How to Change DNS Server on Android

In our last few how-to articles, we’ve discussed changing DNS settings for PCs and iPhones. Today, we’ll outline how to change DNS servers when connecting to the web with an Android device.

As we’ve explained before, the “address” of a site on the web is actually a series of numbers, and DNS (Domain Name System) is how browsers translate these names (such as www.google.com) into IP addresses. By default, all of your connections will use the DNS servers provided by your ISP, but these servers may be slower or less reliable than some third-party DNS options (such as Google DNS and Open DNS). Using these DNS servers can also help access blocked websites. For these reasons, you should consider changing your DNS settings.

Here’s how to change DNS servers on Android:

1. Open the Wi-Fi settings on your device. You can do this by launching set up and go to Wifior pull down the notification bar and press and hold Wireless network icon.
2. Now, open the network options of your Wi-Fi network. How this works depends on your phone; you may need to press and hold the Wi-Fi name, then tap Modify networkor there may be an arrow on the side, depending on your manufacturer and Android version.
3. In the network details, scroll to the bottom and click IP settings. If you don’t see this menu, look for the menu labeled advancedthen you will see IP settings.
4. Change it to static.
5. Change DNS1 and DNS2 to your desired settings – for example, Google DNS to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 respectively.

That’s all. Unfortunately, like iOS, Android doesn’t allow users to change the DNS settings for mobile data connections – you can do this by rooting the phone, but this is a step for more advanced users and one we won’t recommend in this guide.

We hope this helps you change DNS servers on your Android device. For more tutorials, visit our how-to section.