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NetGuard

NetGuard is possibly the first free and open source no root firewall for Android.

Features

  • No root required
  • Simple to use
  • Free and open source
  • No extra battery usage
  • No calling home
  • No tracking (analytics)
  • No ads

NetGuard doesn't even require internet permission.

Usage

  • Enable the firewall using the switch in the action bar
  • Allow/deny Wi-FI/mobile internet access using the icons at the right side of the application list

Permissions

  • ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE: to check if the device is connected to the internet through Wi-Fi
  • RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED: to start the firewall when starting the device

Frequently asked questions

(1) Can NetGuard completely protect my privacy?

No - nothing can completely protect your privacy. NetGuard will do its best, but it is limited by the fact it must use the VPN service. This is the trade-off required to make a firewall which does not require root access. Since the firewall must momentarily be turned off to update rules, and it only starts when Android "allows" it to start, it will not offer 100% protection against an application connecting to the internet. It will, however, be a lot better than nothing, especially if you are not rebooting often.

If you wanted to protect yourself more, you could (in theory at least) disable WiFi and mobile data before rebooting, and only enable them on reboot, after the firewall service has started (and the small key icon is visible in the status bar).

Thanks @pulser

(2) Can I use VPN applications while using NetGuard?

If the VPN application is using the VPN service, then no, because NetGuard needs to use this service too and Android allows this to just one application at a time.

(3) Can I use NetGuard on any Android version?

No, because the method addDisallowedApplication is being used the minimum required Android version is 5.0 (Lollipop).

(4) Will NetGuard use extra battery power?

No, unlike most of the similar closed source alternatives.

Support

Please do not use GitHub for questions.

Contributing

Translations:

  • Translations to other languages are welcomed
  • Check if the language is supported by Android and find its locale
  • Copy this file to the correct locale folder
  • Translate the strings in the copied file and omit all lines with translatable="false"
  • Create a pull request for the new/updated translation

Please note that you agree to the license below by contributing, including the copyright.

License

GNU General Public License version 3

Copyright (c) 2015 Marcel Bokhorst (M66B)

All rights reserved

This file is part of NetGuard.

NetGuard is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your discretion) any later version.

NetGuard is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with NetGuard. If not, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/.