Sometimes you want: I don’t want this app to connect to the internet, because you just want to use the offline functionalities of an app.
In other cases, you don’t trust the application that connects to the Internet.
There can be various situations when you do not want an application to access the Internet. And, that’s exactly what NetGuard is built for.
NetGuard: Manage Internet access for your applications
NetGuard is a free and open source application (with optional premium) that acts as a firewall for your Android smartphone without the need for root access.
After installing the app, you need to activate it to get started. NetGuard must establish a local VPN connection to apply network filters.
And once you activate it, it’s easy to use. Just tap “Wi-Fi“or”Mobile data” icon to disable/enable network access for specified apps. Green icons show it’s allowed and red shows you it’s blocked (of course!).
Not only limited to blocking access, you can configure granular conditions to allow access when the screen is on (but block it when it’s off). Network rules like this should help you increase your battery life if you have a lot of apps using the internet in the background.
Premium features include traffic log viewing, more appearance tweaks, network speed graph, and more. It is a one time fee of approx 2.5 USD.
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If you like what the app does for you, consider getting the pro features to support development.
With this app, you can choose to allow only messaging apps/funding apps to access the internet so you don’t miss anything important. But, block all other background apps to save data consumption (and related battery drain).
It sounds like a simple thing. But I’m sure it will be very effective when you do. Especially, for metered data users.
Here you are not limited to just a few things, you can do a lot more with the options (even with the free version). Things like using the SOCKS5 proxy, controlling Internet access for system apps, and more.
You cannot use a VPN together with this app. Proxy should be useful in such cases.
Download and install NetGuard
NetGuard is available to install on the Google Play Store. Additionally, you can find it on F-Droid and the APK is in the GitHub Releases section.
💬 What do you think of NetGuard? Do you have any other security/privacy FOSS Android app suggestions? Inform me!
Suggested reading 📖
A paid open source Android app for cloud storage security
Paying a premium is not always a bad thing.
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