Cloudflare has made it easier for you to protect your browsing privacy on iOS and Android devices with a new 1.1.1.1 app …
The gold standard for privacy protection on the Internet is to use a VPN service. This encrypts all traffic so your ISP has no way to know which sites you’re visiting or what you’re doing there. But trustworthy VPNs cost money.
A free alternative approach which protects some of your data is to use a third-party Domain Name Server (DNS). Using an external DNS means your ISP can’t see which sites you’re visiting. It will also route you around most blocks imposed by ISPs, and can often speed up the time it takes to connect to a website.
Cloudflare offers a free DNS on 1.1.1.1. The company doesn’t log IP addresses, and purges all logs after 24 hours – even hiring an independent audit firm to annually verify that it does so. The benefit to Cloudflare is that using the company’s DNS means faster connections to its client websites.
You can manually set your DNS on an iOS device, but it’s pretty fiddly. You have to go to Settings > Wi-Fi > the i button next to your Wi-Fi network > DNS: Configure DNS > Manual > Add Server > Type 1.1.1.1 > Save. And then repeat the process to add the backup server 1.0.0.1.
To avoid all this, the 1.1.1.1 app does it all for you with one tap. Just open the app and toggle the slider to Connected.
1.1.1.1 is a free download from the App Store. If you want to use Cloudflare for your Mac too, you still have to do this the old-fashioned way: System Preferences > Wi-Fi > Advanced > DNS > + > 1.1.1.1 > OK. Then drag 1.1.1.1 to the top. Personally, I have Cloudflare as my primary DNS and Google as my backup:
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