How Android's Private DNS worksAnd why it mattersCloseDNS is the part of the process that turns a web address into the numeric address your phone connects to. Private DNS encrypts those lookups so nobody sitting on the network can read or tamper with them. The third option, labeled Private DNS provider hostname, is where you type in a specific provider yourself. When I finally opened the Private DNS menu, it was set to a provider's hostname I had long forgotten about. Private DNS is easy to ignore, and the case for leaving it on strict is a good one if your connection can take it.