May 4, 2016: The Opera browser has addresed a long standing pain point of all Internet users, having to deal with intrusive advertisments. A native ad blocker has been integrated into both the stable version of the Opera browser for computers, as well as the Opera Mini browser for Android - starting today.
The 60 million people use Opera for computers, and 120 million people who use Opera Mini for Android on a monthly basis no longer need to install an ad-blocking extension or download an app, to experience faster browsing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For a few days we have a video on Opera Ad blocking
in the Tech Video spot on our home page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Opera is the first browser company to offer an native ad blocker across devices. We do this because we want to provide people with the fastest browsers in the market. Our speed test shows that online ads slow down the browsing experience. Now, with Opera, you can browse a lot faster than, for example, in Chrome," says Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera.
By integrating the ad-blocker technology directly into the browser code, the new Opera for computers speeds up page loading by as much as 89% compared to browsing without ad blocking. It is also claimed to be 45% faster compared to Google Chrome with third-party ad-blocking extensions installed.
Ad blocking is also very useful on a mobile device, where online ads take up precious screen space, slow down the browsing, and adds to the user's data bill. By removing online adds, the new version of Opera Mini loads webpages 40% faster than with the ad blocker disabled.
For cost-conscious mobile users, there is an added advantage to removing online ads, and that is saving money on the data bill. Opera Mini is known for its compression technology, which drastically reduces the size of data from a webpage. By also blocking ads, Opera Mini users can achieve up to an additional 14% in data savings on top of that, so that less is deducted from a user's mobile data allowance.
How to activate the native ad-block technology
Opera Mini: Under the “O” menu in Opera Mini, tap the data-savings summary. From there, simply toggle “block ads” on and off. On Android, the ad blocker is available in both high- and extreme-savings modes.
Opera for computers: The integrated ad blocker can be enabled with a single click in settings. To deactivate it for a specific website, click the shield icon in the search and address bar and flip the switch. The dialog shows statistics on how many ads you’ve blocked overall, as well as on the current page. You can also compare the webpage’s load speed with and without ad blocking.
Other features in today’s release: Opera Mini for Android now gives you the ability to add websites to your device’s home screen, so favorite sites are always at your fingertips. It also brings a redesigned Discover news feed for top articles across the web.
Opera for computers is introducing a video pop out feature, which lets you shift your video frame to the side of your screen, so you can truly multitask: browse, shop online or do research without missing out on the video action.
Download the Opera browser for computers, or take ad blocking for a spin in Opera Mini for Android.