Workaround for the AdFree out of date error (update: there's a fixed version in the Android market now)

Edit: There's an update out now. It asks for registration, but if you hit the "skip" button it won't bother you again.

AdFree is an essential app for any Android phone and a good reason to root it. It keeps annoying ad banners away from apps and websites, and it prevents advertisers from getting your location, grabbing your phone number, or using your IMEI as an undeletable super cookie to track all your online movements.

But today (27th of June 2011) AdFree started to complain about being too old. Of course I speeded to the market to check for a new version, but it wasn't there. All that the market had to offer was the outdated version, and a million complaints from fellow AdFree users who ran into the same bug.

Fortunately there is an easy workaround. Just enter your phone's settings menu, fire up the date & time panel, and set the clock back to 2010. Now you can run AdFree and download the latest hosts file.

Don't forget to set the date back to 2011 after you're done downloading the latest blocklist. And check for updates, because I'm sure the developer of AdFree will release an update soon.
Edit: There's an update out now. It asks for registration, but if you hit the "skip" button it won't bother you again.

• AdFree (alternative download links, no longer in Play Store)