How to use Private DNS on an Android phone (step by step)

Learn how to use Private DNS on an Android phone.

The steps on this page work for all Android phones that have Android 9, 10, 11, and 12 such as Samsung, Lenovo, Motorola, OnePlus, ASUS, Nokia, Google, Sony, LG, and other Android smartphones.

You can use Google Public DNS, Cloudflare DNS, Quad9, AdGuard, or another private DNS provider.

Steps

1. Open your phone's settings.

Open settings on Android

2. Tap on Connections or Network & internet.

Open network and internet settings on Android

3. Tap on Private DNS. If you don't see the “Private DNS” option, you may have to tap on More connection settings or Advanced.

Open private DNS settings on Android

4. Tap on Private DNS provider hostname to enable this option.

5. Enter dns.google or one.one.one.one (Cloudflare) or 1dot1dot1dot.cloudflare-dns.com or dns.quad9.net or dns.adguard.com in the field below Private DNS provider hostname. You may need to test these DNS providers to see which one works best for you in terms of speed.

6. Tap on Save.

Private DNS provider hostname setting on Android

Your Android phone is now using a private DNS provider.

Private DNS is a feature first introduced in Android 9 that makes it easier to set up a custom private and secure DNS resolver on Android, which means that third parties between your Android device and the websites you visit won't be able to snoop on your DNS queries because they'll be encrypted.

Using the Private DNS feature can improve your online security and privacy, increase your internet speed, and it can also help you to unblock websites that are blocked by your internet provider.

If your smartphone is using Android 8 or an older version, then I recommend using Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 app or the Quad9 Connect app. You can find both apps in the Google Play store.