccessible.

Method 3. Block a website on Android by editing the hosts file

Host file is a plain-text file in an operating system to map hostnames to its IP address. If you are a tech savvy, you can block specific websites on your Android phone for free by editing the hosts file. With this method, you are able to:

• Block specific websites in all browsers on your Android phone.
• Block an unlimited number of websites for free, but it requires you to add sites one by one.
• Block websites even in incognito mode.

Step 1. Download ES File Explorer File Manager from Google Play and install it on your Android phone.

Step 2. Open the tool, then click on the / button, scroll down to find hosts file.

Step 3. Click on the hosts file, navigate to Open as > Text > ES Note Editor > Edit.

Step 4. In the hosts file, add a new line of text to block specific websites. The format is as follows:

127.0.0.1 www.abc.com

Step 5. Restart your Android phone for activating the changed settings.

After restarting, you will not be able to access the websites you added to the hosts file.

In fact, most of Android users choose to block websites with a third party tool in the end, for being simple and efficient. But if you are still looking for ways to block a website on Android phone or tablet without installing any app, you can try the following 3 methods.

Method 4. Block websites on Android devices with web blocker extensions

One of the most popular way to block a website on Android phone without app is using web blocker extensions. By installing this kind of extension to a browser, you can block specific websites on this browser app on your phone easily. However, not all web browser apps on Android phone supports installing extensions. Here we pick Firefox and Opera as examples to show you detailed steps of this method. The web blocker extension I choose is Block Site. It can help you:

• Block unwanted websites in Firefox and Opera on your Android phone.
• Only allow access to specific sites on the browser and block all others.
• Let you custom the blocked page.
• Let you redirect the blocked URLs to a new destination.

Below are steps:

Step 1. On your Android phone, open the browser app.

Step 2. Visit the add-ons page.

In Firefox, you can enter the URL https://addons.mozilla.org/android/ in the address column and open it.

In Opera, enter https://addons.opera.com.

Step 3. Search for Block Site add-on. Select the one by Allen and add it to your browser.

Step 4. Go back to the Add-ons page and tap Block Site.

Step 5. Add URLs for websites that you want to block in Firefox/Opera on your Android phone.

Method 5. Block websites on Android phone or tablet with router

Blocking websites through the Wi-Fi router is a comprehensive method that works not only on Android devices, but also on all devices connected to the same network. Most routers offer the web filter, parental controls, content restrictions or some similar feature. With it, you are able to:

• Block access to specific websites on all devices connected to the router, including your Android phone or tablet.
• Some routers allow you to block websites by category or keywords, depending on your router model.
• Some router can also help you block all harmful websites on the Internet with 1-click.
• Lock the blocking settings with your router’s password.

To block a website on Android and other devices in your home/office using router:

Step 1. Open a browser. Access your router’s settings.

Step 2. Find the settings for blocking websites. It’s usually called Parental Controls, Firewall or Web Filter.

Step 3. Usually, you’ll see an input box where you can add the URL. Enter the domain name of the website you want to block. You can add multiple websites one by one.

Step 4. Save the settings and restart the router.

Method 6. Block websites in search results on android with Google SafeSearch

Google SafeSearch is a simple tool that can be used to filter inappropriate websites in Chrome on Android, especially if you like to use the Google search engine. It’s a built in feature of Google that can be turned on or off based on user needs. It helps:

• Automatically filter websites containing sexual activity, violence or other inappropriate content in the search results.
• Sync the blocking settings to all other devices logged in to the same Google account, including your other Android phones and tablets.
• Parents can enable this feature only on their child's Google Account. Then it will not affect other users of the device.

Step 1. Open the Google app on your Android phone.

Step 2. In the upper-right corner of the Google Search homepage, click the profile picture. Log in you or your child’s account.

Step 3. Click on Settings > SafeSearch.

Step 4. In the SafeSearch section, choose Filter or Blur to turn on this feature.

Then it’ll automatically filter many inappropriate websites in Chrome on your Android.

Conclusion

Blocking websites can prevent you from accessing inappropriate content online, improve your productivity while working or studying, and help you develop a healthy digital habit. This article shows a full guide on how to block websites on Android in 6 different ways. You can pick one that best suits your needs.