Skip to content

What Is Dynamic Ad Insertion — and How to Block It (2026)

See how it works — internal navigation link

Dynamic ad insertion (DAI) is how modern podcasts serve ads: instead of baking one ad into the file forever, the host’s server stitches fresh ad segments into the audio every time the episode is requested. That’s why you hear different ads on a re-listen, and why browser ad blockers can’t touch them — the ad is part of the audio stream, not a separate web element.

Why You Can’t Block DAI in a Podcast App

Section titled “Why You Can’t Block DAI in a Podcast App”

Podcast apps play the audio they’re given. The ad bytes are interleaved with content bytes. Skipping requires actually detecting where ads start and end in the audio.

ZeroAds processes the feed’s audio, detects the inserted ad spans, and produces a clean RSS feed you use in your normal app.

Block DAI on your podcasts →