DNS Switcher support

Yes. iOS and Android only let an app change DNS for the whole phone through a VPN profile, so the first time you switch on, your phone asks for permission: “Add VPN Configurations” on iPhone, “Connection request” on Android. The profile is local and DNS-only. There is no remote VPN server and your traffic is not routed through the app. You are asked once.

Tap the switch again and your phone will ask again. If you tap “Don’t Allow” on iPhone or “Cancel” on Android, the app simply stays off and nothing is added. When you do allow it on iPhone, you confirm with your passcode, Face ID or Touch ID.

With Cloudflare selected and the switch on, open https://1.1.1.1/help in your browser and look for “Connected to 1.1.1.1: Yes”. If it says No, check whether your browser has its own secure DNS setting turned on (Chrome’s “Use secure DNS”, Firefox’s DNS over HTTPS) or whether iCloud Private Relay is on. Those use their own DNS and are not affected by DNS Switcher.

Android’s Private DNS setting, when it is set to a specific provider host name, overrides the DNS that any VPN profile sets, so the two cannot be combined. Open Settings, then Network & internet, then Private DNS, and choose Automatic or Off. Then switch DNS Switcher on again. The menu names differ slightly between phone makers.

First check Private DNS as described above. Then open Settings, Network & internet, VPN, tap the gear next to DNS Switcher and make sure “Block connections without VPN” is off. DNS Switcher carries DNS only, so that setting cuts off all other traffic. “Always-on VPN” on its own is fine.

Open the app once; the app and the widget then agree again. On iPhone, a widget that says “Tap to set up” means the VPN permission has not been granted yet: tap it, and allow the configuration in the app. On Android, if the system has stopped the app in the background, the widget can show “On” for a few minutes after DNS has dropped back to your network’s own; tapping the widget or opening the app corrects it. If that keeps happening, exempt DNS Switcher from battery optimisation in your phone’s settings. If a widget stays stuck, remove it and add it again.

A phone runs one VPN profile at a time, so starting another VPN app turns DNS Switcher off. On iPhone, DNS Switcher also does not switch itself back on after the phone restarts; one tap in the app or on the widget turns it on again. On Android, some phone makers’ battery managers stop background apps; exempting DNS Switcher from battery optimisation prevents that.

A custom server is entered by address: IPv4 such as 9.9.9.9, or IPv6 such as 2620:fe::fe. Host names (dns.example.com) and DNS-over-HTTPS or DNS-over-TLS addresses are not supported, because the app sends ordinary DNS. The primary server is required and the secondary is optional.

DNS Switcher only runs on its latest version. Follow the update prompt in the app, or open the App Store or Google Play, find DNS Switcher and update it there. If the store does not offer the update yet, wait a little and check again.

Deleting the app removes its VPN profile and all of its settings. To remove only the profile on iPhone, open Settings, General, VPN & Device Management, VPN, tap the information button next to DNS Switcher and choose Delete VPN. On Android, open Settings, Network & internet, VPN, tap the gear next to DNS Switcher and choose Forget VPN. The app will ask for permission again the next time you switch on.