What’s DNS Services And Why Do They Matter?
DNS services are used for different reasons on many Apple devices, and if you want to track your device usage properly, you should know what it is. You’ll need DNS services whenever you try to use the internet or make an online request through a web browser or app. If you have ever experienced slow page speeds or errors while surfing the web, this can be attributed to a DNS problem.
Table of Contents
- What is a DNS service?
- How Do DNS Services Work?
- Do You Need DNS Services?
- Can You Disable DNS Services?
- Does DNS Services Use Data?
- How To Change DNS Server On Apple Device (iPhone & iPad)
- Can You Use 3rd Party DNS Services On Apple Devices?
- Benefits Of 3rd Party DNS Services On Apple Devices
What is a DNS service?
DNS Services is a way for Apple to track the total usage of DNS servers on your device when you go online with apps or web browsers. DNS services is simply the way a device like an iPhone uses DNS servers to process requests. It works the same way a traditional DNS server works too.
DNS services is the address book of different internet websites on your Apple device. When you visit a website, the web browser uses the DNS server in your device to identify and translate the IP address of that website.
A DNS service resolves domain names into IP addresses and vice versa. This is done by translating the domain name into an IP address using the Domain Name System (DNS), which is helpful for more secure web browsing and faster internet load times. This guide explains DNS Services and how they work on Apple devices.
The DNS server connects the domain names and IP addresses. It’s a system that allows us to connect to websites using their domain names rather than their IP addresses.
This is important because an IP address can change, and you could end up with a failed request if your DNS server doesn’t have the correct information. A DNS lookup is required for any type of internet request.
DNS services can collect data too. This includes information about the websites you visit, the apps you use, and even your location.
How Do DNS Services Work?
DNS services are used to translate domain names into IP addresses. They are also used to translate individual hostnames into IP addresses.
DNS services work with DNS servers to process your requests, and this begins when you first open up the web browser and type in a URL. This request gets routed to a DNS resolver, which is something managed by your ISP.
The resolver and ISP forward your domain or URL request to the root name server. The name server that gets selected depends on the URL; once one gets selected, it will look for a hosted zone and value.
After the resolver retrieves your web browser value, it will cache the IP address for the selected domain. Based on the live TTL settings, this gets cached for a determined amount of time.
Finally, the request is fully processed to return the webpage you visited. All of this happens in less than a few seconds too.
Do You Need DNS Services?
You absolutely need DNS services, and they come on all devices, like iPhones that use the internet. The DNS service is responsible for making the DNS server queries when using any type of internet-based browser or app.
These queries typically use small amounts of mobile and website data with caching to return your request. This is considered a core piece of search and internet usage in general today too.
When you use the internet on your phone, tablet, or computer, you need DNS services to connect to the internet to process requests.
Can You Disable DNS Services?
There is no way to disable DNS services because, without any form of DNS, your networks would not function properly. However, it is possible to adjust the DNS functionality of a specific WiFi network.
If you disable DNS services, you cannot use the internet or any web browser because your device will be unable to make proper DNS requests. No setting allows you to disable DNS services on an iPhone, either.
Does DNS Services Use Data?
DNS Services uses data, but it doesn’t tend to be much compared to other larger apps you use regularly. If you want to see how much mobile data DNS services is used, follow these steps.
Go to Settings > Cellular > System Services. You’ll find many items like voicemail and Siri in the System Services menu and how much data they have used in the current billing cycle.
You will also see DNS Services. High DNS service usage is not necessarily bad because it runs on cellular and WiFi.
How To Change DNS Server On Apple Device (iPhone & iPad)
You can set your networks to run DNS servers automatically, or you can opt to configure networks one by one manually.
To change your DNS to a new one on an Apple device, you need to do the following steps:
- Open up the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Navigate through to Wi-Fi (assuming you are connected to a network)
- Tap the small blue “i” icon to open up more settings
- Click Configure DNS
- You’ll see the option to choose automatic or manual, along with available DNS servers
If you decide to use a manual DNS configuration, you can choose from the existing DNS Servers list or add a new server. We recommend using automatic for best results.
Can You Use 3rd Party DNS Services On Apple Devices?
A third-party option is worth considering if you prefer to change your DNS servers but have no experience doing so. Both Cloudflare and OpenDNS are consistently ranked as two of the best options.
Cloudflare
Cloudflare is one of the highest-rated cloud and web security software companies, and for a good reason. They also work well as a third-party DNS service for Apple devices like iPads, Macs, and iPhones.
Not only will you see better privacy and security with Cloudflare, but it’s also much faster while browsing the internet. This is not free software, but the benefits make it worth the cost.
OpenDNS
OpenDNS is a reliable third-party DNS service to use on Apple devices like an iPhone. It offers a free and safe way to get rid of the ads that are coming up on your device.
This free app download eliminates the risks of phishing attempts and other dangerous domains. It’s also easy to set up, and you can expect overall better privacy and web browsing security.
Benefits Of 3rd Party DNS Services On Apple Devices
Apple devices are known for their security and privacy settings. Third-party DNS services can help you improve both privacy and safety too.
Better Privacy
Third-party DNS services on Apple devices are beneficial because they provide better privacy for web browsing. This is because they allow users to browse the web anonymously, which means that all your data and searches will not be recorded by your ISP or any other third party.
You’ll also notice improved page speeds and a better overall experience.
Improved Security
Third-party DNS services also provide improved safety with phishing protection. The top choices like OpenDNS include filtering to block phishing attempts.
Other safety features include DNSSEC protection for more secure DNS requests. This is especially helpful if you are trying to access geo-blocked content.