All web browsing starts with a DNS query to find the IP address for the desired service or website. For much of the internet’s history, this query is sent in the clear. DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) plugs this privacy leak by encrypting the DNS messages, so no one on the network, not your internet service provider or a free public WiFi provider, can eavesdrop on your browsing.
In 2020, Firefox became the first browser to roll out DoH by default, starting in the United States and in 2023, we announced the Firefox DoH-by-default rollout in Canada, powered by our trusted partner, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).
This year, we’ve built on that foundation and delivered major performance improvements and mobile support, ensuring more Firefox users benefit from privacy without compromise.
Introducing DoH for Android
After bringing encrypted DNS protection to millions of desktop users, we’re now extending the same to mobile. Firefox users who have been waiting for DoH on Android can now turn it on and browse with the same privacy protections as on their desktops.
Starting with this week’s release of Firefox 143 for Android, users can choose to enable DoH in Firefox on their mobile devices by selecting “Increased Protection” DoH configuration. Performance testing with Firefox DoH partners is currently underway. If DoH is as fast as we expect, we plan to enable it by default for Android users in certain regions, similar to desktop users. Until then, these configuration options provide you the choice to opt in early.
Enable DoH in Firefox on Android
DoH performance breakthroughs in 2025
DNS resolution speed is critical to the browsing experience — when web pages involve multiple DNS queries, the speed difference compounds and can cause page loads to be slow. Since we first rolled out DoH in Canada, we’ve worked closely with CIRA for reliability and performance measurements. Through our strong collaboration with them and their technology partner Akamai, Firefox DoH lookups are now 61% faster year-to-date for the 75th percentile.
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