We’ve written about DNS servers and why you might want to change them on your PC or Mac. Whether you’re on your phone or PC, there are many reasons to do this. Over the weekend, we were baffled by our inability to open Facebook or Twitter on our iPhones. Changing the DNS servers on the iPhone resolved the issue.
This isn’t the only reason you might want to switch to a different DNS server. It can help your website load faster and sometimes even improve security. You can also try changing DNS servers to access blocked websites, etc.
It won’t always work, but sometimes Internet Service Providers may block certain websites only at the DNS level, which can help you bypass the block. The two most popular third-party DNS servers are Google DNS and OpenDNS. Google DNS servers are accessible via 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, while OpenDNS server addresses are 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220.
The process is very simple, just follow the steps below. But there are a few things to note – first, iOS doesn’t let you change cellular DNS settings, only for Wi-Fi. Second, these settings apply across networks; that means you’ll have to change them every time you connect to a new Wi-Fi network.
How to change DNS settings on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:
- On your iOS device, open set up.
- tap Wifi.
- Click I icon next to the Wi-Fi network whose DNS servers you want to change.
- tap domain name system.
- Now delete the existing DNS server and type the DNS server address of your choice.
You just need to separate the primary and backup servers with commas. For example, you can type: “8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4” (without quotes) to switch to Google DNS servers.
Advanced users may also consider jailbreaking their iOS devices, at which point they can apply system-wide DNS settings or even change DNS settings for cellular connections, but this is not something we recommend you do.
That’s how to change the DNS servers on your iOS device. For more tutorials, visit our how-to section.