Private DNS can be a great VPN alternative to get rid of annoying advertisements, online tracking, and to protect your Android phone from malware. Make your web browsing faster, safer, and more comfortable! Currently, almost all public internet connections are unencrypted, which makes them vulnerable to being intercepted by files that attackers have access to network channels, reducing the privacy of users. Recent news reports have elevated these concerns.
Private DNS on Android uses the TLS protocol, such as HTTPS. The encryption provided by Transport Layer Security (TLS) eliminates opportunities for eavesdropping and tampering with DNS queries on the network. DNS over TLS is a way to send DNS queries over an encrypted connection. This new feature simplifies the process of configuring a secure custom DNS resolver on Android, which means the parties between your Android mobile and the websites you visit won't be able to snoop on your DNS queries. TLS covers DNS to control the privacy risks that arise from the ability to eavesdrop on DNS messages such as person-in-the-middle, ISPs, Mobile Operators, and others.
Why use a Private DNS?
Behind the reason, there are benefits of use.
- Get a faster internet connection compared to using ISP DNS services.
- Avoiding censorship.
- Internet as safe as possible against threats and filtering such as ad-blocking, porn-blocking, phishing, malware, harvest data, etc.
- Centralized and scheduled reporting.
- Redundancy (smart caching).
- Access to unofficial alternative top-level domains not found in the official DNS root zone.
- Temporary unavailability of the ISP's name server.
Samsung OneUi Android 10 Private DNS Settings
Samsung Galaxy S21, Z Flip 3, Z Fold3 5G, A71, Note 9, Note 10, and other models running Android Pie support Private DNS Mode. You can enable it in the following ways.
- Go to Settings → Connections → More connection settings → Private DNS.
- Select the Private DNS provider hostname option.
- Enter Provider Hostname for example 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com and select Save.
Oppo and Realme ColorOS Android 9 Private DNS Settings
- Go to Settings → Other Wireless Connections → Private DNS → Designated Private DNS.
- Enter Provider Hostname for example dns.adguard.com and select Save.
Xiaomi MIUI 12 Android 10 Private DNS Settings
- Go to Settings → Connection & sharing → Private DNS → Private DNS Provider Hostname.
- Enter Provider Hostname for example dns.quad9.net and select Save.
Private DNS Provider Hostname List
| Provider | Hostnames | Filters | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adguard | dns.adguard.com | Default | AdGuard DNS is a foolproof way to block Internet ads, counters, malicious websites, and adult content. "Non-filtering" DNS servers provide a secure and reliable connection, but they don't filter anything like the "Default" and "Family Protection" servers do. Please don't use them unless you know what you're doing. |
| dns-family.adguard.com | Family | ||
| dns-unfiltered.adguard.com | None | ||
| Adhole DNS | uk.adhole.org (UK) de.adhole.org (Germany) sg.adhole.org (Singapore) us-central.adhole.org (US Central) us-east.adhole.org (US West) |
Adblock | Protects your devices from unwanted content, such as advertisements and tracking, without installing any client-side software. |
| Blah DNS | dot-ch.blahdns.com (Switzerland) dot-sg.blahdns.com (Singapore) dot-jp.blahdns.com (Japan) dot-de.blahdns.com (Germany) dot-fi.blahdns.com (Finland) |
Adblock | Filter Ads and Trackers |
| CleanBrowsing | family-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org | Family | Proxies, VPNs & Mixed Adult Content blocked; Youtube to safe mode; +Adult Filter |
| adult-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org | Adult | Adult domains blocked; Search Engines set to safe mode; +Security Filter | |
| security-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org | Security | Malicious domains blocked (phishing, malware). | |
| CloudFlare | one.one.one.one 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com |
None | Protect user privacy and optimize efficiency. Fast and direct DNS resolution, not for blocking or filtering content. |
| dns64.cloudflare-dns.com | None | Intended to be used with IPv6-only network. See NAT64 and DNS64. | |
| security.cloudflare-dns.com | Security | Protection from phishing and malware. | |
| family.cloudflare-dns.com | Security & Adult Content | Add a layer of protection to your home network and protect it from malware and adult content. | |
| dns.google google-public-dns-b.google.com |
None | Fast and direct DNS resolution, not for blocking or filtering content. | |
| dns64.dns.google | None | Intended to be used with IPv6-only network. See NAT64 and DNS64. | |
| Uncensoreddns | anycast.censurfridns.dk | None | Doesn't log personal information, only stores a graph of the number of queries. |
| Quad9 | dns.quad9.net | Security | Malicious domains (phishing, malware, exploit kit domains). |
Sources
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2018/04/dns-over-tls-support-in-android-p.htmlhttps://adguard.com/en/welcome.html
https://blog.cloudflare.com/introducing-1-1-1-1-for-families/
https://blog.uncensoreddns.org/faq/
https://cleanbrowsing.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_over_TLS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_recursive_name_server
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7858
https://support.opendns.com/hc/en-us/articles/360038086532-Using-DNS-over-HTTPS-DoH-with-OpenDNS
https://www.quad9.net/
