AndroidAlways-on VPN vs Block connections without VPN: what happens on Android when your VPN drops
When the VPN tunnel drops, Android's two VPN settings act differently. What each changes in that gap, the side effects of both, and how to test them.
Topic · 5 articles
Android
Android settings that affect your VPN: battery savers, Always-on VPN, Private DNS and app permissions, step by step.
Android
Blocks and censorshipFree Android VPN for censored sites and apps: what gets blocked, why, and how to get through safely
Which sites and apps get blocked most, and why. How a free Android VPN gets you through safely, the free VPNs to avoid, and PryVPN step by step.
AndroidPrivate DNS vs VPN on Android: which one do you need, and can you use both?
Private DNS encrypts name lookups; a VPN encrypts all traffic. What each setting does, which to pick, and what happens when you turn both on.
AndroidSamsung Galaxy keeps closing your VPN? The settings that stop it
Galaxy phones put background apps to sleep, VPNs included. Three Samsung settings keep your VPN running, with the menu paths from Samsung's own help.
AndroidVPN keeps disconnecting on Android? The battery settings that fix it, by brand
When a VPN drops by itself on Android, battery saving is the usual cause. Three settings fix it on most phones, plus where to find them on your brand.
Looking for the solution?
Free VPN for Android with no card, no ads and no data limit: WireGuard, ad and tracker blocking, Kill Switch and no activity logs, from Google Play.
WireGuard VPN for Android with nothing to configure: quick handshakes, ChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption and a TCP 443 fallback for networks that block VPNs.
Your download and upload speed, ping and jitter, and what they're good enough for.
Also on this topic:
- How to use a VPN on Android: install, connect and check it works
- Auto-connect a VPN on Android: on untrusted Wi-Fi, at startup or always
- Ad blocker for Android: block ads in every app with a DNS filter
- How to change your country on Android: IP location, Google Play and region
- Does a VPN slow down your internet? What affects speed, and how to keep it fast
- Getting started with PryVPN
- Why Android asks for the VPN permission
- Battery settings: keep PryVPN running (Samsung, Xiaomi and others)
- Kill Switch and Always-on VPN
- Nothing connects after an Android 16 update
- Android Auto, Chromecast and other devices with a VPN
- Hotspot: devices you share your connection with
- Another VPN, a work profile or a blocked device
- New sign-ups
- Contacting support
Try PryVPN during the beta
Free, no card, no activity logs. Join the beta and we'll email you when there's room; PryVPN installs from Google Play.
Free on Google PlayThe full Android app, opening in small groups
Downloads open in waves, based on demand. Leave your email and we'll tell you when you can download.
- Free, no card
- No activity logs
- WireGuard encryption
- Only on Google Play