Android proxy settings are stored per Wi-Fi network. Open the network's Advanced options, set Proxy to Manual, enter the host as Proxy hostname and the HTTP port as Proxy port from your ProxyHive order, and tap Save. Android has no username or password fields, so add your network's public IP to the order's allowlist. The setting does nothing on mobile data, and apps are free to ignore it.

Steps checked against Google's Pixel Phone Help and the Android (AOSP) Settings interface strings on 2026-09-30. Labels vary by manufacturer and Android version.

Before you start

  1. Buy an IP and open the order in the dashboard at https://app.proxyhive.io.
  2. Copy HOST and the HTTP PORT. Every ISP or datacenter IP is its own endpoint; Android's manual proxy is an HTTP proxy, so use the HTTP port, not the SOCKS5 one.
  3. Find your Wi-Fi network's public IP: with no proxy set, open https://api.ipify.org?format=json on the phone.
  4. In the dashboard, switch the order to the IP allowlist and add that IP. Every device on that Wi-Fi network can then use the proxy without a password.

The allowlist is the dependable route on Android. The authentication and allowlist guide covers what changes when you switch.

Android proxy settings on Wi-Fi, step by step

On a Pixel or a phone close to stock Android (10 and later):

  1. Open Settings and tap Network & internet, then Internet.
  2. Tap the Wi-Fi network you are connected to.
  3. Tap Edit (the pencil), then expand Advanced options.
  4. Under Proxy, tap the down arrow and choose Manual. The other choices are None and Proxy Auto-Config.
  5. Proxy hostname: HOST from your order.
  6. Proxy port: the HTTP port.
  7. Bypass proxy for: optional, a comma-separated list of hosts that should connect directly.
  8. Tap Save.

Below the fields, Android shows its own warning: "The HTTP proxy is used by the browser but may not be used by the other apps." Take it at its word.

Samsung and other manufacturers

The setting is the same, but the route differs. On Samsung Galaxy phones it starts at Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi, then the gear next to the network, where the proxy option sits under the advanced or "view more" section. If you cannot find it, search Settings for "proxy". Google's advanced network settings article shows the Pixel wording.

Android proxy username and password

There are no credential fields. Three ways to live with that:

  • IP allowlist (recommended). Nothing to type, and every app that follows the proxy works. The catch: it trusts the whole Wi-Fi network, and if your home connection's public IP changes, update the allowlist.
  • Browser prompt. Some browsers ask for a username and password when the proxy returns a 407. Apps that cannot show that box fail instead.
  • An app with its own proxy settings. Some apps and proxy-client apps accept a host, port, username and password directly; they route their own traffic and do not depend on the Wi-Fi setting.

Mobile data and the APN proxy

The Wi-Fi proxy stops working the moment the phone leaves that network or falls back to mobile data. Android has no general proxy setting for mobile data.

Some devices let you edit the mobile data access point (APN) under the SIM settings (on a Pixel, Network & internet > SIMs > Access Point Names), and the APN editor has Proxy and Port fields. Treat this with care:

  • Carriers often lock APN editing, and a wrong change can break mobile data or MMS.
  • The APN's Username and Password fields are the carrier's login, not the proxy's. A mobile connection's public IP also changes often, so the allowlist does not help.
  • Apps can ignore it, like the Wi-Fi proxy.

For proxying a phone on any connection, apps that run as a local VPN on the device and forward traffic to your proxy are the practical route. Proxy vs VPN explains the difference, and the iPhone guide covers the same limits on iOS.

Set a proxy with adb for testing

With USB debugging on, developers can set a device-wide HTTP proxy from a computer, which is handy for QA runs:

adb shell settings put global http_proxy HOST:PORT
adb shell settings get global http_proxy
adb shell settings put global http_proxy :0

The first line sets it, the second checks it, the third clears it. It has no password either, so pair it with the allowlist.

Verify the exit IP

  1. Open https://api.ipify.org?format=json in the phone's browser.
  2. The ip value should be the IP on your order.
  3. Switch the proxy back to None and reload: you should see your network's own IP again.

If a specific app matters, test that app, not only the browser. Proxy settings that the browser follows are no guarantee for anything else.

Troubleshooting

  • "The hostname you typed isn't valid." Remove http:// and any spaces; enter the bare host.
  • Pages do not load. Wrong port, the SOCKS5 port in an HTTP field, or your current public IP is not on the allowlist.
  • The browser works but an app does not. The app ignores the system proxy. Use its own proxy setting or a proxy-client app.
  • It stopped working away from home. The proxy belongs to one Wi-Fi network, and the allowlist to one public IP.

For a static IP per phone or per account, ISP proxies are sold one IP at a time, and the proxy error codes guide decodes what the browser shows.