How to Block Internet Access in Specific Apps on Android

A smartphone is just “smart” as long as it has an internet connection because you want working internet network for different apps to work. However, that also means that these apps take up a considerable measure of our internet bandwidth. Moreover, on the off chance that completely depend on mobile data for your Android smartphone and you don’t have an unlimited plan, your bandwidth should get over really soon. The issue is, some apps utilize the internet even when they are running in the background. While communication apps like WhatsApp, Messenger should to be connected with the internet all the time, different apps don’t generally should be connected dependably. In this way, if you have a limited data plan or even a broadband WiFi connection which has a monthly bandwidth limit, you should limit the internet usage of apps on your Android smartphone.

There are several ways to block internet access in specific apps on Android. You can do it through Android’s built-in options or you can use a third-party app.

Restrict Background Data on Android Natively

You can easily set background data limitations for particular apps on Android. All you need to do, is make over to Settings->Apps and select the app you need to block background data. In the App Info page, you can tap “Data usage” and here, enable “Restrict app background data”. This ensures that the app does not bring any mobile data while running in the background. In any case, if you open the app, it will use the internet.

If you need to restrict background data for all the apps, you can go to Settings->Data usage, press the three-dot button and tap on “Restrict background data”. Here, you can additionally set a monthly mobile data limit, so that you know when your mobile data is close to getting over.

Android N includes a Data Saver mode, which basically restricts the background data on all apps. However, you can choice the apps you need to enable unrestricted data access for.

The native Android methods work fine in the event that you are looking to only limit usage on mobile data, there are third party apps that let you block mobile data as well as WiFi connectivity for certain apps:

Block Mobile Data and WiFi with Third Party Apps

There are a several apps that let you block internet for specific apps, we’ll advise you Mobiwol because it’s free and it brings the huge variety of features you’d need. So, install Mobiwol on your Android smartphone and follow the steps:

Step 1:

When you first open Mobiwol, you will see the home page of the app with its main options listed upfront. You can go to “Firewall Rules“, where you will find all the apps on your device including the system apps. You can just tap on the mobile network & WiFi icon to disable the respective connections for the app.

Note: Be careful to not block system apps because that may lead to unexpected behavior and inconsistent performance of your device.

Step 2:

Once done, you can go back to the main page of the app and turn on “Firewall Status”. When you turn it on, the app will make a VPN connection request. Tap “Ok” and the firewall will turn on.

Note:

Mobiwol and most other similar firewall apps create a VPN connection, so that they can filter the internet connection on your device to stop usage on blocked apps.

Step 3:

Then, you can try opening the blocked apps and you will see that they don’t have internet access. Mobiwol also lets you check the apps that are using the connection in the background via “Connection Logs”.

Other than that, you can check out the app settings to ensure it auto-starts on reboot, accept or block newly installed apps, get log notifications and its frequency and get tips about the app.

If you would like a more feature rich app, you can try the below mentioned apps that also let you block internet in specific apps:

• NetGuard

NetGuard is another firewall app that not only blocks internet access for specific apps but lets you use conditions like allow WiFi/mobile data when screen is on and block internet while roaming. It also supports multiple device users, tethering and more. Some say that NetGuard is far better than Mobiwol but the issue is, NetGuard’s one of a unique feature like log out outgoing traffic, network speed, ability to block addresses etc. are available only in the paid version of the app.

Install: (Free with in-app purchases for Pro features)

• NoRoot Firewall

NoRoot Firewall is a popular firewall app that brings advanced capabilities to the table. The app not only gives chance you to block mobile data/WiFi access for apps, it also lets you set custom filters and conditions based on IP address, domain name and host address. While the app’s interface may seem heavy, it is available for free, so you can give it a try.

Install: (Free)