Privacy: Cloudflare brings its DNS switching tool 1.1.1.1 to iOS and Android
Cloudflare has just made it a whole lot easier to hide your mobile browsing from your ISP -- and access content that might otherwise be unavailable. The company has launched a 1.1.1.1 app for smartphone users, making it incredibly easy to switch between DNS services with a couple of taps; what amounts to a free VPN tool.
Earlier in the year, Cloudflare launched its 1.1.1.1 DNS service to bring privacy and speed, but it was a little off-putting to users unfamiliar with tinkering with such settings. With the launch of 1.1.1.1 for iOS and Android, the process is much, much simpler -- and the app and the service itself are free.
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Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 service is a free DNS-resolver which offers privacy and security. By launching the iOS and Android app, the company is making it possible for mobile users to switch it on and off quickly and easily. There are many reasons for wanting to consider using a DNS service other than the one offered by your ISP by default.
First of all, it is possible for your ISP to monitor your DNS queries and this is information that can be very revealing. Secondly, your ISP may block content in your country, and by using an alternative DNS you can bypass this restriction -- meaing the mobile app for 1.1.1.1 willl prove invaluable for travellers. Thirdly, you may very well find that the 1.1.1.1 DNS is faster than whatever you're currently using... and who doesn't like a little extra speed for free?
As Cloudflare explains:
Any time you are on a public internet connection people can see what sites you visit. Even worse, your Internet Service Provider is very possibly selling all of your browsing history to the highest bidder. We have a tool called 1.1.1.1 which makes it easy to get a faster, more private, Internet experience, but it’s historically been too complex for many people to use, particularly on mobile devices. Today, we're launching an app you (and everyone you know) can use to use 1.1.1.1 every time your mobile phone connects to the Internet. It's a free, it's easy, download it now.
You can download 1.1.1.1 for iOS from the App Store, and 1.1.1.1 for Android from Google Play.