How to Easily Block News Sites on Computers and Phones

When you search for “how to block news sites” on Google, you are likely looking for ways to restrict access to news websites. These sites can often be distracting and time wasting. Another possibility is that you want to prevent certain news sites from showing up in your search results.

This article will mainly discuss how to block access to news sites on computers and phones. It will also cover how to stop specific news sites from appearing in your search results.

 

How to block access to news sites

Can’t stop wasting time on news sites? Do you find yourself reading the news when you actually need to get work done? If so, you may consider blocking access to those sites.

The easiest way to do this is to use Cisdem AppCrypt, a website blocker and app lock in one. This app is available for Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android. Below, you will find instructions on how to use it to restrict news sites on computers and phones.

On Mac and Windows

1. Download and install AppCrypt.

Free Download macOS 10.12 or laterFree Download Windows 11/10/8/7

2. When you launch it for the first time, you will be prompted to set a password.

To block your own access to news sites, consider asking someone else, like a friend, to set the password for you.

3. On a Mac, click the app’s icon in the top menu bar and choose Open Main Window. On a Windows PC, simply click the icon in the taskbar.

4. Use the password to access the app’s main window.

5. In the Web Block tab, do any or all of the following:

• Click the Import dropdown menu and choose News Sites. This will add all popular news sites to the block list.
• If a specific site (e.g., nbcnews.com) isn’t blocked, enter it in the URL field and click Add. The search box in the bottom left corner can help you easily find out if a certain site is already on the block list.
• Add keywords such as “news”, “cnn”, “cbs”, or “reuters”. URLs containing any blocked keyword will be inaccessible.

Note: If you are a Windows user, when you click the Web Block tab for the first time, install the extension on the browser(s) of your choice as prompted. Mac users don’t need to do this.

Tip: By default, these sites will be blocked permanently. If you want to block certain news sites only during specific times (like work hours), AppCrypt’s scheduling feature can help. Use the general schedule feature to apply the same schedule to all blocked sites, or use the custom schedule feature for individual sites.

When you try to visit a blocked site, it won’t open, and you will see a message indicating that access is blocked. You can’t bypass the restriction even in the incognito or private browsing mode. And if you think about quitting AppCrypt or disabling the Web Block function to bypass restrictions, you won’t be able to do so without knowing the password.

 

On iPhone

1. Install AppCrypt from the App Store.

Download on theApp Store

2. When you open the app for the first time, tap Start and then Continue.

3. In the Web Block tab, enter a specific news site that you want to restrict and tap Add. Repeat this step to add other unwanted sites.

4. Tap Apply.

5. Optionally, use the scheduling feature to set the restriction to be on only during specific hours.

6. Tap Notifications in the Preferences tab. In the Notifications screen that appears, turn on Notification, tap Allow, and set a 4- or 6-digit password.

Now these news websites will be blocked on all browsers on your iPhone.

 

On Android

1. Install AppCrypt from the Play Store.

GET IT ONGoogle Play

2. The first time you open the app, you will be prompted to set a 4- or 6-digit password or a pattern.

3. Tap Web Block at the top of the screen.

4. Enter an unwanted news site in the URL field and tap Add. Continue blocking other sites.

5. This step is optional. Tap Schedule at the top of the screen, tap Add, and specify the times and days during which your chosen news sites will be restricted.

From now on, these sites won’t be accessible in your phone’s browsers either permanently or for a specific period, depending on your settings.

 

Summary

There are numerous news websites out there. Thanks to AppCrypt’s built-in list of news sites, you don’t have to add them manually to the block list. If you need a complete news-free environment while working on your computer, you can use the app’s “Block All Websites” feature along with the “Exceptions” feature to allow only the websites you need for work. On your phone, you can use AppCrypt not only to block news sites but also to limit the time you spend on news apps.

 

How to block those news sites from appearing in Google’s results

When you use search engines like Google, if you prefer content from sources like forums and blogs rather than news sites, you might find news sites annoying in your search results. To enhance your experience, you can block these sites using a browser extension called uBlacklist.

1. Add uBlacklist to your Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browser on your computer.

2. Click the uBlacklist icon in your browser’s toolbar and click Options.

3. On the page that appears, you will find several sections. In the General section, enter the news sites that you want to block one by one. Click Save.

There are several ways to enter websites.

• Enter a full URL, like https://www.cnn.com/.
• Enter a domain name, like cnn.com.
• Use wildcard characters, like *://*. cnn.com/*
• Use regular expressions, like /bbc\.(com|co.uk)/

4. This step is optional. If you want to block these sites on other search engines like Bing, click Enable and select your chosen search engines.

If a search term returns results that contain a blocked news site, that site won’t show up. Instead, you will see a message indicating that all related results are blocked. If you wish to see these results, click Show next to the message.