The stock browser has stopped connecting to the internet (wifi or cellular data). I get ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED. My IP address is not hidden. VPN is not turned on. Private DNS is set to Automatic.
Other apps that use internet are working fine. I installed the DuckDuckGo browser to test, and that successfully connects.
I had been messing with phone settings and assume something I changed caused the problem, but I can’t figure out what. I’m hoping someone here will know.
I’m using /e/OS 3.0.1 on OnePlus 11 North America (salami).
So far to troubleshoot I have:
cleared cache
cleared DNS cache
changed search engine
restarted browser
restarted phone
tried to delete browser and reinstall, but I cannot delete
“Use secure DNS” was set to Cloudflare and is likely something I changed to avoid using google. Changing it to another option fixed the problem! (Now I’m off to figure out which one would be best for me to use.)
Of note, safebrowsing is off; I assume this allows me to avoid sending data to google servers. I guess that’s a security vs privacy tradeoff, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take and didn’t seem to affect my ability to connect in this case.
I always use Cloudflare DNS, it seems to have the lowest latency (best response) and does not employ any filtering or redirection like some DNS servers…eh, hem, Google. I’ve used OpenDNS before which comes from Cisco I believe, they’re good, but the latency is a little higher with them.
As long as you don’t use Google’s DNS servers or use Google’s Chrome browser you won’t get your DNS tracked by them, which they absolutely will do if you use their stuff.
On my PCs I use Firefox with Cloudflare DNS. It’s programmed into the DHCP server on my router so anything that connects to my wifi is going to use that DNS. On the phone I use automatic DNS and the built-in browser, but I don’t do much web browsing or streaming on the phone, mostly use the PC for that. Though there shouldn’t be anything wrong with setting it manually on the phone to a preferred DNS.
I’m not 100% certain, but I think Cloudflare was working for me before. And now it’s not (double checked today). It’s also not working on another /e/OS phone. My LineageOS phone and computer get the DNS from the router, and I’m not sure where the router gets it, so that doesn’t provide much info. Options on the router are “recommended by peer” or custom. I suppose I could set it to talk to Cloudflare but haven’t tested that yet. (Happy to if the information would be useful, but otherwise I’m just chalking this up to magic that is beyond my knowledge that happens [or doesn’t]!)
The modem obtains your external IP and whatever DNS is specified on your provider’s end. If you don’t specify otherwise, any device that connects to your Wi-Fi will default to your provider’s DNS. Most ISPs run their own DNS servers, but they don’t have to.
You generally don’t want to use your provider’s DNS as they have a tendency to use filtering and redirection. You want to set a preferred DNS for your local network. To do that go into the router settings and specify the DNS provided by the DHCP server. For example you’d specify 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 for Cloudflare. Then any device that logs into your Wi-Fi will default to your preferred DNS.
Of course by default major ISPs provide proprietary modems that include the Wi-FI router. Those are locked down with settings typically inaccessible by the user. It’s always best to ask for a modem only and supply your own Wi-Fi router so you can get to the settings.
seems to me there’s a bug when setting CF in cromites DoH settings, other providers seem fine. Patches are here. Haven’t found something at cromites original issuetracker on this. Logcat doesn’t give something away.