How to Configure Android Proxy Settings on Your Device

August 12, 2025

A smartphone is used for a wide range of everyday tasks: from communication and shopping to managing finances and accessing digital services. Given the amount of data transmitted, configuring Android proxy settings becomes an important measure for digital security. It helps increase anonymity, protect personal data, and bypass network restrictions.

In this material, we'll cover how to change proxy settings on Android using system settings and specialized applications.

Why Use a Proxy on Android?

Some websites and platforms restrict access to content based on geographic criteria. For example, certain games are available only to users from Japan, and some Netflix shows are only for viewers in the US. To access such content from other regions, a proxy server is utilized: it substitutes the user's IP address, and the service sees the connection as allowed.

Such an intermediary is utilized not only for bypassing geo-blocks, but also for the following purposes:

protecting personal information when connecting to public Wi-Fi — it hides your real IP and makes traffic interception more difficult;
increasing privacy — helps limit data sharing with advertisers and analytics services;
traffic control — used for parental control or restricting access to unwanted sites;
bypassing network filters — allows you to access content unavailable from your current location or blocked by your provider;
testing mobile apps and web services — helps check how a program or game works with different network settings.

WiFi Proxy Settings Android

There are several ways to setup proxy on Android: through the system settings of the device itself or using third-party applications.

System Proxy Settings on Android

Setting up this way is suitable for all versions of the mobile OS, though the names of menu items and the structure of the interface may vary slightly depending on your device model and firmware version.

The step-by-step instructions are as follows:

In your smartphone settings, go to the “Wi-Fi” section. Select your active connection and click on the “Details” icon (a gear or arrow icon).
Scroll down to the “Proxy” section. By default, the setting is “None”. Tap on it and select the “Manual” option.
Enter the IP address and port. Save your changes.
When you first launch the browser or another network application, a window will appear where you need to enter your authentication details if you are utilizing a private intermediary.

How to disable proxy settings on Android phones? Navigate to the settings of your active Wi-Fi connection and set the “Proxy” parameter to “None”.

Setting up Android Proxy Settings Using Third-Party Apps

Many mobile apps do not support working directly with an intermediary, so no window for entering username and password appears when you launch them. For this reason, utilizing a private solution on Android with built-in tools is not always possible. In such cases, proxy utilities are utilized – special solutions that forcibly route the traffic of selected apps through a specified IP, for example, Tun2TAP.

After connecting, all network requests from apps will be forcefully routed through the intermediary server. This guide is applicable for ISP proxies, IPv4 and IPv6 servers, as well as residential and mobile proxies.

How to Troubleshoot Android Proxy Server Settings?

Any setup may be accompanied by a number of technical issues: unstable connection, certain apps ignoring the configuration, or authentication errors.

Below are the most common problems and effective ways to resolve them.

Error	Cause	Solution
Proxy Authentication Required	Incorrect credentials entered (username or password).	Make sure the username and password are correct and do not contain extra characters or spaces. Check the credentials in your provider's dashboard and re-enter them in the app's authentication fields.
ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED	Server not responding. Incorrect IP address or port specified. A private proxy with authentication is utilized, but credentials were not entered.	Check the IP address and port in the app settings; make sure the proxy server is accessible (for example, utilizing an online checker). Check if authentication data is entered. If errors persist, try alternative proxies.
ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED	Invalid or blocked IP address/port. Proxy server is temporarily unavailable, provider-side outage. Unsupported type selected (e.g., HTTPS).	Check the accuracy of the IP address and port. Test the new IP’s operation on another device. Disable the new connection and check direct internet connection to rule out network-side issues. Use only supported types (SOCKS5 is preferred). Contact provider support.
Authorization window not displayed	The application does not use system proxy settings, so the built-in authentication mechanism is not triggered.	Use a software(e.g., Tun2TAP or its analogs) to forcibly route network traffic through the proxy server.

Conclusion

Configuring Android proxy settings allows you to hide your digital address, enhance privacy, bypass geo-blocks and filters, and also redirect app network requests. This is especially important when using public Wi-Fi networks that restrict access, when working with limited content, or when testing mobile solutions.

If you encounter connection errors, first double-check the correctness of the entered parameters: IP address, port, login, and password. In cases where the standard system configuration does not work (for example, apps ignore the specified settings), it is recommended to utilize proxyfier applications.

FAQ

Can I set up a proxy on Android for 3G or 4G networks?

No, standard Android settings only allow you to configure proxy parameters for Wi-Fi connections. However, for mobile networks, you can use third-party apps (proxyfiers) that redirect traffic regardless of connection type.

Do Android proxy settings apply to all installed applications?

When configuring a proxy server via Wi-Fi, it only applies to those apps that use the system network settings and support working with private solutions (including authentication). To redirect traffic from all apps, it is recommended to utilize a proxyfier like apps.

What proxy types does Android support (HTTP(S), SOCKS5)?

By default, Android allows you to configure only HTTP and HTTPS proxies. To use SOCKS5 proxies, you need third-party proxyfier applications, since this type is not supported at the system level.