How to make a proxy-server on your phone: instructions for Android and iPhone

An ordinary purchased mobile proxy costs from $50 to $120 per month for a private channel. Having your own proxy on your phone allows you to eliminate these expenses, using the current tariff plan of your mobile operator. Unlike a VPN, which encrypts all the device's traffic and often reduces speed, a proxy works point-by-point at the level of individual programs.

From this manual, you will learn working ways to deploy a proxy-server based on Android and iOS — from simple free applications to professional software.

Which proxies can be made on a phone 

Before moving on to the settings, it is necessary to understand the formats of proxy connections that can be run on a mobile device.

1. HTTP-proxy. The simplest and most common type of proxy-server. It is primary designed to work with browsers. An HTTP-proxy receives client requests, sends them to the destination server, and returns the response back. However, all traffic is transmitted in clear text, which is not suitable for transferring confidential data.
2. HTTPS-proxy. An improved version of HTTP-proxy supporting SSL/TLS encryption. When using an HTTPS-proxy, all transmitted data is encrypted between your device and the proxy-server. Outsiders like an ISP or a public Wi-Fi network owner will not be able to intercept your passwords or session cookies.
3. SOCKS5-proxy. The most modern and versatile protocol. Unlike HTTP/HTTPS, SOCKS5 operates at a lower network level and transmits not only web traffic, but also UDP packets, torrents, mail protocols, and databases. SOCKS5 is perfectly suited for professional software and browsers for multi-accounting. 

How to make a proxy-server yourself 

Method 1. Proxy-server on Android 

Android has an open architecture, which makes it easy to turn a smartphone into a proxy-server without special skills. The most comfortable way is to use specialized software from Google Play.

Suitable applications:

• Every Proxy — the absolute leader among free applications. It does not require root privileges, allows running HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, and SOCKS5 servers simultaneously. It works stably and supports sharing both via Wi-Fi and via a mobile hotspot or USB-modem.
• ProxyDroid — a legendary application, but for full functioning it requires ROOT access on the device. It allows automatically redirecting all the smartphone's traffic through an external proxy, supports various types of authorization.
• Drony — an advanced application for redirecting and filtering traffic. It can work without root privileges, allows configuring detailed routing rules for each installed application separately.
• NetGuard — positions itself as a firewall without root privileges, but has built-in functions for redirecting traffic to local or external addresses.
• KPProxy — a simple utility application for quick organization of a proxy-server, oriented on transferring traffic over a local network. 

Step-by-step setup using Every Proxy as an example

1. Install the Every Proxy application from the official Google Play store.
2. Turn on mobile internet (cellular data) on your phone.
3. Connect the phone and your work computer to the same local Wi-Fi network, or turn on the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot on the phone and connect the PC to it.
4. Open Every Proxy. On the main screen, you will see a list of available protocols.
5. Toggle the HTTP/HTTPS switch to the active position. The application will show the local IP address of your phone in the network (for example, 192.168.43.1 or 192.168.1.45) and the port (by default 1080 for SOCKS and 8080 for HTTP).
6. If you need SOCKS5, activate the corresponding SOCKS5 toggle.
7. Now open the proxy-server settings on your computer or in an anti-detect browser. Enter the IP address and port specified on the Every Proxy screen. The connection is ready for work. 

Setup using ProxyDroid and rooted-devices as an example 

If your Android smartphone has superuser privileges, you can use ProxyDroid or its equivalents for global proxying of the device itself.

1. Launch ProxyDroid and grant root privileges to the application when first requested.
2. In the Host field, enter the IP address of your proxy-server.
3. In the Port field, specify the connection port.
4. Choose the proxy type in the Proxy Type line — HTTP or SOCKS5.
5. If the proxy requires authorization, activate the Enable Authentication item and enter the login/password.
6. Turn on the Auto Connect toggle so that the proxy activates when choosing certain Wi-Fi networks.
7. Toggle the top switch to the ON position to start proxying all the phone's traffic. 

How to proxy the traffic of a single application 

If you do not need to let the traffic of the entire device go through the proxy, you can use the Drony application without root privileges:
Install and launch Drony. Go to the Settings tab. 

1. Choose the network type depending on how you are connected to the Internet.
2. Click on the name of your current Wi-Fi network to set up.
3. In the Filter section, choose the Local profiles mode.
4. Click on Rules and add a new rule: choose the application (for example, only a specific messenger or browser) whose traffic should go through the proxy.
5. Click Start on the main screen of Drony. The traffic of the selected program will go through the created proxy tunnel. 

Pros and cons of applications 

Pros: 

• quick launch in a few clicks;
• most applications are free and do not require special technical skills;
• capability of running a full-fledged SOCKS5 without root access. 

Cons: 

• application work can be terminated by the Android operating system in the background for power saving;
• data transfer speed is limited by the performance of the smartphone itself. 

Method 2. Proxy-server on iPhone 

The iOS operating system from Apple is known for strict security requirements, therefore running a background process that will listen to external network ports and redirect traffic is much more difficult on iOS than on Android. Nevertheless, working solutions exist. 

Built-in iOS features: setting up a proxy in Wi-Fi 

iOS allows natively connecting to existing external proxy-servers to mask the smartphone's own traffic:

1. Open Settings — Wi-Fi.
2. Click on the (i) icon to the right of your network name.
3. Scroll down to the Configure Proxy section.
4. Switch the mode from Off to Manual.
5. Enter the server address, port, and activate the Authentication toggle if the proxy requires entering a username and password.
6. Click Save. 

Setup through applications 

For implementing complex routing scenarios and running local proxy clients, specialized applications are used. Most professional software in this category is distributed on a paid basis:

• Potatso Lite — a simple and free application for importing and switching proxies.
• Shadowrocket — the main tool for working with proxy and VPN protocols on iOS. It costs $2.99, but is worth every penny. It allows you to finely tune rules, measure ping, analyze traffic, and measure connection speed.
• Quantumult X — a powerful client for customizing network packets, writing filter scripts, and working with complex proxying scenarios.
• Surge — a tool for developers and network engineers that allows detailed traffic profiling. 

Step-by-step instructions for configuring a proxy in iOS 

Let's configure a stable proxy client using the free Potatso Lite application: 

1. Download Potatso Lite from the App Store.
2. Open the application and click the Add a Proxy button or the "plus" icon in the upper corner.
3. In the Type column, choose the desired protocol, for example, SOCKS5 or HTTP.
4. Fill in the Host (IP address of the proxy-server) and Port fields.
5. If authorization is set up, enter the data in the User and Password fields.
6. Click Save in the upper right corner.
7. Go to the main screen of the application, choose the created profile, and click the round Start button. Upon the first launch, iOS will ask to confirm adding a VPN configuration to the system — allow this action using Face ID/Touch ID. 

Why iPhone cannot become a full-fledged proxy-server 

In iOS, it is prohibited to create applications capable of working as server sockets in the background, waiting for external connections on arbitrary ports. This means that you cannot turn an iPhone into a full-fledged proxy-server for sharing mobile traffic to other devices by simply downloading a free utility like on Android. 

To bypass this limitation, it is required:

• Jailbreak of the device to remove file system limits and run full Linux packages.
• Using specialized paid software — for example, the Surge application with a special “Proxy Sharing” function that works only while the iPhone screen is active and the application is running in the foreground. 

Method 3. Mobile proxy via USB-modem and smartphone 

For professional purposes — for arbitrage, automatic parsing, maintaining hundreds of accounts — constant use of the smartphone's Wi-Fi connection is not suitable. It is subject to connection breaks and heats the device. The optimal solution is the “PC + Smartphone via USB” bridge. 

Connecting a phone via wire provides maximum speed up to 100+ Mbps and minimum ping.

1. Connect your Android smartphone to the PC using a high-quality USB cable.
2. On your phone, go to the hotspot settings and activate the USB tethering item. The computer will identify the phone as a new active network card — a wired Ethernet-connection. 

A new network connection will appear in the operating system of the PC. For correct routing, you need to configure the system so that network requests go exactly through this new USB connection, and not through the primary network card of your gateway. 

• On Windows: open the list of network adapters and make sure that the Remote NDIS connection is active.
• On macOS: the phone will appear in the networks section as an additional USB device.
• On Linux: the device will be identified as the usb0 interface or similar. 

To make the traffic of specific programs go strictly through the cable mobile internet of the smartphone, we use the Proxifier utility on the PC:

1. Install and open Proxifier on your computer.
2. Go to the Profile — Proxy Servers menu — click Add.
3. We need to link the local proxy client with the traffic going through the smartphone's network interface. To do this, as the proxy address, enter the local address of EVERY PROXY running on the phone (for example, 192.168.42.129).
4. Click Test to verify the stability of the network gateway. 

If you need to share the internet to other computers in the local network, install the CCProxy program on the work PC or compile 3proxy:
In CCProxy, specify the IP address of your main local network as the incoming interface, and the phone's network adapter (NDIS) as the outgoing gateway. 

Other PCs will be able to write the IP address of your computer as a proxy-server and access the net under the mobile IP addresses of your phone. 

This approach lies at the foundation of building mobile proxy farms. By connecting 5-10 cheap Android smartphones to one PC-server or hub via USB, launching a USB modem on each, and configuring a multi-port SOCKS5 server on the PC, you get an industrial mobile proxy farm. You will be able to remotely reboot modems via API for automatic IP address rotation. 

Comparison of methods: what to choose for the task

Conclusion 

Creating a proxy-server on your phone with your own hands is an excellent way to get reliable mobile IP addresses without overpaying to third-party services.

If you need a quick and simple solution for web surfing or one-time tests — use the Every Proxy application on Android or the combination of iPhone in modem mode + Proxifier on the computer. This will not require deep technical knowledge and will take just a couple of minutes.

For professional activities, working with databases, automated parsers, or creating your own proxy farm, physical connection of the device via USB to the PC is suitable. This will provide a stable connection with maximum channel bandwidth and the possibility of fine security tuning.