Android phones and tablets

Android has a built-in “Private DNS” setting that sends every app’s lookups to a server you choose, over an encrypted connection — so your internet provider’s box can’t redirect it.

Steps

Open Settings → Network & internet → Private DNS (on Samsung phones it’s under Connections → More connection settings → Private DNS; menu names vary slightly by phone and Android version). Choose Private DNS provider hostname, enter this, and save:

dot.mizpahguard.com

It works on any Wi-Fi whose public address is registered to your home in MizpahGuard (the same address your home already uses), so make sure that is set up first.

Good to know

It identifies your home by its internet address, so away from home (mobile data, other people’s Wi-Fi) the phone is not filtered by MizpahGuard. For protection everywhere, an iPhone can use the one-tap profile; an equivalent for Android is not available yet.

If your internet seems to stop after turning this on — for example on a school or public Wi-Fi that blocks encrypted DNS — go back to Private DNS and choose Automatic (or Off). Android does not fall back on its own when a hostname is set.

Not yet confirmed: We tested this with Android 15’s built-in Private DNS and it filters correctly, but have not yet checked every phone maker’s menu names or older Android versions. If something here doesn’t match your phone, tell us from your dashboard.

What this covers: only this device, and on most devices only while it is on this Wi-Fi network. Other devices in the house are not protected unless you set them up too (or put your own router behind the ISP’s — see using your own router). Someone who knows where the setting is can change it back, and a VPN or hotspot can bypass it.

How to tell it’s working

The quick test: on the device you just set up, open example.com. On an unprotected device you see a plain page titled “Example Domain”. On a device protected by MizpahGuard you see our “It’s working” page instead — it is blocked on purpose, for every household, so you can tell at a glance. (Your browser may show a certificate warning first, as it does for any blocked site; continue past it.)

You can also open your home’s Activity tab in MizpahGuard and look for the device’s browsing within a minute. If the test page doesn’t appear, the device is still using another DNS server — recheck the steps, or contact support from your dashboard and tell us your device and internet provider.