Ask Android @lemdro.id QuazarOmega @lemmy.world 11 mo. ago

Private DNS doesn't apply to devices connected through hotspot?

I've set a specific provider under the Private DNS setting and it works for the direct connection between the phone and the network, but it won't work on the devices that are connected to the hotspot of my phone, they instead fall back onto the default DNS of my ISP.
Is there a way to force that DNS on all the devices connected?

20 comments

I wonder if it's an issue only with recent Android versions, because when I looked this up I didn't see any article/forum complaining about this at all
- I'm not familiar with this one and also haven't been able to pull anything up.
  
  Yeah, it's really weird tbh.
  Do you know where else I could post this? Maybe on stack exchange Android Enthusiasts or Super User?
Seems like a simple fix, just manually set the DNS servers on devices that connect to your hotspot
- I wish it were that simple, but that's sadly not really a solution in every case, I'd have to set up that DNS for every device that connects to it first, even those that aren't mine
  
  If a device isn't yours, wouldn't it be the device owner's responsibility to maintain their own privacy?
Unfortunately, Android does not natively support applying the Private DNS settings to devices connected via hotspot. When you set a Private DNS on your Android device, it only applies to the network connections of the device itself, not to devices connected to its hotspot.

The devices connected to your hotspot will typically use the DNS server provided by the ISP of the hotspot device, and not the DNS server that you've manually set on the Android device.

If you want to force a specific DNS for all devices connected to your hotspot, you would typically need to manually set the DNS on each device connected to the hotspot, which can be cumbersome.

Another way around this would be to use a VPN service on your Android device that allows for custom DNS settings. Some VPN services will apply these DNS settings to all traffic going through the VPN, including devices connected to the hotspot.

Please note that the above information is based on the current state of Android and could change in future updates. Always make sure to check the most recent and updated information.
- GPT4
  
  Bruhh, why is this a thing?

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