Using a proxy server on an Android device may have important benefits, like improved privacy and anonymity, access to restricted websites, bypass firewalls at school or access the secured business network.
Important! When you set up a proxy on your device all your Internet traffic will pass through the proxy and it may involve security risks.
Firstly, you need access to the proxy authentication credentials (proxy address, port, username, password). You get them from the network administrator (at school or work), or you may obtain access to one or more proxies by subscribing to a proxy service. You may also use free, open proxies. However, I do not recommend free proxies for security reasons.
There are two cases when it comes to setting up a proxy on an Android device: when you are connected to a Wi-Fi network or when you are using a mobile network.
What You’ll Learn
How to configure the Android proxy settings on a Wi-Fi network
You don’t have to be a tech guru to configure the proxy settings on an Android device. It is
Android devices allow configuring proxy settings for each Wi-Fi network. This might be required if you need to access the Internet on a specific network (like a business or school network, for example). The browser traffic will be sent through the proxy you configure.
The proxy you configure will be used by Chrome, Firefox, and other web browsers, but might or might not be used by all apps.
Step 1. Open the ‘Settings’ app.
The Settings window contains all the necessary options for configuring a proxy on your Android device while connected to a Wi-Fi network.
Step 2. Tap on the ‘Wi-Fi’ settings category.
Step 3. Long-press the desired Wi-Fi network (the one you need to use with the proxy).
The proxy settings are unique for each Wi-Fi network. Thus, if you want to use the same proxy on two or more different networks, you need to repeat the steps 3 to 8 for each Wi-Fi network.
Step 4. Tap ‘Modify Network’ when the menu is shown.
Step 5. On the next screen, tap ‘Advanced options’.
Step 6. Tap on ‘Proxy’. Next, tap on ‘Manual’.
The HTTP proxy option is None by default. It means that your Android device does not use a proxy to connect to the Internet.
If you have access to a proxy server information (server address or IP address, port, username, password) select Manual.
The Proxy Auto-Config option can be used if you have access to a PAC file (proxy autoconfiguration script) provided by your network administrator or proxy service provider.
Step 7. Enter the proxy server IP or name and the proxy port.
It is important to remember that: The HTTP proxy is used by the browser but may not be used by the other apps.
Enter the address or the IP address of the proxy server in the Server text box and the port in the Port box. Further, tap Save.
Step 8. (Optional) Enter the proxy username and password.
If the proxy requires basic HTTP authentication, open a browser and enter the Username and Password (provided by the proxy service or network administrator).
Step 9. Open a browser and load an IP checker site in order to verify the proxy connection.
Every time you set up a proxy on your Android device, you need to check whether the setup is correct and the proxy connection could be established.
Open a web browser (Chrome, Firefox) and load an IP checker website, like xmyip.com. If the web page loads and it shows the proxy IP address then you are done: you have successfully finished the proxy configuration on your Android device.
back to menu ↑How to configure the Android proxy settings on a Mobile network
The configuration of a proxy on a mobile network is slightly different from the steps described above.
Step 1. Open the ‘Settings’ app.
Step 2. Tap on the ‘More’ settings category.
Step 3. Next, tap on ‘Mobile networks’.
Step 4. Tap on ‘Access point names’.
Step 5. Tap on APN you are currently using.
Step 6. Enter the proxy server IP, proxy port, username and password.
Enter the address or the IP address of the proxy server in the Proxy text box and the port in the Port box. Additionally, enter the proxy username and password.
Step 7. Tap ‘Save’ from the top-right menu.
Step 8. Verify the proxy connection.
Open a browser and load an IP checker site to verify the proxy connection. If the page does not load you need to check the proxy settings (proxy server name, port, username, password).
back to menu ↑How to disable proxy settings on Android
Removing the manual proxy configuration for a Wi-Fi network involves changing the Proxy settings from Step 6 to None.
For the mobile networks, delete the proxy settings (server address, port, username, password) from Step 6. Don’t forget to Save the changes!
back to menu ↑What does it happen if the proxy server does not work?
A proxy server may go offline, the proxy credentials may change, or your proxy subscription may expire. In these cases, your connection to the proxy server is not possible. Thus, you will not be able to access the Internet or other network addresses.
You will get an error message similar to the one from the image below when browsing the Internet.
To fix the problem, you may either disable the proxy (as explained above) or solve the issues with the proxy connection (check proxy credentials, check proxy subscription, change the proxy).
back to menu ↑Types of proxies that you can use on your Android phone or tablet
The Android OS works with HTTP proxies, and it is not able to communicate directly with SOCKS proxies. However, you may set up a SOCKS proxy on the Android Firefox browser, or you may use an application like ProxyDroid.
Another type of proxies that can be used on Android devices is web proxies. But, you don’t need to configure anything to use such a proxy. A web proxy is similar to a web site that can be loaded on your browser. Check my proxy tools list for recommended web proxies.
back to menu ↑Summary
Setting us a proxy on Android devices is easy. Firstly, you need to identify the type of network you are connected to (Wi-Fi or mobile) and proceed with the step-by-step tutorials presented above.
