Adguard for Mac Updates & Release Notes

October 25, 2022

We are happy to present AdGuard v2.9.0 for Mac! This version delivers many changes and improvements that passed beta testing and are available to all users.

Before listing the key changes of this release, we should note that AdGuard for Mac is not supported on macOS 10.12 (Sierra) anymore. For AdGuard v2.9.0, the minimum required version of macOS is macOS 10.13 (High Sierra), and starting with the next release macOS 10.15 (Catalina) will become the lowest supported version.

[Enhancement] Implemented an option to add rules via Filtering log #925

add\_rule\_filtering\_log\_en

We've implemented a long-awaited feature: now you can add rules directly from the Filtering log. Just open the Filtering log, select the query row, double-click it, press the Block or Unblock button and then select the type of rule you want to add. Finally click the Add rule button. The user rule has been added!

[Enhancement] Proxy settings moved to the Network tab #734

new\_proxy\_network\_en …

April 14, 2022

The previous release version of AdGuard for Mac came out right before Christmas, while this one comes out in time for Easter. Not that we see a trend here, just mentioning a fun fact that caught our attention. This release boasts three important features that we would like to put forward.

First off: the long-coveted settings export/import feature, that’s already been implemented in every AdGuard product but the Mac version, is here. Yes indeed, now Mac users too can finally export and import their settings in bulk, we can hardly believe it ourselves!

ExtScreen

The second feature — now you will be seeing more dialog screens while installing. AdGuard asks a lot of permissions upon install, it is true. And it does make a lot of changes to your system configuration, more importantly it generates and installs a certificate to perform HTTPS filtering. That knowledge is enough to cause some jitters, we get that. And so it is very important for us to explain to our users that those permissions are crucial for quality filtering. Quality ad filtering is the reason behind installing AdGuard in the first place, right? In these dialog screens we state our policy: despite the permissions asked, we do not use the power gained over your system for any purpose whatsoever except filtering ads. Ever.

ExtScreen …

December 15, 2021

Using the app has become safer, easier, and overall more pleasant. Browse the web even more securely thanks to an updated Browsing security module, activate your AdGuard account via social networks, and check for filter updates as frequently as you wish.

[Enhancement] Safebrowsing v2.0 Safebrowsing, which is responsible for blocking requests to malicious and phishing sites, has been upgraded. The new version of this module makes browsing the Internet safer than ever.

[Enhancement] Social login for license activation We’ve implemented the ability to activate AdGuard license via Google, Facebook, or Apple account.

[Enhancement] Add option to choose filters update check period #146 A long-awaited feature is finally here!

Changelog

[Added] The possibility to disable script interceptor in Advanced settings #992

[Fixed] Incompatibility with AirDrop on macOS Monterey #973

[Fixed] Issue with displaying the certificate chain through the browser assistant #836

[Fixed] AdGuard DNS crashes after waking MacBook Pro up from sleep mode #962 …

October 21, 2021

We’re back with a patch less than a week. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as the saying goes. We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused to you. This patch provides a few bug fixes and improvements. Hopefully, the new version makes things better.

[Fixed] Mail.app account switched offline #965

Sometimes traffic of non-filtered protocols in filtered apps was corrupted due to a bug. That might break IMAP connections in the Apple Mail app. As a result, users of AdGuard for Mac could not access their email accounts, they showed “Offline” in the preferences. Luckily, we managed to fix this issue at the earliest possible time, so now AdGuard users shouldn’t have any trouble with receiving emails.

Changelog

[Fixed] AdGuard DNS crashing after waking MacBook Pro up from sleep mode #962

[Enhancement] Add Sidekick to the list of default browsers #938

[Enhancement] Update CoreLibs to 1.8.221 #971

[Enhancement] Update DnsLibs to 1.6.58 #970

October 15, 2021

It took us 7 months from the previous minor release to prepare this one. Remarkably, the previous big release took place almost exactly a year ago, on October 12, 2020. That’s a substantial period of time, so we can’t help but hold our breath when we present the new version of AdGuard for Mac. It delivers such features as DNS filtering, native Apple silicon support, and Monterey support. The first two ones have been used by beta testing enthusiasts for a long time now, but today we’ve finally got to the release point, so the features will be available for all users.

DNS filtering support #685

adguard\_preferences\_dns\_en

We've used the same approach as in AdGuard for Windows, Android, and iOS, bringing to the app for Mac DNS servers, DNS blocklists and allowlists. One of feature requests from users was adding DNSCrypt, DoH, and DoT support. Finally, it's all there, DoT included. AdGuard DNS has become the first public DNS resolver to support the cutting-edge DNS-over-QUIC protocol. Now you needn't rely on a DNS server provided by your ISP by default, you can choose DNS servers from known DNS providers and add custom DNS servers. You can also add domains to DNS blocklist or allowlist and add complicated rules using [DN…

February 18, 2021

This is a rather uncharacteristic update for AdGuard for Mac. There's no real headliner, but instead a bunch of bugfixes, low-scale improvements, and localization updates. Important! Starting with this update, AdGuard will only work on macOS 10.12+. Unfortunately, the older macOS versions do not have capabilities to support the advanced techniques we use in our filtering engine.

Changelog

[Enhancement] Update CoreLibs to 1.7.189 #835

[Fixed] Some text strings on the initial setup screen are clipped #785

[Fixed] Opera browser isn't filtered in Network extension mode #800

[Fixed] Switching between system profiles causes AdGuard to crash #805

[Fixed] hepsiburada.com - HTTPS filtering issue #1406

[Fixed] blockchain.com is broken #1411

[Other] Added Dutch localization

[Other] Microsoft Outlook removed from the list of applications filtered by default

[Other] Added AdGuard Browser Assistant extension support in Edge browser

November 20, 2020

Today we are launching a small but still very important hotfix. Namely, the compatibility with the new Chrome 87 was improved and the CoreLibs was updated.

[Other] ERR_HTTP2_PROTOCOL_ERROR on some websites #1374

This week Chrome 87 was released, which has a compatibility problem with AdGuard when using the HTTP/2 filtering protocol - some sites may experience regular hangs and download errors. In this update we have improved HTTP/2 filtering compatibility with Chrome 87, it is recommended to upgrade to the new stable version as soon as possible. :)

[Fixed] BigSur: AdGuard can't start protection in Network Extension filtering mode because of codeSignatureInvalid error

Also in this update, the issue which many Big Sur users encountered was fixed. AdGuard network extension couldn't pass the authenticity verification of the developer's signature. Because of that, it was impossible to turn the Network Extension mode on and to enable AdGuard protection.

Changelog

[Fixed] AdGuard stops working after the system is out of sleep #781

[Fixed] Change the KEXT behavior in case of a change of user #769

[Other] Protection switch is stuck after system update

[Other] Update CoreLibs to 1.7.150 #787

November 9, 2020

This patch is simple and clear: only four fixes in the main changelog and three ones in the CoreLibs section. In case you've never heard of it, CoreLibs is our filtering engine that affects filtering quality of our apps so we try to upgrade it regularly.

Changelog

[Fixed] The DeepL app won't connect #763

[Fixed] No HTTPS connectivity in browser #755

[Fixed] Nord VPN breaks connection when AdGuard uses KEXT

[Fixed] AdGuard blocks Facebook images from loading

CoreLibs updated to v1.7.143

[Fixed] $badfilter rules are sensitive to domain lists #1331

[Fixed] Issues with web filtering

[Enhancement] Improved behavior in Proxy mode when server addresses are partly unavailable #123

October 12, 2020

The biggest thing about AdGuard v2.5 for Mac is better compatibility with Big Sur. Thanks to adoption of System Extensions, AdGuard will work better on the newest macOS iteration — read below to find out the details. Other than that, we made a lot of changes and enhancements to CoreLibs, which will result in an overall better filtering quality.

[Enhancement] System Extensions support in Big Sur #692

First of all, what are System Extensions? It all started in 2019 when Apple decided to minimize the amount of code that's executed in kernel. The old framework — Kernel Extensions — was declared as deprecated. As an alternative, Apple offered System Extensions, and specifically Network Extensions as a framework for apps that filter traffic.

In macOS 11 (Big Sur), the old Kernel Extensions will not be supported (partly or at all), so we are adding support for the new framework. If you're already on Big Sur preview, make sure your AdGuard works in Network Extensions mode: open AdGuard's menu -> Select Preferences... -> Network -> Select Mode.... "Kernel Extension" mode should be grayed out, and "Network Extension" mode should be selected.

preferences\_network\_extension\_en …

May 28, 2020

Here comes AdGuard for Mac 2.4! Two betas served as cornerstones for this new version and we are glad to present it to you five months after the previous release.

The biggest thing that has changed here is the new Assistant. CoreLibs has traditionally been updated, too, which enhanced filtering quality. In other aspects, 2.4 is more of a bugfix release. We cleaned it from the recurrent problems of the previous versions, polished it up, so it works nice and smooth.

[Enhancement] The old Assistant has been replaced with a native Assistant browser extension #669, #670

AdGuard Browser Assistant is a new browser extension that simultaneously takes over the roles of the old Assistant and of the integration mode. We definitely support the functional approach, so we thought: why distribute workload between two old tools when one new extension can handle it better? Now let us tell you what AdGuard Browser Assistant is capable of.

What can you do with the help of the Assistant? Enable/disable filtering on the current webpage, manually block any element on the page, reporting the website if something goes wrong or view the filtering log. Now you have all these features without the limitations that appeared in the integration mode or in the old Assistant. …

December 23, 2019

After looking closer at the last beta we decided it was good enough to become a little proud release all by itself. It’s mostly focused on fixing network- and UI-related bugs, but there’s also a new Stealth Mode parameter to block Java.

[Added] “Block Java” option to Stealth Mode #476

[Added] HTTPS filtering step to the initial wizard #659

[Changed] Discord, Steam and Outlook added to the list of apps filtered by default #483

[Fixed] Several minor UI issues in Filters window #422

[Fixed] The text for onboarding tips is truncated in some localizations #616

[Fixed] Onboarding screen turns black #629

[Fixed] Menubar icon becomes semi-transparent #650

[Fixed] AdGuard is irresponsive after pressing "Ignore" button during settings reset #651

[Fixed] "Next" button unavailable during extension reinstall #652 …

November 26, 2019

What makes a good ad blocker update? New features? We added custom userscripts support and activation via personal account — check. Improved ad blocking quality? There’s a CoreLibs update and support for new modifiers — check. Fixes to known bugs? It’s all here, and it’s for you to enjoy!

[Added] Custom userscripts support #11

Userscripts, or “extensions” as we also call them, are highly useful mini-programs that change the behavior of web pages. Every AdGuard for Mac user probably knows about at least some of the extensions added by default, for example, AdGuard Assistant or Popup Blocker.

Now you have an option to add any custom extensions by clicking on the plus symbol in the “Extensions” tab of AdGuard settings window. You are able to load userscripts either from a local file or by URL.

[Added] Option to activate AdGuard by logging into your personal account #588

This is something we’ve already tried with some of the other AdGuard products, and it proved to be a useful addition. Basically, instead of entering a license key directly, you can link your adguard.com personal account to the app by entering the credentials, and AdGuard will automatically get activated if there’s at least one eligible license key in your account.

[Added] Scriptlets support …