How to Change DNS in Android Device?

DNS or Domain Name System is a directory of internet that helps to easily lookup the website addresses. It quickly resolves the entered website address to an IP address on the source server. Since many of us use Android smartphones, in this article we will explain how to change the DNS in Android device to speedup your internet connection.

Related: How to change DNS in iPhone?

Why DNS is Important?

DNS consists of chain of servers that shares the information with each other. This process helps to quickly retrieve the webpage information from the server located in US when you to try open the webpage from Europe. It all starts with your computer or mobile phone that has the DNS server configured. It starts looking the IP of website address you entered on the browser by exchanging information with different servers till it finds. Therefore, it is important to have correct DNS details on your phone to open the websites faster.

Learn more about DNS and how it works.   

What is Public DNS?

Android phones and other devices by default take the DNS servers from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) dynamically. However, you can manually configure static DNS servers to get faster IP resolution. OpenDNS and Google Public DNS servers are few of the public DNS servers available. You can use these DNS IP addresses on your Android phones in case if your ISP’s DNS are not working for you.

This is essential especially when your ISP blocks certain websites or having corrupted cache of the IP addresses. 

How to Setup OpenDNS in Android Phones?

There are two simple ways of changing the DNS on an Android devices. We explain the process here with Google Public DNS server IP addresses. However, you can follow the same process for setting up OpenDNS or any other reliable public DNS servers.

Option 1: Changing the DNS of a Wi-Fi Connection

• Open the device settings app and go to the “Wi-Fi” settings.

• Long press your connected Wi-Fi network and select “Modify Network” from the floating menu to configure the network settings.

Related: How to change DNS in Windows PC?

• Scroll down, expand the “Advanced Options”, and then tap the arrow under the IP settings.
• By default, the settings show “DHCP” choose “Static“.

• Enter your preferred DNS under “DNS1” and “DNS2” fields and then tap the “Save” button.

Option 2: Changing the DNS for a VPN Connection

If you are accessing the internet through a local VPN, you can modify the VPN settings to change the DNS.

• Open the phone settings and tap “More” under the “Wireless & Network” section.
• Choose a VPN from the option and select the option to edit the VPN Profile.

• Tick the box for “Show advanced options” to expand the settings.

• In the “DNS servers” field, type your preferred DNS and tap the “Save” button to complete the changes.

Save your changes and henceforth your Android phone will use the Google Public DNS settings instead of your ISP settings.

Related: How to change DNS in Mac?