StevenBlock is a systemless ad blocker for rooted Android. It points ad, tracker and malware domains at 0.0.0.0 through one clean hosts file, so they’re blocked system-wide with no VPN and no background service.
Free and open source. Install the zip from your root manager, reboot, done.
Classic unified list for ads and malware, with very few false positives.
Extended protection with many more trackers.
Before an app connects to a server, it asks Android for that server’s address, and Android checks the hosts file first. StevenBlock fills the file with known ad, tracker and malware domains, each pointed at 0.0.0.0, an address that leads nowhere. Those requests fail instantly. Everything else loads as usual.
pagead2.googlesyndication.com
0.0.0.0 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
en.wikipedia.org
Blocking happens in a single static file. Lists, rules, updates and checks live in a WebUI you open only when you need it.
Switch lists, add rules, update and check status from a fast, polished interface with dark and light themes. It opens right inside KernelSU, KernelSU Next, SukiSU and APatch, and from the Action button on Magisk.
Allow a domain your list blocks by mistake, or block one it misses. Paste a full URL and the domain is extracted for you.
Downloads are validated before they touch your hosts file, backups are kept, and the new file is swapped in a single step. See how updates work
StevenBlock compares the live /system/etc/hosts with its own file and tells you plainly: applied, waiting for a reboot, overridden by another module, or not active.
On KernelSU, SukiSU and APatch, StevenBlock checks the mount at every boot and mounts its hosts file itself if your root manager didn’t.
No prompts, no volume keys. The installer detects your root manager, warns about conflicting hosts modules and sets up the default list.
Update Current List checks the source first and downloads only when the list actually changed. When it does, you get live progress with size, speed and a cancel button.
Every list comes straight from its official source and is cleaned before it’s installed. Start with the default, and step up only if you want more.
The classic unified hosts list for ads and malware, with very few false positives. Battle-tested and safe for everyday use.
Merges many reputable public blocklists into one broad list, for wide coverage of ads, trackers and malware in a single file.
Five tiers of one well-maintained project. Each step blocks more than the one before it.
Basic protection from ads, tracking and telemetry, built to break nothing.
All-round protection from ads, tracking, phishing, malware and scams.
Extended protection with many more trackers. May need an allow rule now and then.
Aggressive blocking for experienced users. Some legitimate sites or app features may break.
The most aggressive option. Can restrict app and website features.
📊 The WebUI shows each list’s live entry count and last-update date, read straight from the list’s own header.
⚠️ Pro++ and Ultimate are strict on purpose. If a site or app breaks, allow the domain in Domain Rules or step down a tier.
The WebUI opens right inside KernelSU, KernelSU Next, SukiSU and APatch. On Magisk, the Action button opens it in your browser through a private local server.
Classic unified list for ads and malware, with very few false positives.
Every list switch and update runs through the same careful pipeline. If any step fails, nothing changes, and you’re told exactly why.
Straight from the list’s official source, with timeouts and automatic retries. You can cancel at any point.
The file can’t be empty, an error page or suspiciously small, and its size has to match what the server announced.
One fast pass strips comments and duplicates, drops invalid domains and points every entry at 0.0.0.0.
Your current hosts file is copied aside first, and the most recent backups are kept.
The new file is written next to the old one and moved into place in one step, so a half-written file can’t happen.
The result must contain the localhost entries and exactly the number of domains expected.
↩️ Something failed? The previous hosts file is restored automatically, and the reason appears in the WebUI and the log.
Every way of blocking ads on Android has trade-offs. Here’s an honest look at the common approaches.
Systemless hosts file
Local VPN that filters traffic
A filtering DNS provider
Blocking inside one browser
💡 A hosts file blocks whole domains. It can’t hide page elements or block ads served from the same domain as the content, so a browser with its own blocker makes a great companion to StevenBlock.
One zip, one reboot. The installer handles the rest on its own.
The download button always gives you the latest StevenBlock.zip.
Open Modules, tap Install from storage and pick the zip.
It detects your root manager, warns about conflicting hosts modules, cleans up older versions and downloads the default list.
Your new hosts file is active after the restart.
Tap WebUI on the StevenBlock card, or Action on Magisk.
🌐 No internet during install? StevenBlock finishes anyway and downloads your list after the next boot.
An ad blocker shouldn’t become a new way to watch you. StevenBlock keeps everything on your device.
The things people ask most often. Still stuck? The community is happy to help.
✈️ Ask in the Telegram groupNo. It needs Magisk, KernelSU, KernelSU Next, SukiSU or APatch, because it replaces the system hosts file. Without root, Android’s Private DNS or a VPN-based blocker are the usual alternatives.
Please don’t. Only one module can provide /system/etc/hosts, so two hosts-based blockers fight over the same file. Turn off Systemless hosts in Magisk and don’t use AdAway’s root mode alongside StevenBlock. The installer and Check Status both warn you when they spot a conflict.
These managers can hide module changes from apps that aren’t granted root, through an option called umount modules. If it’s active for your browser, the browser sees the original hosts file. Open your root manager, go to Superuser, select the browser, choose Custom and uncheck umount modules. Then fully close and reopen the browser.
They can. Chromium-based browsers have a Secure DNS option that resolves domains on its own instead of through Android, which can skip the hosts file. In Chrome, open Settings, then Privacy and security, and turn off Use secure DNS. Android’s own Private DNS setting doesn’t bypass the hosts file, so you can keep it.
Those ads come from the same servers as the videos themselves. A hosts file blocks whole domains, so blocking them would block the videos too. Every hosts-based blocker has this limit. For ad-free YouTube, use a client with built-in ad blocking. StevenBlock keeps handling everything else.
The hosts file is mounted over /system/etc/hosts at boot. StevenBlock swaps in a complete new file in one step, but the mount keeps showing the previous one until the next boot. Your current protection keeps working in the meantime, and Check Status shows when the new file is applied.
First, disable the blocker, reboot and try again to confirm StevenBlock is the cause. If it is, find the blocked domain and add it as an Allow rule, remembering that rules match the exact domain only. On Pro++ or Ultimate, stepping down a tier is often the quickest fix.
No. Recent releases of these managers mount module files through a metamodule, and some metamodules mount a copy made during installation. StevenBlock checks at every boot that /system/etc/hosts really is its current file, and mounts it directly when it isn’t.
No service runs for blocking. It’s a static file that Android reads on its own. Downloading and processing a list takes a few seconds and only happens when you switch or update, and the browser WebUI server stops by itself when you’re done.
Remove StevenBlock in your root manager and reboot. It deletes its own data on the way out, and because /system was never modified, your original hosts file is back after the restart.
Questions, list suggestions or a site that broke? The Telegram group is the fastest place to get help and hear about updates.