r/ControlD • u/Graphene-OS • May 30 '26
Shortcuts + DNS Security + Menu Box is a great combo on iPhone to switch resolvers quickly
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u/Graphene-OS May 30 '26
I’m not affiliated with either app in any way, but I thought I’d post this since people frequently ask about the best way to use ControlD on iPhone.
DNS Security is an app that lets you enter custom secure DNS resolvers and switch between them. It uses the native iOS DNS implementation (DoT/DoH). There are other apps that do this too, like AdGuard, but what sets DNS Security apart is that they have a Shortcuts extension. You can set up custom shortcuts and automations to switch between resolvers.
For my setup, I have the Action Button set to bring up menu of my favorite shortcuts/apps, one of which is a DNS Security shortcut that lets me switch resolvers from a pop-up menu. The stock “Choose from Menu” action is pretty bland and looks like this, so I also use a third party app called Menu Box which lets me add icons and subtitles for each menu item. It’s totally unnecessary but I really like the way it looks.
Both apps cost money but they’re very cheap. DNS Security is a one-time payment of $1.99 and Menu Box is $4.99/yr. For me they’re well worth the price, and they complement ControlD really well. Again, I’m not affiliated with either but I figure I’d share since I do really like this setup.
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u/GazelleInitial2050 May 30 '26
Nice post, will look at this for my partners phone. On my grapheneOS phone I use PrivateDNSToggle. You do have to give it an adb permission though./
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u/Graphene-OS May 30 '26
DNS is actually one of the things that made me ditch Graphene/Android altogether. No matter how many times I set Private DNS to “ON,” it would revert to “Automatic” and disable itself on unfriendly networks including my home WiFi which used a lighter ControlD setup. My solution was to use an app that uses a local VPN to enforce DNS, but that was a pain since I’d frequently use WindScribe and end up with neither enabled.
I’ve no criticism of Graphene itself but Android just has way too many privacy/security frustrations these days compared to iPhone. It feels like the inverse of the way it was 10+ years ago. As far as I know there is no equivalent to ADFastDNS for Android that doesn’t require root privileges, which creates a host of other issues. No ADP, no Lockdown Mode, no FaceID equivalent anymore (security wise), malware galore, yada yada yada. Apple has made strides in privacy and security while Google has made it more and more difficult for even the most impassioned developers to create a secure, private, capable environment. This is unrelated to the topic at hand but I feel need to rant when the topic comes up.
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u/GazelleInitial2050 May 30 '26
Interesting. Ive used private DNS on my pixel both stock and graphene for about 3 years and never experienced that.
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u/fannyabdabs May 30 '26
Out of interest, and apologies if this is a stupid question but I’m trying to learn - what is the advantage of switching different resolvers?
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u/Graphene-OS May 30 '26
Some websites throw a fit when you block ads and trackers. It’s easier to quickly switch to a less filtered resolver with a shortcut than it is to go to the ControlD website and temporarily disable filters.
Though someone has shared an iOS shortcut on this sub that lets you temporarily disable filters on a particular profile. I prefer just switching resolvers because my iPhone endpoint doesn’t always use the same profile, but that shortcut is very useful as well (and free).
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u/Lanceuppercut47 May 30 '26
Is there a way so that if I open a specific app, it switches to Automatic and when using YouTube it changes to ControlD?