Before you start
Have your proxy details ready: IP address or hostname and port (for example 99.66.88.222 and 5432).
Android's built-in proxy fields have no username or password boxes. If your proxy needs credentials, whitelist your device's public IP in your proxy dashboard first, or use a proxy client app instead.
A Wi‑Fi proxy is stored per network — it applies only to the network you edit, and stays saved for the next time you connect to it.
The system proxy is respected by Chrome and most browsers, and by apps that use the standard HTTP stack. Some apps ignore it and connect directly.
Menu names below are stock Android 16 (Pixel). Samsung, Xiaomi and others use the same steps under slightly different labels — see the table at the end.
Method 1 — Proxy on Wi‑Fi (recommended)
Path: Settings → Network & internet → Internet → ⚙ next to your network → ✏️ Edit → Advanced options → Proxy → Manual
Step 1 — Open Network & internet
Open the Settings app.
Tap Network & internet at the top of the list.
Settings → Network & internet
Step 2 — Open Internet
Tap Internet — the first entry, showing your current Wi‑Fi name.
Network & internet → Internet
Step 3 — Open the network's settings
Find the Wi‑Fi network you are connected to.
Tap the gear icon (⚙) to the right of the network name — not the name itself, which just connects or disconnects.
Tap the gear icon beside the connected network.
Step 4 — Switch to edit mode
On the network details screen, tap the pencil (edit) icon in the top-right corner.
If your device is locked, confirm with your PIN, pattern or fingerprint.
Tap the pencil icon to edit the saved network.
Step 5 — Set Proxy to Manual
In the edit dialog, scroll down and expand Advanced options.
Tap the Proxy dropdown (it reads None by default).
Choose Manual.
Advanced options → Proxy → Manual. Choose Proxy Auto‑Config instead only if your provider gave you a PAC URL.
Step 6 — Enter the proxy details and save
Proxy hostname — the proxy IP address or hostname. No
http://prefix, no port here.Proxy port — the port number only, e.g.
8080.Bypass proxy for — optional. Comma-separated hosts that should skip the proxy, e.g.
localhost, 127.0.0.1, *.local.Tap Save. Android reconnects to the network using the proxy.
Fill in hostname and port, then tap Save.
Step 7 — Check that it works
Re-open the network's details — the Proxy line should show your host and port.
Open Chrome and visit any IP-checking site. It should report the proxy's IP, not your own.
The saved proxy shown on the network details screen.
To turn it off: repeat Steps 3–5 and set Proxy back to None, then Save. Forgetting the network also clears the proxy — along with the saved password.
Method 2 — Proxy on mobile data (APN)
Path: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Access Point Names → + → Proxy / Port → ⋮ Save
Mobile data has no proxy switch of its own — it lives inside the APN. Some carriers and locked devices block APN editing, and a wrong value can knock out mobile data entirely. Duplicate your existing APN rather than editing it, so you can switch back in one tap.
Step 1 — Open your SIM's settings
Go to Settings → Network & internet → SIMs.
On a dual‑SIM phone, pick the SIM you use for data.
Network & internet → SIMs
Step 2 — Open Access Point Names
Scroll to the bottom of the SIM page.
Tap Access Point Names.
Access Point Names sits at the bottom of the SIM page.
Step 3 — Create a copy of your APN
Open your current (selected) APN first and note every value — especially APN, MCC, MNC and APN type.
Go back, then tap + in the top-right to add a new APN.
Tap + to add a new access point.
Step 4 — Fill in the proxy fields
Name — anything recognisable, e.g.
Carrier + Proxy.APN, MCC, MNC, APN type — copy exactly from your original APN.
Proxy — the proxy IP address or hostname.
Port — the proxy port.
Leave everything else untouched.
Only Proxy and Port change — the rest mirrors your carrier APN.
Step 5 — Save and activate
Tap the ⋮ menu in the top-right and choose Save.
Back in the APN list, select the radio button next to the new APN to make it active.
Toggle Airplane mode on and off (or reboot) so mobile data reconnects.
⋮ → Save, then select the new APN in the list.
To turn it off: go back to Access Point Names and select your original carrier APN.
Troubleshooting
Pages don't load at all — check the host and port for typos, and confirm the proxy is reachable from a computer on the same connection.
"Proxy authentication required" or a login popup — Android has no field for proxy credentials. Whitelist your device's current public IP in your proxy dashboard, or use a proxy client app.
Save button greyed out — the port must be digits only, and the hostname must have no
http://, no:portand no trailing slash.Your real IP still shows — some apps bypass the system proxy. Test in Chrome first, and remember the proxy applies only to the network you edited.
Proxy is gone after reconnecting — you're on a different network (5 GHz vs 2.4 GHz bands are often saved separately). Set it on that network too.
Mobile data dies after the APN change — reselect the original APN in the list; nothing else is affected.
No Access Point Names entry — your carrier or device policy has locked APN editing. Use Wi‑Fi or a proxy app instead.
Where the setting lives on other Android skins
Device | Wi‑Fi proxy path |
Pixel / stock Android 16 | Settings → Network & internet → Internet → ⚙ → ✏️ → Advanced options → Proxy |
Samsung (One UI) | Settings → Connections → Wi‑Fi → ⚙ → View more → Proxy |
Xiaomi (HyperOS) | Settings → Wi‑Fi → tap network → Proxy |
OnePlus / OPPO | Settings → Wi‑Fi → ⚙ → Advanced → Proxy |
Good to know
The proxy covers HTTP and HTTPS traffic from apps that honour the system proxy — it is not a device-wide tunnel like a VPN.
SOCKS5 proxies are not supported by these native fields; they need a client app or a browser that supports SOCKS directly.
Settings survive reboots and stay attached to that saved Wi‑Fi network or APN.
On a shared or public Wi‑Fi network, the proxy applies to your device only.