How to Set Up Proxy Settings on an Android Phone

You bought a proxy, or your school or workplace handed you a proxy address. On a computer you know where the setting lives, but on the phone you have scrolled through the whole Settings app without finding a line called "proxy". When you finally get there, two empty boxes are waiting: "Proxy hostname" and "Proxy port". There is nowhere to type a username and password.

This post explains where the proxy setting sits on an Android phone, which path to follow on stock Android, Samsung and Xiaomi phones, and what goes into those two boxes. Then we list the limits of this setting plainly: why it only applies on Wi-Fi, why not every app follows it, and what to do when there is no password field. The proxy field on the APN screen for mobile data, Android TV, turning the proxy off and what to check when the internet stops working are covered as well. None of the steps needs code or a computer connection.

What is a proxy on a phone and what is it for?#

A proxy is an intermediary server that sits between your phone and the site you visit. Your phone does not send the request straight to the site; it sends it to the proxy first. The proxy forwards the request from its own address and passes the response back to you. The site sees the proxy's address, not your IP address.

The reasons for using a proxy on a phone are the same as on a computer: passing through an intermediary that a school or office network requires, or checking how a site looks from another country. We explained how a proxy works in general in What Is a Proxy Server and How Does It Work?. Here we stay with the setting on the phone.

Proxies and VPNs are often confused. A VPN pushes all of the phone's traffic into a single tunnel, while the proxy setting on Android's Wi-Fi screen mainly routes the browser's web traffic. The difference is laid out in Proxy vs. VPN.

Where is the proxy setting on Android?#

The search takes long for a simple reason: Android has no separate menu called "Proxy". The setting sits inside the detail screen of each wireless network, next to the IP settings. Google's Android help page also lists the proxy together with network settings such as metered access and automatic connections.

This has two consequences, and knowing both up front saves a lot of time:

• The setting belongs to the network. A proxy you typed for your home Wi-Fi is not used on the Wi-Fi at work or in a café. It is entered separately for each network.
• Mobile data is outside this setting. The moment you turn Wi-Fi off and switch to mobile data, the phone goes online without the proxy.

Menu names change with the brand and the Android version, but the logic is the same: Wi-Fi list, details of the connected network, advanced section, Proxy row. The three common interfaces are described separately below.

Step-by-step setup on stock Android (Pixel and phones with a plain interface)#

The names below are taken from Android's own English interface. The path follows the layout of Android 12 and later; on older versions the first step says Wi-Fi instead of Internet.

1. Open the Settings app, tap Network & internet, then Internet.
2. Tap the settings (gear) icon next to the wireless network you are connected to. The Network details screen opens.
3. Tap the pencil icon (Modify) at the top right.
4. In the window that opens, expand Advanced options.
5. Tap the Proxy row. Three options appear: None, Manual and Proxy Auto-Config. Choose Manual.
6. Type the proxy address into Proxy hostname and the port number into Proxy port.
7. Tap Save.

When you choose Manual, Android shows a small notice above the boxes: "The HTTP proxy is used by the browser but may not be used by the other apps." This sentence is not an error; it states the limit of the setting, which we unpack in the "What does this setting not cover?" section below.

The third option, Proxy Auto-Config, is rarely needed at home. On school and company networks the IT team gives you a link (a PAC URL) instead of an address; you paste that link into the box under this option and the phone learns from that file which proxy to use for which site.

What goes into the "Proxy hostname" and "Proxy port" boxes?#

The two labels sound more technical than they are. They correspond to "address" and "port" on a computer.

A few details to watch:

• Do not put http:// in front. The box only wants the name. If you add a protocol in front or a slash at the end, the phone warns "The hostname you typed isn't valid."
• Split the address and the port into separate boxes. If your provider gave the details as pr.proxynet.io:8000, the part before the colon goes into the first box and the part after it into the second.
• The port cannot stay empty. If you type an address and leave the port blank, you get "You need to complete the port field."

If you do not know where to find the address and the port, What Is a Proxy Server Address and How to Find It shows where this information sits in a provider dashboard and in workplace instructions.

Proxy settings on Samsung phones#

In Samsung's One UI, wireless networks are not under Network & internet but under Connections. Samsung's connection options help page describes the place of the proxy as the Advanced section on the screen where network information is entered: IP settings, proxy settings and certificates live there.

To set up a new network together with a proxy:

1. Go to Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi and turn Wi-Fi on.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the network list and tap Add network.
3. Type the network name exactly, choose the security type and enter the password.
4. Open the Advanced section and choose Manual on the Proxy row.
5. Type the proxy address and port, then save.

For a network you are already connected to, the same Advanced section is reached from that network's detail screen. The layout of this screen changes between One UI versions, so we do not give a line-by-line description here. If you cannot find the Proxy row, the reliable route is this: remove the network from the phone, then set it up again with the Add network steps above, entering the proxy details along the way.

Proxy settings on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones#

On Xiaomi's interface (MIUI and HyperOS) the path is shorter. Xiaomi's official support page lists the steps like this:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Wi-Fi.
3. Tap the arrow (>) icon on the row of the network you are connected to.
4. Tap the Proxy row.
5. Choose one of three options: None, Manual or Proxy Auto-Config. With Manual you type the proxy's hostname, its port and, if you wish, the addresses that should bypass the proxy.
6. Tap the check mark (✓) at the top right to save.

Option names may differ slightly between MIUI and HyperOS versions. The note at the end of the page should not be skipped: after saving, you need to disconnect from Wi-Fi and reconnect for the change to take effect. The easiest way is to turn Wi-Fi off and back on after a few seconds.

There is no username and password field: what do you do?#

Purchased proxies mostly require authentication. Programs on a computer have username and password boxes for this. Android's Wi-Fi proxy screen does not. The ProxyInfo structure that describes this setting in Android's developer documentation also carries only a host, a port, an exclusion list and a PAC link; no field is defined for a username.

That leaves two routes:

1. IP whitelist (list of allowed IPs). You sign in to your proxy dashboard and add the public IP address of your home internet to the allowed list. The proxy server accepts connections from that address without asking for a password. On the phone you only type the address and the port. For a phone this is the least troublesome method. We compared how the two methods work in Proxy Authentication: User:Pass vs IP Whitelist.

2. The browser asking for the password. If you have not set up a whitelist, the proxy asks for credentials on the first request and the browser may open a sign-in window. You type the username and password there. This route only works in the browser. Most apps have no such window, and the connection fails silently.

There is one thing to know when using a whitelist: the address you put on the allowed list is your home's address at that moment. On a home connection this address can change when the modem restarts; when it does, the proxy no longer recognises you and the connection drops. We explained why in Static IP vs Dynamic IP. If your carrier groups you behind the same public address with many other subscribers, adding that address to the allowed list opens the door to everyone who shares it. You can check this with the no-code test in What Is CGNAT? How to Check and Get Out of It.

What does this setting not cover?#

Most of the disappointment people run into when setting a proxy on a phone comes from these four limits.

We explained the difference between HTTP and SOCKS5 in SOCKS vs. HTTP Proxy. If you need SOCKS5 on the phone, you do it not from the system setting but inside apps that have their own proxy setting. Telegram is the best-known example; the setup is shown in Telegram Proxy Settings.

Proxy on mobile data: the proxy field on the APN screen#

Mobile data has a separate place: the APN, or access point name. The APN is the record that tells the phone which settings to use when connecting to the carrier's network, and it contains two fields called Proxy and Port.

On stock Android this screen is under Settings > Network & internet, on the Access Point Names row in your SIM's settings. On Samsung the path is Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Access Point Names. The fields open when you tap the APN you use.

Watch three things here:

• The "Username" and "Password" on this screen do not belong to the proxy. They are fields defined for the carrier's APN. Typing your proxy password here does nothing, so the practical route on mobile data is also an IP whitelist. However, your public address on mobile data can change as the connection renews and may be shared with other subscribers; for that reason a whitelist is less stable on mobile data than on a home connection.
• Some carriers lock the APN against editing. If the fields are greyed out, you cannot change them.
• A wrong APN setting cuts mobile internet off entirely. If you broke something, the Reset to default option in the menu of the same screen brings the carrier's settings back.

Proxy settings on Android TV#

On televisions and TV boxes running Android TV and Google TV, the setting is again inside the network. In Android TV's English interface the path is:

1. Go to Settings > Network & Internet.
2. Select the network you are connected to.
3. Open Proxy settings and choose Manual.
4. With the remote, fill in Proxy hostname, Proxy port and, if you wish, Bypass proxy for, in that order.

TV manufacturers may rename this menu to fit their own interface; if you cannot find the row, look at the advanced options inside the network settings. The limits on the phone apply here too. Android TV shows the same notice: the browser uses the proxy, other apps may not. Do not assume that a video app on the TV will follow this setting.

How do you know the proxy works?#

The check takes two minutes.

1. Before setting the proxy, open a "what is my IP" site in the browser and note the address and country shown.
2. Save the proxy. On Xiaomi, do not forget to turn Wi-Fi off and on.
3. Refresh the same page. If the address and location changed to the proxy's, the setting works.

If you want to check speed, location and leaks in more detail, Is My Proxy Working? How to Test a Proxy gives the steps in order.

How do you turn the proxy off on a phone?#

Walk back along the path you followed during setup, set the Proxy row to None and save. On stock Android this is done through the pencil icon in the network details and Advanced options; on Xiaomi through the arrow next to the network and the Proxy row.

If a proxy appears on the phone although you never set one, look at two possibilities: if the phone belongs to your workplace, the company's management profile may have written the setting, or the person who used the phone before you may have left a setting for that network. On a company phone, ask the IT team before turning the setting off.

No internet after setting the proxy: what to check#

Pages not opening after a proxy is typed in is the most common problem, and it is almost always one of the causes below.

• There is something extra in the address. http://, a trailing slash or a space that came along while copying. Clear the box and type it again by hand.
• The port is wrong. Providers give different ports for HTTP and SOCKS5. Android takes the HTTP/HTTPS one.
• Your IP address is not on the allowed list. If the modem restarted, your address may have changed. Update the allowed list in the dashboard.
• The network itself is blocking it. School, hotel and office networks may close outside proxy ports. Try the same setting at home.
• Only one app does not work. If the browser opens but a single app cannot connect, that app does not follow the proxy; this is not a fault but the limit described above.

If you are not sure, set Proxy to None. If the internet comes back right away, the problem is in the proxy details. We explained what each browser error message means in Proxy Server Is Not Responding.

What is a proxy used for on Android?#

• School, dormitory and office networks. Networks where you cannot get online without entering the address or PAC link given by the IT team.
• Mobile site and app testing. Seeing on a real phone which language, price and content your site shows when opened from another country. We described this scenario on our app testing page.
• Checking ads and search results. Looking from the phone at whether an ad is really shown in the country you target. The methods on the search side are in How to Search Google From a Different Country.
• Connecting with a Türkiye address from abroad. For those who need an address that exits in Türkiye while travelling, we compared the options in How to Get a Türkiye IP Address From Abroad.
• Sending the phone and the computer out from the same address. If you need to reach a service from the same IP every time, a ISP Proxy address is fixed, does not change on its own and works comfortably on the phone with a whitelist.

Because the Android setting wants HTTP/HTTPS, look at HTTPS Proxy support first. If you need addresses that belong to home connections, choose Residential Proxy; if you need carrier addresses, choose Mobile Proxy. For someone close to you who uses an iPhone, we showed where the same setting sits in How to Set iPhone Proxy Settings?.

Common mistakes#

• Typing the proxy for Wi-Fi and testing on mobile data. When Wi-Fi is weak the phone may switch to mobile data without telling you. Turn mobile data off while testing.
• Typing the address and the port into one box. If pr.proxynet.io:8000 goes into the first box as it is, the phone treats the name as invalid.
• Assuming the game or the video call goes through the proxy. This setting is for web traffic only.
• Leaving the old IP on the whitelist. If your home address changed, the proxy no longer recognises you; the first place to look is the allowed list in the dashboard.
• Leaving the setting behind on a network where you were a guest. The setting is stored inside that network; when you join the same network months later the internet does not open and you do not remember why.

Decision guide#

Frequently asked questions#

Does the Android proxy setting apply to all apps?#

No. Android's own notice says so: the browser uses the setting, other apps may not. Browsers follow the system proxy, while many apps open their connection their own way. Your IP address not changing in an app does not mean you set it up wrong.

What does proxy hostname mean?#

It is the address of the proxy server. It can be a domain name such as pr.proxynet.io or an IP address made of numbers. No http:// goes in front. The "Proxy port" box next to it wants the port number.

Where do you type the proxy username and password on a phone?#

The Wi-Fi proxy screen has no field for them. Either you add your own IP address to the allowed list in your proxy dashboard and connect without a password, or you type them into the sign-in window the browser opens on the first connection. The second route only works in the browser.

Does the proxy I set on Wi-Fi also work on mobile data?#

No. The setting is stored only inside the Wi-Fi network you typed it for. For mobile data the Proxy and Port fields on the APN screen are used; your carrier may have locked that screen against editing.

Can I use a SOCKS5 proxy on Android?#

Not with the system's Wi-Fi proxy setting; that setting is for an HTTP proxy. You can only define SOCKS5 inside apps that have their own proxy setting. If your provider also gives an HTTP/HTTPS port for the same proxy, type that one into the phone.

Does a proxy slow down the internet on a phone?#

Because your traffic passes through a server in between, pages may take somewhat longer to open; how much longer depends on the proxy's location and quality. Choosing a location close to you narrows the gap. To tell whether the slowness comes from the proxy or the network, set Proxy to None for a while and open the same page again.

Summary#

On Android the proxy is not in a separate menu but in the advanced settings of each Wi-Fi network: on stock Android under Network & internet > Internet, on Samsung in the Advanced section under Connections > Wi-Fi, on Xiaomi on the Proxy row that opens from the arrow next to the network. The address goes into the "Proxy hostname" box and the port into the "Proxy port" box. The setting is for HTTP and HTTPS only, applies only on that Wi-Fi network, is not followed by every app and has no password field; that is why an IP whitelist is the most comfortable method on a phone. For whitelist-ready addresses that you can manage from the same dashboard on the phone and the computer, take a look at our proxy services.