[Android Apps and Games] Ch4t4r:
[IMG="Nebulo app icon"]https://git.frostnerd.com/PublicAndroidApps/smokescreen/-/raw/master/material/appicon/100px.png[/IMG]​

Hi!

I'm Daniel, the developer of the open-source app Nebulo.

Nebulo is a DNS Changer which uses DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) and DNS-over-TLS (DoT) to transmit dns queries from your device safely to a server of your choice. It contains a bunch of useful features and even has inbuilt adblocking capabilities.

It is easy to use, your device doesn't need to be rooted and the app itself neither has any ads, nor does it contain any tracking.

I'm creating this post here because I want to share what I, together with my community, have created over the last two years and because I want to share the results this far with the XDA community as well.

Introduction

I created this app in 2018 because the ever-lingering presence of trackers, ads and DNS query interception by ISPs bothered me.

DoT/DoH have become important parts to alleviate at least the second part, tracking and censorship done by your ISP. By encrypting your DNS queries only you and the DNS server know the contents of your queries and no outsider can manipulate them. This helps fight censorship as a lot of websites wordwide are blocked by your ISP using their DNS servers or DNS manipulation, most of the time at the instruction of your government.

By adding relevant features I also combat the first part, the vast amount of ads and tracking present in the web. It's easy to import blocklists which prevent ads and tracking from even being loaded.

Nebulo works by creating a local dummy VPN to force Android into sending all DNS requests to Nebulo. Nebulo then forwards them safely. This dummy VPN does not tunnel anything, so be aware that it does not hide your IP address or otherwise functions as a normal VPN.

This dummy VPN is used by default, but can be disabled by using non-VPN mode. Click here for more information.

Screenshots

[IMG="Nebulo main screen"]https://git.frostnerd.com/PublicAndroidApps/smokescreen/-/raw/master/material/screenshots/XDA/1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG="Nebulo settings screen"]https://git.frostnerd.com/PublicAndroidApps/smokescreen/-/raw/master/material/screenshots/XDA/2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG="Nebulo DNS speed test"]https://git.frostnerd.com/PublicAndroidApps/smokescreen/-/raw/master/material/screenshots/XDA/3.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG="Nebulo DNS rules"]https://git.frostnerd.com/PublicAndroidApps/smokescreen/-/raw/master/material/screenshots/XDA/4.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG="Nebulo DNS query log"]https://git.frostnerd.com/PublicAndroidApps/smokescreen/-/raw/master/material/screenshots/XDA/5.jpg[/IMG]

Features

Nebulo is very feature-rich. Most of them stemmed out of user feedback, an important part of my development journey. Feel free to share any feedback and your experiences with the app directly here in XDA, in my Git here or feel free to join the community in Telegram as explained below.

Some core features:

Use any DoH/DoT server you like (there is a big list of servers already listed in the app. Feel free to add your own!)

DNS Query logging, so you can see what your apps are doing in the background

DNS server speed test, to compare which one is fastest for your location

Small battery footprint. Nebulo is highly optimized to use as less energy as possible

Nebulo is highly stable and seldom crashes (and if it does the crash is fixed quickly ;))

DNS rules, where you can import block lists (for example to block ads, tracking or even porn) or block domains by hand

Customizable DNS caching options

A non-VPN mode where the dummy VPN is not required. With this mode active you can use Nebulo and for example NetGuard at the same time!

PIN protection if you for example want to use the app on your kids device

Highly customizable, almost every basic aspect can be configured

Most features should be self-explanatory. If something is unclear look in the FAQ and don't hesitate to ask :)

Community

I use Telegram for my community management. There is a group for questions, feedback and other topics and a channel which only contains new versions with their changelog. You can join our 450+ members group by clicking here. If you only want to be informed about updates feel free to subscribe to the channel by clicking here.

Of course I'll also be present here :)

Downloading

Nebulo can be downloaded from three sources:

Play store

F-Droid (custom repo)

Telegram group (see above)

You can find changelogs inside the app and also here.

Why choose a different DNS server?

There are multiple reasons why changing your DNS server to something else than your ISPs default can be desirable. One point which has been mentioned more than enough is that it grants you a little bit more privacy because your ISP can't mess with your DNS queries anymore. Another reason could be to achieve adblocking (or anything else, like porn) or to experience faster gaming. Whilst changing your DNS server does not give you a better ping or improve your download speed per se it can, depending on which DNS server you use, return better results to a DNS query than your ISP would (here better means the server is faster reachable by you). This achieves a effect which is very similar to enhancing your ping over all. Treat this statement with a grain of salt though, most DNS servers are already optimized, only some third-world contries have DNS servers which don't always return good results.

Which DNS server should I use?

Nebulo provides a reasonable list of DNS servers out of the box. Depending on what you want to achieve you are free to use any you like. If what you are after is speed then feel free to use the DNS speed test to determine the fastest server. For a rather privacy-focused experience I recommend Quad9.

Closing words

Thank you for checking out Nebulo! If you have any feedback I'd love to hear it. Nebulo wouln't be what it is today if it wasn't for all the alpha/beta-testers and all the people in the Telegram group sharing their thoughts.

I hope that Nebulo is useful to you!

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Licensed under the GPLv3

XDA:DevDB Information

Nebulo - DNS Changer for DNS over HTTPS/TLS, App for all devices (see above for details)

Contributors

Ch4t4r

Source Code: https://git.frostnerd.com/PublicAndroidApps/smokescreen

Version Information

Status: Stable

Current Stable Version: 1.4.1.1

Stable Release Date: 2020-08-31

Created 2020-08-31

Last Updated 2020-09-03