CloudFlare’s new Android app lets you easily enable their fast DNS

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Earlier this year, CloudFlare launched its own DNS service to the public, called “1.1.1.1.” CloudFlare’s DNS resolver is different from your ISP’s or other DNS alternatives like Google Public DNS and Cisco OpenDNS in that it’s focused on privacy and speed first. Your IP address is never logged or saved on CloudFlare’s servers, and with several optimizations in place, 1.1.1.1 is, according to CloudFlare, up to 28% faster than other DNS solutions out there. It also helps battle censorship–countries like Turkey and Venezuela have been known to censor and block news outlets, social networks, and adult websites, and an alternative DNS resolver helps overcome that restriction. 1.1.1.1 can also be used on Android phones, but it’s not an exactly straightforward process for devices on Android Oreo and lower. Luckily, CloudFlare has launched an app to make it easy.

The process is simple: just download the app, open it, and tap on the toggle to use CloudFlare’s 1.1.1.1 DNS and navigate with it. It is also pretty lightweight at 7.8 MB. And the best part? It doesn’t require root or any other modifications: just open it, tap, and go. The only downside? The app uses Android’s VPN API to connect to the alternative DNS resolver. This means that if you’re using 1.1.1.1, you won’t be able to use an actual VPN provider at the same time.

If you’re on Android Pie, then you don’t need this app, as Android Pie supports DNS over TLS. In order to use CloudFlare’s DNS, just do the following:

Go to the Settings app and tap on Network and internet.

Select “Private DNS mode”.

For the Private DNS provider hostname, enter: 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com

Save.

If you don’t have Android Pie and you don’t want to use this app, you’ll have to go the root method: there’s a Magisk module for using the 1.1.1.1 DNS.

And finally, if you’re not rooted and/or you don’t mind using a third-party app, then CloudFlare’s new app should work wonders. Check it out by clicking the link below.