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Android devices blocking some (Adult?) websites

O

ojos

Newbie
I have a number of Android devices at home accessing Internet via Wifi. I have been using them for years and in general it's all been working fine. However, from time to time one of my devices is unable to access a particular website saying:
This site can't be reached
However all my other devices happily continue to access the site, so it's definitely not a problem with my Wifi/internet access. Nor is it a problem with a particular browser as it occurs regardless of which browser I use. The websites that are failing on this one device seem to fit into the "Adult" category. So, for example, I've just tried accessing some of those kind of websites (eg Pornhub) and it fails for just one of my devices (a Samsung Tablet) but all my other devices load the site without any problem. However my Samsung tablet would previously happily display all similar websites. Yesterday this tablet informed me of a formal system update which I carried out and it completed the update without any apparent problems. However I started to notice that suddenly this apparent "Adult website block" seems to have come into play. I am an adult and, as far as I'm aware, I don't have any apps or set up any settings that place any restrictions on viewing any websites.
I don't use any apps that, as far as I'm aware, are designed to place restrictions of what websites I can view. My question is:
Does Android have any settings anywhere which place a restriction on viewing "Adult related" (or similar) websites which I can reset to remove restrictions so that I can view all websites available on the Internet?
 
Only if you have turned on "parental controls", which I think on a recent Samsung you will find with "digital wellbeing" - though a search of the system settings will be the quickest way to find it. I can't say more because I have digital wellbeing effectively disabled so can't look at the options.

There are content filters in search engines, but otherwise no android system-wide filtering.

If you only have this restriction when on WiFi though it may be your router filtering for one device. And if you use a VPN (including an ad blocker app) you could also check it isn't blocking.

Those are all the things that come to mind.
 
Thanks for your comments.
You're right, I've now located Parental Controls which come under digital wellbeing onn Samsung but I haven't activated that feature and description says that feature uses Google's Family Link, which I haven't installed either. I also have a Samsung Galaxy A51 phone which doesn't block any websites.
It's worth noting that I've had my Samsung Tablet for several years and I had no website blockage problem until the system update a couple of days ago. I therefore see it as a Samsung problem and not my Wifi or the router as other devices (including my Galaxy A51 phone) work fine.
 
I have been using this Samsung Tablet for several years without the current website block occurring. As explained, there was a formal Samsung./Android update a few days ago and that's what started the website block, but only on the Samsung tablet and no other device. I've got about 30 devices attached to my home Wifi and they all continue to work perfectly. I use around a dozen different web browsers and many of them clear cache automatically so cache is not causing a problem.
I consider the problem is caused by the Samsung/Android update and not in any way related to my Wifi or router. The tablet similarly applies its new website block when connected to other networks.
 
Check Google Safe Search setting. Make sure it's off on that device. Not sure if it may be on for that one device only.
 
I've never encountered the Google Safe Search. Whenever I do web searches I use different search engines (mainly DuckDuckGo) and I rarely use the Google Search. In particular, for the the sites that are currently being blocked by my Samsung tablet, I enter the actual address directly (no search involved) of the site I want to go to eg:
mysite.example.com (I'm keeping the site address confidential)
so there is no web search involved at all and Samsung Tablet confronts me with:
This site can't be reached
The web page of https://mysite.example.com might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address
Yet every other device I have brings up the site with no problem whatever (and until a couple of days ago my Samsung Tablet was fine too). Surely the problem I'm having with my Samsung Tablet is not caused by Google Safe Search?
 
No, Google Safe Search will only affect searches done via Google.

I know you say that because this started after an update you believe it must be the device, but I really would check the rest of the chain (e.g. any router/firewall settings). The message you describe sounds like a connection problem to me, and while that might just be how some other filter manifests itself to a web browser I'd apply the "never assume" principle and explicitly eliminate other possible sources of a connection problem.

Then maybe try booting the tablet into safe mode and seeing whether you have the same issue (that disables all user-installed apps, which would rule out any of them interfering). Perhaps even temporarily create a guest account on the tablet (without restrictions on the account) and see whether it behaves the same (no need to install anything for that account, just try the stock browser).
 
Hadron said:
No, Google Safe Search will only affect searches done via Google.

I know you say that because this started after an update you believe it must be the device, but I really would check the rest of the chain (e.g. any router/firewall settings). The message you describe sounds like a connection problem to me, and while that might just be how some other filter manifests itself to a web browser I'd apply the "never assume" principle and explicitly eliminate other possible sources of a connection problem.

Then maybe try booting the tablet into safe mode and seeing whether you have the same issue (that disables all user-installed apps, which would rule out any of them interfering). Perhaps even temporarily create a guest account on the tablet (without restrictions on the account) and see whether it behaves the same (no need to install anything for that account, just try the stock browser).
Click to expand...
 
I agree that I said this problem started to happen after a System Update. But maybe I did not give sufficient detailsed information and should rephrase my information by saying:

I've had my Samsung Galaxy Tablet for about 2 1/2 years. During this time I have been accessing website:
mysite.example.com (I'm keeping the site address confidential)
pretty much daily. In the entire time I've had this tablet I have never ever had a single failure to connect to that website. However, a few days ago the tablet notified me of a full Samsung/Android System Update. At that time I was accessing that website. I terminated my web activity and immediately invoked the System Update. That completed about 5 minutes later with the system informing me the update was successful. I restarted the tablet and immediately attempted to get back to the website (which had worked about 5 minutes earlier) but suddenly failed to connect to that website using any of the web browsers I use and it has failed ever since. However, all other websites I use regularly have continued to work on the Tablet. In particular, I have a number of other devices which have continued to connect to the website (and all other websites) 100% correctly without my having to change any settings. One of those additional devices is a Samsung Galaxy A51 phone which has the same Apps on it as the tablet (except that there was no System Update to be performed).

Hence from my perspective it's the 5 minute System Update that caused my problem with the Tablet. Not only does the website fail to connect on my home network but any alternative network also fails. So I cannot see how my Wifi, router, firewall etc at home needs to be checked or changed when I believe the problem was caused by System Update of my Tablet.
 
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OK, if it's the same on other networks then we can rule out your router.

I really consider it unlikely that a system update has installed a hidden "porn blocker" feature. But it might be worth checking through your security and privacy settings: there's nothing in my phone (Galaxy s21, Android 13, March 2023 security patch) that stands out to me as obviously likely to be responsible, but a site-specific failure could be related to a security policy (security certificates, or anything that might block sites with known security problems - though I'd expect the browser to handle both of those, and both are usually explicit about why the site wasn't loading).
 
I've now got an interesting update. I had assumed the problem was limited to "Adult" websites because I could see no other websites being blocked that I normally log into. However today I notice that the Samsung/Android update has blocked another (certainly non Adult) website:
outbrain.com
Regardless of which of the many web browsers I use, access to this site is refused with a message such as:
This site can't be reached
outbrain.com's server IP address could not be found
(The precise wording varies slightly according to which particular browser I use)
However, every other device I use to browse the Internet will always successfully access that site. Certainly before the disastrous Samsung/Android update a few days ago. my Tablet also accessed this website with not the slightest problem.

I have never previously personally explicitly tried to access outbrain.com and consequently I've only today discovered the site block. It is because access to this site is required as part of the Android App:
Sky News Breaking UK & World
and I have only just discovered that Sky news uses that website and it therefore now tells me that this website is blocked. I've used the Sky News app for many many years and never encounteredto this problem.

So can anybody please explain why the Samsung/Android update has caused website outbrain.com (and evidently numerous other websites) to be blocked only on my Samsung Tablet when it all works fine on all the other devices I use?
 
I can only note that that site loads fine on my Galaxy s21 running Android 13, last updated 4 weeks ago. I'll confirm when the April update lands, but I don't think it's some general Samsung or Android change deliberately blocking that site. Most likely it's something in the configuration of your device, or perhaps something in your specific config that has reacted badly with the update.

So a couple of perhaps contradictory questions: have you tried this with different browsers, and have you tried in safe mode? And do you have an ad blocker, VPN or firewall on the tablet itself? If so does turning it off make a difference?

Have you tried clearing the cache partition, if your tablet has one (from recovery mode, but only clear cache, not a general data wipe)? That last might work if it's a data conflict (they test updates, but they can't test for everything on everyone's device, so occasionally you can get a glitch on a specific device).
 
The site
outbrain.com
has been working fine on my Samsung tablet and numerous other Android devices for years and years through the Sky News App. However, since the disastrous Samsung/Android tablet update of a few days ago, this site has been blocked (together with an unknown number of other websites) only on the Samsung tablet. All my other devices continue to work 100% perfectly both for this and all other websites I access.

I confirm that I have access to numerous web browsers and using my Samsung tablet every single one fails to load the website outbrain.com. I think you may have a misunderstanding about how I view Sky News. I do not access Sky News using a web browser, but Sky News is an App which I use and not a web browser! I consider this clearly shows a Android System problem and not a problem with a web browser. Please look at this screenshot
pasteboard.co/HgIz7WaD6oiV.jpg
of the Sky News App showing clearly that Sky News is reporting that
widgets.outbrain.com
is being blocked by the system. Every single news item in Sky News on my Samsung tablet now shows this block. However, every other device I have continues to work 100% perfectly both for the Sky News App as well as every other website I ever use. Therefore I consider the problem is 100% caused by the disastrous Samsung/Android update which has done something to block an unknown number of websites. Yet all those websites continue to work 100% perfectly on all my other devices.
 
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If this is only happening while using the Sky News app, only on your Samsung Tablet, then the Sky News app itself may be the culprit, there would have been an update to the app, which is now somewhat broken ONLY ON YOUR SAMSUNG TABLET.
Facebook is another such app that releases updates without verifying beforehand that it'll work on different devices.
If I were you, I would uninstall sky news, find an older apk of the sky news app on apkmirror.com and see if the older version works. If it does, then you found your ghost.
 
No, I understood what you were saying. But what I'm saying is that I don't think that Samsung have issued an update that blocks outbrain.com specifically, but there may be something in the update that hasn't played nice with something on your tablet. That may be a particular app, setting or piece of data on your device: it's impossible to test every possible combination of apps, settings and data before releasing an update, and occasionally odd things happen on just one device when the same update is fine for most.

I can't know this is what's happened, but it seems a much more likely explanation than Samsung issuing an update to block that site on just one model of tablet (and the fact that the same site works on other recently updated Samsung devices seems to preclude them having a general beef with outbrain.com - though if you got the tablet through a service provider they can add their own twists to updates, which complicates the picture).

So when I ask questions like "have you tried another browser?" or "have you tried safe mode?" I'm trying to narrow down or eliminate possible causes, including things you may have installed which the update didn't play nicely with. So you tell me that outbrain doesn't work on any browser eliminates a problem with a particular browser - and ruling such things out is why I asked. And as many news apps use "webview" components, based on the system browser, the fact that the sky app didn't work did not automatically make this an irrelevant question.

My point is that just saying "it was the update" doesn't provide a solution, whereas if for example the problem goes away in safe mode that will be a clue (albeit one that still leaves many possibilities). I'm not being obtuse and denying that the update was the trigger, but trying to identify the factors that make this happen and hence try to narrow down on a solution. But I don't have to if you prefer not - your call.

One thing I've not said is that if we assume that some setting or vital bit of data has been corrupted you probably can fix it by doing a factory reset. I've not said that because a reset and setting up again afterwards is a pain, especially if it doesn't fix it (though the idea that the update included code to deliberately block this site seems so out there that I think that it's quite possible that a reset would fix it). And if you get desperate enough to try that I'd also suggest testing the site before restoring your stuff (also make sure you know your Google password before resetting any android device, as you'll need it to get back in - believe it or not we do get people who don't know their own password or even account name!).
 
I think you're mistaken as I consider it's 100% clearly a problem with the blockage caused by the disastrous Samsung update.
Please read again what I previously;y clearly stated.
outbrain.com
has, due to the disastrous update, been blocked by the tablet for any access at all. No App or any web browser on the tablet now has any access to that site. Until the tablet's block is lifted there is absolutrely no way the Sky News App can solve the problem.
You are also mistakenly assuming that only outbrain.com is blocked. There are numerous other websites also blocked (a few of which I have already found) but I haven't got years of time to check every single website in the world to get a full list of those that are blocked.
There's not a shred of evidence that Sky New App is broken. I consider the Sky News App is working 100% perfectly and it's 100% the Samsung tablet's web access block that causes the errors.
 
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Dannydet said:
You are aware that you don't have many options available, due to the disastrous update?
Were just trying to help.
Click to expand...
I have had numerous Android devices for well over 10 years going back to Android 1.0. I am aware that full System Updates are required from time to time and over the years I've had dozens of such updates on my devices. They caused me no problems and provided new features and cured a few problems. All my devices are now on upwards of Android 10.
In the last couple of weeks things changed when my Samsung tablet informed me a full System Update was ready to be carried out. Unfortunately, after the update, access to a number of Internet sites became blocked on the tablet, so I assume the update mistakenly changed one or more settings. Initially I thought it may have been only of "Adult-related" website being blocked but in the last couple of days I've discovered that a non Adult website:
outbrain.com
has also been blocked. However, it's clear that some other sites also got blocked, so it's not "Adult related" as I had originally assumed. I haven't got a full list of blocked sites. Various people have suggested the problem may have been caused by my Wifi, web browsers, router and even the Sky News App. However my extensive checks, showing all my numerous other devices (which are all loaded with over 600 Apps on each) continue to work 100% perfectly. It certainly points to it being solely a problem on my Samsung tablet. Therefore, I'm hoping someone can give me any suggestions for additional checks or updates on my Samsung tablet that could resolve the problems. Due to the huge number of Apps, I am hoping to avoid a full factory reset to the beginning.
 
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@ojos are there numerous other post on the internet complaining about sites being blocked after the Samsung update? or are you the only one? I would think there would be numerous post about this Samsung update, are there?. Have you brought this to Samsung's attention? or maybe even Sam Mobile?
 
OK, I've tried to explain, you clearly don't understand what I'm saying.

I can confirm that with the very latest Samsung update (April 2023 Android 13 One UI 5.1, installed this morning) my s21 can connect to outbrain.com just fine. Sky News is not a particularly obscure app, so if Samsung had issued an update for even one model of device that broke that they would hear about it (but you can report it yourself if you want to be sure). Ergo if it's what you think is the problem then it's likely there will be a fix at some point. But if it's that the update has clashed with something on your device (which will have a unique combination of apps, settings and data) then it's possible that the number of people affected will be very small, maybe just you. In that case your options are to try things out to see if you can identify and deal with the precise cause (i.e. work out what has clashed with the update), just do a factory reset and hope that fixes it, or moan about a disastrous update but refuse to do anything. Your choice.
 
Those screen shots you posted earlier show link addresses that do not open... Looks like the same type of web page when I'm running my VPN on my android devices. I sincerely hope your not running any type of ad blocker, etc...
If I were you I'd do a complete hard reset of the device and work from there
 
mikedt said:
This website you keep emphasising and referring to, outbrain.com? That seems to be some advertising CDN company. You're not running any adblockers are you, as those might block content from that site.
Click to expand...
Thanks. As mentioned earlier, I've never before directly gone to that website, but it's got my attention because the Sky News App refers to it. After digging into the matter I discovered that the System Update had activated some adblocker and thereby caused the problem. It's all working fine now, thanks and I'll be careful about future System Updates!
 
ojos said:
Thanks. As mentioned earlier, I've never before directly gone to that website, but it's got my attention because the Sky News App refers to it. After digging into the matter I discovered that the System Update had activated some adblocker and thereby caused the problem. It's all working fine now, thanks and I'll be careful about future System Updates!
Click to expand...
Could you recap your steps for resolution? My Moto phone suddenly started having the same problem with adult sites.
 
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