Want To Stop Certain Apps For Accessing The Internet On Your Android Completely? Do This And Save Data And Battery Both

Battery drain because of Apps running in the background using up your data is not a new thing and is quite the efficiency killer when it comes to Android smartphones; most don't even need to be using your internet at all, yet they are somehow connected.

Ever wonder why an app working perfectly fine offline starts showing ads out of nowhere? This might be the reason for that. Now what happens over time is that these apps that get accumulated in your background processes start draining your battery and data both. Apart from that, there is a concern of privacy, as some information, more than you think, might be getting shared through these background processes.

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Well, the good news is that this can be restricted. Android devices have done a good job in hiding it, but there are easier ways with which you can block internet access to specific apps, giving internet connection to just the apps that direly require it while blocking others.

No Native Availability In Android

Even though the latest Android 16 is out, users still don't get a native ability to fully restrict such apps. Yes, the option to switch off background data is there, but it does not prevent the app from going back online when you open it once again.

To fully achieve the motive you intend, users will need to take help from a third-party app. NetGuard is one such tool that can help you sort this issue out.

The app is available on Google Play and does not require root access; in other words, it can run on any Android smartphone.

How Does The App Work?

- Open NetGuard and let it set up a local VPN — that’s how it manages internet access. You’ll see all your apps listed with Wi-Fi and mobile data icons next to them.

- Tap an icon to cut internet for that app. Green means it’s allowed; red means it’s blocked.

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- For full control, enable “lockdown mode” to block everything, then selectively allow only the apps you actually want online, like WhatsApp or Gmail.

One thing you should keep in mind while using apps like this is that since NetGuard uses a local VPN, you can’t run another VPN at the same time.