New tools

We understand that websites need adverts to survive, but why do they have to be so annoying? Why do they have to take over the web page with garish graphics and vulgar videos? Until these adverts stop invading our digital space, we’ll continue to recommend adblocking browsers like Firefox Focus, which has just launched on Android devices after arriving on iphones and ipads last year.

Firefox Focus blocks both adverts and their trackers, which follow you around the web, making web pages load slowly. To do this open the Settings section and make sure the ‘Block ad trackers’ slider is switched on (see screenshot).

At a mere 3.5MB, it’s a strippeddown version of the PC version of Firefox, with no tabs or advanced multitasking tools, and so suits short browsing sessions. You can erase your browsing history with one tap, making it ideal if you share your device with other people and want to keep your searches private. There’s one catch – the default search engine is Yahoo, though you can easily change this to Google in Settings.