[Solved] Ads not blocking, while Pi-hole is active and functioning

Help
1

Expected Behaviour:

I expect Pi-hole to block ads, for example 'doubleclick.net', which results in not showing ads.

Actual Behaviour:

Ads are not blocked, for example from 'doubleclick.net'.

Additional Information:

I have set up my Pi-hole today, and I've also set it up using the router for global settings. In the admin, I see some domains being blocked, but not domains like 'doubleclick.net'. However, it is findable in the Adlists, and when using "Find Blocked Domain In Lists", it shows 100+ results. On my Macbook, when using "nslookup doubleclick.net" in Terminal, it shows:

Server:		192.168.0.166   # My Pi-Hole
Address:	192.168.0.166#53

Name:	doubleclick.net
Address: 0.0.0.0

I have looked at previous topics, but no solutions work for me thus far. If anyone can help I'd appreciate it!

Debug Token:

https://tricorder.pi-hole.net/w8vvUsFs/

2

The response 0.0.0.0 means Pi-hole is blocking doubleclick.net.

Maybe your browser DNS settings are bypassing Pi-hole.
Which browser are you using?

3

I am primarily using Safari on macOS, but tried with Microsoft Edge too. I have also tried Safari on iPhone, with the same results. In the meanwhile I also tried an Ad Block tester; Test Ad Block - Toolz.

This one shows on Safari for macOS all devices that only one of 140 domains are blocked; analytics.pointdrive.linkedin.com. Below you can find a JSON of the results:

{"time":1678392409615,"date":"9/3/2023 21:6:49","note":"","abt":{"total":140,"blocked":1,"notblocked":139,"cosmetic_test":{"static":false,"dynamic":false},"script":{"ads":false,"pagead":false,"partnerads":false},"hosts":{"Ads":{"Amazon":{"adtago.s3.amazonaws.com":false,"advertising-api-eu.amazon.com":false,"analyticsengine.s3.amazonaws.com":false,"advice-ads.s3.amazonaws.com":false,"analytics.s3.amazonaws.com":false},"Google Ads":{"adservice.google.com":false,"pagead2.googleadservices.com":false,"pagead2.googlesyndication.com":false,"afs.googlesyndication.com":false},"Doubleclick.net":{"static.doubleclick.net":false,"ad.doubleclick.net":false,"m.doubleclick.net":false,"mediavisor.doubleclick.net":false,"stats.g.doubleclick.net":false},"Adcolony":{"adc3-launch.adcolony.com":false,"events3alt.adcolony.com":false,"ads30.adcolony.com":false,"wd.adcolony.com":false},"Media.net":{"adservetx.media.net":false,"static.media.net":false,"media.net":false}},"Analytics":{"Google Analytics":{"app-measurement.com":false,"ssl.google-analytics.com":false,"google-analytics.com":false,"analytics.google.com":false,"click.googleanalytics.com":false},"Hotjar":{"insights.hotjar.com":false,"surveys.hotjar.com":false,"identify.hotjar.com":false,"events.hotjar.io":false,"adm.hotjar.com":false,"script.hotjar.com":false,"careers.hotjar.com":false},"MouseFlow":{"cdn-test.mouseflow.com":false,"mouseflow.com":false,"tools.mouseflow.com":false,"api.mouseflow.com":false},"FreshWorks":{"freshmarketer.com":false,"claritybt.freshmarketer.com":false,"fwtracks.freshmarketer.com":false},"Luckyorange":{"cdn.luckyorange.com":false,"w1.luckyorange.com":false,"api.luckyorange.com":false,"luckyorange.com":false,"realtime.luckyorange.com":false,"settings.luckyorange.net":false,"upload.luckyorange.net":false,"cs.luckyorange.net":false},"Stats WP Plugin":{"stats.wp.com":false}},"Error Trackers":{"Bugsnag":{"notify.bugsnag.com":false,"sessions.bugsnag.com":false,"api.bugsnag.com":false,"app.bugsnag.com":false},"Sentry":{"app.getsentry.com":false,"browser.sentry-cdn.com":false}},"Social Trackers":{"Facebook":{"an.facebook.com":false,"pixel.facebook.com":false},"Twitter":{"ads-api.twitter.com":false,"analytics.twitter.com":false,"ads.twitter.com":false,"static.ads-twitter.com":false},"LinkedIn":{"analytics.pointdrive.linkedin.com":true,"ads.linkedin.com":false},"Pinterest":{"log.pinterest.com":false,"widgets.pinterest.com":false,"analytics.pinterest.com":false,"trk.pinterest.com":false,"ads.pinterest.com":false},"Reddit":{"events.reddit.com":false,"events.redditmedia.com":false},"YouTube":{"ads.youtube.com":false},"TikTok":{"analytics.tiktok.com":false,"business-api.tiktok.com":false,"analytics-sg.tiktok.com":false,"ads-api.tiktok.com":false,"ads-sg.tiktok.com":false,"ads.tiktok.com":false}},"Mix":{"Yahoo":{"udc.yahoo.com":false,"udcm.yahoo.com":false,"analytics.query.yahoo.com":false,"geo.yahoo.com":false,"ads.yahoo.com":false,"log.fc.yahoo.com":false,"analytics.yahoo.com":false,"adtech.yahooinc.com":false,"partnerads.ysm.yahoo.com":false,"gemini.yahoo.com":false,"advertising.yahoo.com":false},"Yandex":{"appmetrica.yandex.ru":false,"metrika.yandex.ru":false,"extmaps-api.yandex.net":false,"offerwall.yandex.net":false,"adfstat.yandex.ru":false,"advertising.yandex.ru":false,"adfox.yandex.ru":false},"Unity":{"adserver.unityads.unity3d.com":false,"config.unityads.unity3d.com":false,"webview.unityads.unity3d.com":false,"auction.unityads.unity3d.com":false}},"OEMs":{"Realme":{"iot-eu-logser.realme.com":false,"bdapi-in-ads.realmemobile.com":false,"iot-logser.realme.com":false,"bdapi-ads.realmemobile.com":false},"Xiaomi":{"api.ad.xiaomi.com":false,"globalapi.ad.xiaomi.com":false,"data.mistat.india.xiaomi.com":false,"data.mistat.rus.xiaomi.com":false,"sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com":false,"sdkconfig.ad.intl.xiaomi.com":false,"data.mistat.xiaomi.com":false,"tracking.rus.miui.com":false},"Oppo":{"ck.ads.oppomobile.com":false,"adx.ads.oppomobile.com":false,"data.ads.oppomobile.com":false,"adsfs.oppomobile.com":false},"Huawei":{"grs.hicloud.com":false,"metrics.data.hicloud.com":false,"logbak.hicloud.com":false,"metrics2.data.hicloud.com":false,"logservice.hicloud.com":false,"logservice1.hicloud.com":false},"OnePlus":{"open.oneplus.net":false,"click.oneplus.cn":false},"Samsung":{"samsung-com.112.2o7.net":false,"smetrics.samsung.com":false,"analytics-api.samsunghealthcn.com":false,"samsungads.com":false},"Apple":{"metrics.icloud.com":false,"tr.iadsdk.apple.com":false,"advertising.apple.com":false}}}}}

However, on Microsoft Edge for macOS it shows 76 of 140 being blocked, again with the JSON of the results below:

{"time":1678393166261,"date":"9/3/2023 21:19:26","note":"","abt":{"total":140,"blocked":76,"notblocked":64,"cosmetic_test":{"static":false,"dynamic":false},"script":{"ads":false,"pagead":false,"partnerads":false},"hosts":{"Ads":{"Amazon":{"adtago.s3.amazonaws.com":true,"advice-ads.s3.amazonaws.com":true,"advertising-api-eu.amazon.com":false,"analyticsengine.s3.amazonaws.com":false,"analytics.s3.amazonaws.com":false},"Google Ads":{"pagead2.googlesyndication.com":true,"adservice.google.com":true,"pagead2.googleadservices.com":true,"afs.googlesyndication.com":true},"Doubleclick.net":{"stats.g.doubleclick.net":true,"ad.doubleclick.net":true,"static.doubleclick.net":true,"m.doubleclick.net":true,"mediavisor.doubleclick.net":false},"Adcolony":{"ads30.adcolony.com":true,"adc3-launch.adcolony.com":true,"events3alt.adcolony.com":true,"wd.adcolony.com":true},"Media.net":{"static.media.net":true,"media.net":true,"adservetx.media.net":true}},"Analytics":{"Google Analytics":{"app-measurement.com":true,"analytics.google.com":true,"click.googleanalytics.com":true,"google-analytics.com":true,"ssl.google-analytics.com":true},"Hotjar":{"script.hotjar.com":true,"surveys.hotjar.com":false,"insights.hotjar.com":false,"identify.hotjar.com":false,"careers.hotjar.com":true,"events.hotjar.io":false,"adm.hotjar.com":false},"MouseFlow":{"mouseflow.com":true,"api.mouseflow.com":false,"cdn-test.mouseflow.com":false,"tools.mouseflow.com":false},"FreshWorks":{"freshmarketer.com":false,"claritybt.freshmarketer.com":false,"fwtracks.freshmarketer.com":false},"Luckyorange":{"luckyorange.com":true,"upload.luckyorange.net":true,"cs.luckyorange.net":true,"settings.luckyorange.net":true,"cdn.luckyorange.com":false,"realtime.luckyorange.com":false,"api.luckyorange.com":false,"w1.luckyorange.com":false},"Stats WP Plugin":{"stats.wp.com":true}},"Error Trackers":{"Bugsnag":{"notify.bugsnag.com":true,"sessions.bugsnag.com":true,"api.bugsnag.com":false,"app.bugsnag.com":false},"Sentry":{"browser.sentry-cdn.com":false,"app.getsentry.com":false}},"Social Trackers":{"Facebook":{"pixel.facebook.com":true,"an.facebook.com":true},"Twitter":{"analytics.twitter.com":true,"static.ads-twitter.com":true,"ads-api.twitter.com":true,"ads.twitter.com":true},"LinkedIn":{"ads.linkedin.com":true,"analytics.pointdrive.linkedin.com":true},"Pinterest":{"ads.pinterest.com":true,"analytics.pinterest.com":true,"trk.pinterest.com":true,"log.pinterest.com":false,"widgets.pinterest.com":false},"Reddit":{"events.redditmedia.com":true,"events.reddit.com":false},"YouTube":{"ads.youtube.com":true},"TikTok":{"analytics.tiktok.com":true,"ads.tiktok.com":true,"analytics-sg.tiktok.com":false,"ads-api.tiktok.com":false,"ads-sg.tiktok.com":true,"business-api.tiktok.com":false}},"Mix":{"Yahoo":{"ads.yahoo.com":true,"analytics.yahoo.com":true,"advertising.yahoo.com":true,"analytics.query.yahoo.com":true,"partnerads.ysm.yahoo.com":true,"gemini.yahoo.com":true,"log.fc.yahoo.com":false,"geo.yahoo.com":false,"udc.yahoo.com":false,"adtech.yahooinc.com":false,"udcm.yahoo.com":false},"Yandex":{"advertising.yandex.ru":true,"appmetrica.yandex.ru":false,"extmaps-api.yandex.net":false,"metrika.yandex.ru":false,"offerwall.yandex.net":false,"adfstat.yandex.ru":false,"adfox.yandex.ru":false},"Unity":{"auction.unityads.unity3d.com":true,"webview.unityads.unity3d.com":true,"config.unityads.unity3d.com":true,"adserver.unityads.unity3d.com":true}},"OEMs":{"Realme":{"iot-eu-logser.realme.com":true,"iot-logser.realme.com":true,"bdapi-in-ads.realmemobile.com":false,"bdapi-ads.realmemobile.com":false},"Xiaomi":{"api.ad.xiaomi.com":true,"data.mistat.xiaomi.com":true,"sdkconfig.ad.xiaomi.com":true,"sdkconfig.ad.intl.xiaomi.com":true,"globalapi.ad.xiaomi.com":true,"tracking.rus.miui.com":true,"data.mistat.rus.xiaomi.com":false,"data.mistat.india.xiaomi.com":false},"Oppo":{"adsfs.oppomobile.com":true,"adx.ads.oppomobile.com":true,"data.ads.oppomobile.com":true,"ck.ads.oppomobile.com":false},"Huawei":{"logservice.hicloud.com":false,"grs.hicloud.com":false,"logbak.hicloud.com":false,"metrics.data.hicloud.com":false,"metrics2.data.hicloud.com":false,"logservice1.hicloud.com":true},"OnePlus":{"open.oneplus.net":true,"click.oneplus.cn":false},"Samsung":{"samsungads.com":true,"smetrics.samsung.com":true,"samsung-com.112.2o7.net":false,"analytics-api.samsunghealthcn.com":false},"Apple":{"tr.iadsdk.apple.com":true,"metrics.icloud.com":true,"advertising.apple.com":false}}}}}

So, it might be a Safari specific problem, but both on my iPhone and macOS. Do you have any tips or advice?

4

Ensure you don't have iCloud Private relay enabled on your Mac and IOS devices.

6

On my iPhone this seems to fix the issue; on my Mac the option to turn it off is incredibly slow for some reason, so I cannot confirm right now but I'm expecting it to fix the issue too. Thanks a lot!

7

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