Stop Using Your ISP’s Default DNS: How to Switch to a Private DNS

After researching default DNS for the past few days, some really alarming things came to light....

Your phone uses your ISP’s default DNS. There are many reasons to stop using it, but the best reason is privacy.

So, if you’ve never changed your DNS before, here’s exactly what you can do.

First, Test Your DNS

Before changing anything, go to:

dnsspeedtest*online

Important: Remove the "*" and replace it with a "." to get the actual website address.

Use the site to test which Private DNS is faster on your connection compared with your ISP’s DNS.

This is important because the fastest DNS isn't necessarily the same for everyone. Test it on your own internet connection.

Next, Set Up Private DNS

Once you know which DNS works best for you, go to your phone's Private DNS settings and set it up.

On Android, you can generally find it under:

Settings → Network & Internet → Private DNS

The location can be slightly different depending on your phone.

Now let's look at some popular options.

Cloudflare

If Cloudflare is the fastest in your test, set up:

oneoneone*one

Again, remove the "*" and replace each one with a ".".

That gives you:

one.one.one.one

Quad9

For a secure DNS, Quad9 is a very popular option.

Set up:

dnsquad9net

Remove the "*" and replace it with a dot:

dns.quad9.net

AdGuard DNS

Want to block ads?

You can use:

dnsadguard-dnscom

Remove the "*" and replace them with dots:

dns.adguard-dns.com

Want to block adult content?

Use:

familyadguard-dnscom

Which becomes:

family.adguard-dns.com

However, if you want secure DNS without blocking, use:

unfilteredadguard-dnscom

Which becomes:

unfiltered.adguard-dns.com

NextDNS

If you want something more advanced, I would recommend NextDNS.

It gives you much more control, allowing you to customize your DNS settings according to your own needs.

For people who want to control filtering and other DNS options themselves, it's one of the most flexible choices.

You Can Change DNS From Your Phone or Router

You don't have to change DNS only on your phone.

You can also change it directly on your router, which can make the DNS configuration apply to devices connected to your home network.

And if you're technically experienced, you can even build your own self-hosted personal DNS server.

So you have several options:

Phone → Private DNS

Router → Network-wide DNS

Advanced users → Self-hosted DNS

One More Thing

Don't simply copy someone's DNS choice and assume it will be the fastest for you.

Test first.

Your DNS performance can depend on your ISP, location, routing, and network conditions.

Choose the one that works best for your connection and your needs.