Think of your phone. Do you remember all of your contact numbers? But you know their names, right? And to get their phone numbers, you can easily look for them on your phone.
Domain Name Systems (DNS) is an Internet phonebook. Via domain names, we access information online, as it is simpler to remember words than numbers. For example, the IP address for Facebook.com is 157.240.10.35. IP addresses are difficult to remember, so we use a DNS service to transform domain names into IP addresses so that the web browser can load the page we want to visit.
In this blog post, I will guide you about DNS Server and how you can change DNS Server on your android phone. You will also learn why you need to change this server and how it works on the Android system.
What is a DNS Server?
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a system that is used to transform domain names such as facebook.com and hostnames such as support.namecheap.com into numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and to identify and locate computer systems and services on the Internet.
Your device needs to understand which numerical IP address it needs to contact to view the content when using an alphanumeric address such as “facebook.com.” The domain name server is the server responsible for maintaining the file containing information about the domain name(s) and the corresponding IP addresses (zone file).
Also read: How to Block websites on Android
Why do you need to change your DNS servers?
You don’t have to change DNS servers if you’re using a VPN Client software. But, you will need to make changes if you have manually configured the VPN on your device.
Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) could have forwarded your DNS queries over the Internet to an incorrect IP address with a manual VPN configuration that can make your device vulnerable to a Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) attack and also leak the DNS.
How does DNS Server work?
The DNS resolution method involves translating a name to a computer-friendly IP address (such as www.example.com into 192.168.1.1). Each device on the Internet is given an IP address, and that address is important to locate the appropriate Internet device, just like a street address is used to find a specific home. A conversion of what a user types into their web browser (example.com) and the machine-friendly address required to find the example.com webpage must occur when a user tries to load a webpage.
How to Change DNS Server in your Android Device?
To use custom DNS addresses, Android requires a static IP address, which requires additional setup steps. Here, the router approach is recommended. Setting IP Settings to “Static” will change the way DHCP allocates addresses and can only be used as a short-term solution. You must configure your router and assign a static IP to the device’s MAC address to work properly.
Only your existing Wi-Fi network would be affected by modifying DNS settings. Changing the DNS settings for your 3G/4 G data network is not going to work. Also, for each Wi-Fi network you want to connect to, you must change the DNS server settings.
There are two methods for changing DNS Server on an android device:
Method 1: Change DNS Server in your Android directly
This is how you change DNS servers in Android’s WiFi Settings.
➦ Open your device’s Wi-Fi settings. You might do this by opening Settings and heading to Wi-Fi or pulling down the notification shade and long-pressing the Wi-Fi icon.
➦ Now, open the network details for your Wi-Fi network. The way this works will depend on your phone manufacturer and version of Android. You will need to long-press the Wi-Fi name and tap “Modify Network”, or there may be a side arrow beside the WiFi name.
➦ In the network details, scroll down and tap “IP Settings”. If you don’t see the menu, look for the Advanced icon, and then you’ll see the “IP Settings” button. Change this to static.
➦ Switch DNS1 and DNS2 to the settings you want-e.g. Google DNS is 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, respectively.
Method 2: Change DNS on Android with a Third-Party App
This is the preferred way for most users to change DNS addresses on Android phones. Since it’s easy and hassle-free. Many people assume that only rooted smartphone users can change their mobile internet DNS settings. But, this is incorrect. By using any outstanding third-party app, both rooted and non-rooted users can do this. In the Google Play store, there are plenty of apps that can change your DNS settings. I checked and confirmed that these two apps below work and work well to prevent you from wasting your time.
Cloudflare App for 1.1.1.1
This App generates a VPN that is DNS only and forces all DNS requests to go through the 1.1.1.1 network of Cloudflare. It is efficient, safe, and easy to use. Use it if you want your mobile to have a fast DNS.
CleanBrowsing App
This App also generates a DNS-only VPN and enforces DNS which removes adult content. You can also choose between their filtering levels, and they are very easy to use.
