CloudFlare's privacy-focussed DNS service is now available as an Android app

CloudFlare, one of the biggest names in the internet security space, has released an Android app for its privacy-focussed 1.1.1.1 DNS service. A DNS or Domain Name Service is, as CloudFlare so aptly describes it, the phonebook of the internet. When you enter a site URL (google.com, for example), the DNS service will find the IP address (analogous to the phone number) associated with that site and send it to the browser. The most noticeable advantages of a DNS system are two-fold. First, the user need not remember abstruse numbers, and second, if the website changes its host and IP, you can still find the site with no hassle. [caption id=“attachment_5536751” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] CloudFlare DNS is now available as an Android app. Image: Play Store[/caption] A DNS service essentially takes a user query and then looks up the site address. The faster it can do this, the faster the site can be delivered to you. Your ISP will have its own DNS service, but you can switch to something like Google DNS (8.8.8.8) if you’d like. You’ll want to do that if your ISPs DNS is slow, and if you’re concerned about privacy because ISPs can and do track DNS queries. CloudFlare launched its own public DNS service (1.1.1.1) some time ago which, according to Android Police, is sometimes faster than Google DNS. There is now an Android app available that makes the process of using the service much easier. The DNS queries are routed through CloudFlare’s servers via a local VPN, ensuring that your ISP, at least, can’t snoop on your activities.