HowTo: Block websites in every browser

asked 2015-11-29 13:31:26 +0200

This post is a wiki. Anyone with karma >75 is welcome to improve it.

updated 2015-11-29 21:52:41 +0200

DrBlock42
1205 ●20 ●27 ●28

To block certain websites in every browser on your Jolla Phone, follow these simple steps:

Blocking websites

1. Make sure you have a Jolla account and the Jolla device can access the Jolla Store.

2. Go to |- Settings | System Settings | Developer Mode -|.

3. Activate „Developer mode“. Because your Jolla device can access the Jolla Store, a Terminal app is installed now.

4. Activate „Remote connection” (either enter and [Save] a password or [Generate] it; if you generate it, you have to edit it slightly before the [Save] button becomes available).

5. Open the Terminal app installed during step 2. The SailfishOS command prompt will appear. You are logged in as user, the prompt is a "$".

6. Get root access:
   Enter devel-su [Enter].

7. When requested: Enter your password (as specified during step 4) and [Enter]. The prompt changes from "$" to "#". Now, you have root access to the Jolla device! Be careful!

8. Go to root:
   Enter cd /[Enter]

9. Create a backup of the hosts-file:
   Enter cp /etc/hosts /etc/hosts.bkp [Enter]

10. Add Website you want to block to the file (e.g. www.google.com):
    Enter sh -c 'echo "127.0.0.1 www.google.com" >> /etc/hosts'[Enter]
    (Do only change the adress, nothing else!)
    
    Important:Do not forgett "www." and remember that some websites like facebook do have a mobile version aswell (m.facebook.com)

11. Repeat Step 10 for every website you want to block. This can be done at any point in time.

How it works: Basicly you are telling you're phone to redirect every request for the specified websites back to the phone itself. That comes handy when you have a html-server running on your phone with a custum html file with e.g. a warning. Without a server it will simply say: Connection Error as if the site would not exist.

Reloading BackUp

If you want to unblock all websites, simply restore the backup:
Enter cp /etc/hosts.bkp /etc/hosts [Enter]

Then agree to overwrite the file: y [Enter]

PS: Some steps are copied from https://together.jolla.com/question/30926/howto-install-google-play/ beacuse they're identical.