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  3. Google has known about a bug that breaks VPN apps for 7 months, leaving users exposed with no warning or error, just a VPN app that stopped working in the background.

Google has known about a bug that breaks VPN apps for 7 months, leaving users exposed with no warning or error, just a VPN app that stopped working in the background.

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  • protonprivacy@mastodon.socialP protonprivacy@mastodon.social

    The bug corrupts Android's network stack at the system level after a VPN update, causing users to blame their VPN provider.

    Restarting the app doesn't help, with the only fix being a full device reboot or VPN app reinstall, something which most users never figure out.

    This affects several VPN providers on Android 16, and only Google has the access to diagnose it properly.

    After 7 months of waiting, we're now asking publicly: Google, when are you fixing this?

    okuna@social.tchncs.deO This user is from outside of this forum
    okuna@social.tchncs.deO This user is from outside of this forum
    okuna@social.tchncs.de
    wrote last edited by
    #13

    @protonprivacy You could never rely on Google network stack.

    And by the way, Apple is also bypassing VPN sometimes.

    Link Preview Image
    Warnung: Android leakt beim Connectivity-Check Daten an VPN-Verbindungen vorbei

    Aktuell prüfe ich für die Artikelserie »Custom-ROMs« gerade das Datensendeverhalten bekannter Android-ROMs. Dabei ist mir etwas aufgefallen…

    favicon

    (www.kuketz-blog.de)

    "We have looked into the feature request you have reported and would like to inform you that this is working as intended. We do not think such an option would be understandable by most users, so we don’t think there is a strong case for offering this."

    And the arrogance Google is showing is not new as well and gives me the feeling this is not a bug but it works as designed

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • raisondetredev@mastodon.deR raisondetredev@mastodon.de

      @protonprivacy @mullvadnet Since you are saying that only Google can inspect the issue, can one correctly assume that in projects as @GrapheneOS VPNs are not affected?

      Because on personal anecdote, I cannot recall an issue forcing a reboot in the last months regarding VPN use.

      okuna@social.tchncs.deO This user is from outside of this forum
      okuna@social.tchncs.deO This user is from outside of this forum
      okuna@social.tchncs.de
      wrote last edited by
      #14

      @raisondetredev @protonprivacy @mullvadnet @GrapheneOS +1

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • semitones@tiny.tilde.websiteS semitones@tiny.tilde.website

        @protonprivacy I thought grapheneos still depends on google to fix bugs in the underlying AOSP, I'm talking a Linux OS that can run android apps

        okuna@social.tchncs.deO This user is from outside of this forum
        okuna@social.tchncs.deO This user is from outside of this forum
        okuna@social.tchncs.de
        wrote last edited by
        #15

        @semitones @protonprivacy as far as I know, not in AOSP, because this is open source and I have read or heard that gos is fixing things Google doesn't fix.

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • raisondetredev@mastodon.deR raisondetredev@mastodon.de

          @protonprivacy @mullvadnet Since you are saying that only Google can inspect the issue, can one correctly assume that in projects as @GrapheneOS VPNs are not affected?

          Because on personal anecdote, I cannot recall an issue forcing a reboot in the last months regarding VPN use.

          splinux@mastodon.unoS This user is from outside of this forum
          splinux@mastodon.unoS This user is from outside of this forum
          splinux@mastodon.uno
          wrote last edited by
          #16

          @raisondetredev @protonprivacy @mullvadnet @GrapheneOS happens very frequently. It's a real bug. And both reinstall and reboot are required.

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • protonprivacy@mastodon.socialP protonprivacy@mastodon.social

            The bug corrupts Android's network stack at the system level after a VPN update, causing users to blame their VPN provider.

            Restarting the app doesn't help, with the only fix being a full device reboot or VPN app reinstall, something which most users never figure out.

            This affects several VPN providers on Android 16, and only Google has the access to diagnose it properly.

            After 7 months of waiting, we're now asking publicly: Google, when are you fixing this?

            tehstu@hachyderm.ioT This user is from outside of this forum
            tehstu@hachyderm.ioT This user is from outside of this forum
            tehstu@hachyderm.io
            wrote last edited by
            #17

            @protonprivacy I've had this happen to me on Mullvad, Proton, and my Wireguard link to my home router. And honestly, from the description, I think the issue may be even older, as I'm almost positive the DDG local tracker blocker used to do this.

            I had no idea it was an known issue in Android itself.

            Thanks for bringing it to light.

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • protonprivacy@mastodon.socialP protonprivacy@mastodon.social

              Google has known about a bug that breaks VPN apps for 7 months, leaving users exposed with no warning or error, just a VPN app that stopped working in the background.

              If you're using ANY VPN on Android, you can help us by getting Google's attention to fix it.

              We first reported this bug to Google in September 2025.

              Others like @mullvadnet and Wireguard reported it even earlier, in August.

              Google's response? "I don't see anything unusual."

              Here's what's actually happening ⤵️

              apalrd@hachyderm.ioA This user is from outside of this forum
              apalrd@hachyderm.ioA This user is from outside of this forum
              apalrd@hachyderm.io
              wrote last edited by
              #18

              @protonprivacy @mullvadnet

              As someone who's done plenty of Android testing in IPv6-mostly/only environments, this is not even slightly surprising, Android's networking state machine is a huge mess

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • protonprivacy@mastodon.socialP protonprivacy@mastodon.social

                The bug corrupts Android's network stack at the system level after a VPN update, causing users to blame their VPN provider.

                Restarting the app doesn't help, with the only fix being a full device reboot or VPN app reinstall, something which most users never figure out.

                This affects several VPN providers on Android 16, and only Google has the access to diagnose it properly.

                After 7 months of waiting, we're now asking publicly: Google, when are you fixing this?

                funnymonkey@freeradical.zoneF This user is from outside of this forum
                funnymonkey@freeradical.zoneF This user is from outside of this forum
                funnymonkey@freeradical.zone
                wrote last edited by
                #19

                @protonprivacy @mullvadnet

                Making sure I'm reading this correctly:

                If you're running Android (or an Android variant) and your VPN app updates, the only way to stop this issue is to:

                1. Reboot your phone after the VPN update

                OR

                2. Keep the phone on, delete the VPN app, and reinstall the app

                Am I correct in reading that one or the other approaches will fix this?

                IE, restarting your phone after an update eliminates the need to delete and reinstall the app?

                (and thank you, and Google wtaf)

                danamcfarland@mastodon.socialD 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • protonprivacy@mastodon.socialP protonprivacy@mastodon.social

                  @semitones https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/21033-second-donation-to-grapheneos-by-the-proton-foundation

                  rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
                  rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
                  rusty__shackleford@mastodon.social
                  wrote last edited by
                  #20

                  @protonprivacy @semitones

                  Or we could stop the grift & circle jerk. Release your source code so we can make secure email a real standard. Stop releasing to the play store entirely & teach people to install their own apps safely.

                  Start initiatives to teach children about public private keys, identity verification, trust, & best practices.

                  Be a man proton.

                  Or are the normie dollars making you salivate? With fascism on their doorstep, you do have more customers, better bank on their ignorance…

                  itseperkele@expressional.socialI 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • funnymonkey@freeradical.zoneF funnymonkey@freeradical.zone

                    @protonprivacy @mullvadnet

                    Making sure I'm reading this correctly:

                    If you're running Android (or an Android variant) and your VPN app updates, the only way to stop this issue is to:

                    1. Reboot your phone after the VPN update

                    OR

                    2. Keep the phone on, delete the VPN app, and reinstall the app

                    Am I correct in reading that one or the other approaches will fix this?

                    IE, restarting your phone after an update eliminates the need to delete and reinstall the app?

                    (and thank you, and Google wtaf)

                    danamcfarland@mastodon.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                    danamcfarland@mastodon.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                    danamcfarland@mastodon.social
                    wrote last edited by
                    #21

                    @funnymonkey @protonprivacy @mullvadnet can confirm that the second worked for my Samsung phone, and not the first. Yes, wtaf.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • protonprivacy@mastodon.socialP protonprivacy@mastodon.social

                      Issue Tracker Links:

                      Google Issue Tracker

                      favicon

                      (issuetracker.google.com)

                      Google Issue Tracker

                      favicon

                      (issuetracker.google.com)

                      hnapel@mastodon.socialH This user is from outside of this forum
                      hnapel@mastodon.socialH This user is from outside of this forum
                      hnapel@mastodon.social
                      wrote last edited by
                      #22

                      @protonprivacy

                      MF J6 on a raft, this is why I see ads where I didn't expect them as VPN (Wireguard) is connected to a router using PiHole DNS.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR rusty__shackleford@mastodon.social

                        @protonprivacy @semitones

                        Or we could stop the grift & circle jerk. Release your source code so we can make secure email a real standard. Stop releasing to the play store entirely & teach people to install their own apps safely.

                        Start initiatives to teach children about public private keys, identity verification, trust, & best practices.

                        Be a man proton.

                        Or are the normie dollars making you salivate? With fascism on their doorstep, you do have more customers, better bank on their ignorance…

                        itseperkele@expressional.socialI This user is from outside of this forum
                        itseperkele@expressional.socialI This user is from outside of this forum
                        itseperkele@expressional.social
                        wrote last edited by
                        #23

                        @rusty__shackleford @protonprivacy @semitones
                        Proton: "hey google is ignoring this issue, lets make them fix it"

                        You: "you are not 1000% perfect, Proton! Man up! Greedy fucks!"

                        rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR oldoldcojote@climatejustice.socialO 2 Replies Last reply
                        0
                        • protonprivacy@mastodon.socialP protonprivacy@mastodon.social

                          Google has known about a bug that breaks VPN apps for 7 months, leaving users exposed with no warning or error, just a VPN app that stopped working in the background.

                          If you're using ANY VPN on Android, you can help us by getting Google's attention to fix it.

                          We first reported this bug to Google in September 2025.

                          Others like @mullvadnet and Wireguard reported it even earlier, in August.

                          Google's response? "I don't see anything unusual."

                          Here's what's actually happening ⤵️

                          babaq@mastodonczech.czB This user is from outside of this forum
                          babaq@mastodonczech.czB This user is from outside of this forum
                          babaq@mastodonczech.cz
                          wrote last edited by
                          #24

                          @protonprivacy and why didn't you inform your users and paying customers? because I don't recall any email from Proton on this topic...

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • itseperkele@expressional.socialI itseperkele@expressional.social

                            @rusty__shackleford @protonprivacy @semitones
                            Proton: "hey google is ignoring this issue, lets make them fix it"

                            You: "you are not 1000% perfect, Proton! Man up! Greedy fucks!"

                            rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
                            rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
                            rusty__shackleford@mastodon.social
                            wrote last edited by
                            #25

                            @ItsePerkele @protonprivacy @semitones

                            Me: Fuck google

                            Me: Fuck proton too

                            itseperkele@expressional.socialI 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR rusty__shackleford@mastodon.social

                              @ItsePerkele @protonprivacy @semitones

                              Me: Fuck google

                              Me: Fuck proton too

                              itseperkele@expressional.socialI This user is from outside of this forum
                              itseperkele@expressional.socialI This user is from outside of this forum
                              itseperkele@expressional.social
                              wrote last edited by
                              #26

                              @rusty__shackleford @protonprivacy @semitones

                              Dont let perfection be the enemy of good.

                              Or something like that.

                              rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • itseperkele@expressional.socialI itseperkele@expressional.social

                                @rusty__shackleford @protonprivacy @semitones

                                Dont let perfection be the enemy of good.

                                Or something like that.

                                rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
                                rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
                                rusty__shackleford@mastodon.social
                                wrote last edited by
                                #27

                                @ItsePerkele @protonprivacy @semitones

                                Or, and this is a wild concept... we can hold everyone accountable. Crazy, I know.

                                itseperkele@expressional.socialI 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • georgelenzer@mastodon.socialG This user is from outside of this forum
                                  georgelenzer@mastodon.socialG This user is from outside of this forum
                                  georgelenzer@mastodon.social
                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #28

                                  @rusty__shackleford ...but they don't and never will. The best options we have are making things very simple to use, and secure by default. No knowledge needed.

                                  rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR 1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • georgelenzer@mastodon.socialG georgelenzer@mastodon.social

                                    @rusty__shackleford ...but they don't and never will. The best options we have are making things very simple to use, and secure by default. No knowledge needed.

                                    rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
                                    rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
                                    rusty__shackleford@mastodon.social
                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #29

                                    @georgelenzer

                                    *spoon feeds people

                                    You: I wish people knew how to do more

                                    *creates tools to remove friction

                                    You: It seems like people don't want to learn

                                    *makes algorithms reinforcing bias & ignorance

                                    You: People seem so tribalistic in this post truth age

                                    *refuses to teach because of "human nature"

                                    You: This is a realistic view

                                    How's that clown makeup look?

                                    If someone is incompetent, they shouldn't use it. It isn't our job to make it accessible for those who are ignorant. Teach & Learn.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR rusty__shackleford@mastodon.social

                                      @ItsePerkele @protonprivacy @semitones

                                      Or, and this is a wild concept... we can hold everyone accountable. Crazy, I know.

                                      itseperkele@expressional.socialI This user is from outside of this forum
                                      itseperkele@expressional.socialI This user is from outside of this forum
                                      itseperkele@expressional.social
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #30

                                      @rusty__shackleford @protonprivacy @semitones

                                      Sure. But cant do everything at once.

                                      rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • protonprivacy@mastodon.socialP protonprivacy@mastodon.social

                                        Google has known about a bug that breaks VPN apps for 7 months, leaving users exposed with no warning or error, just a VPN app that stopped working in the background.

                                        If you're using ANY VPN on Android, you can help us by getting Google's attention to fix it.

                                        We first reported this bug to Google in September 2025.

                                        Others like @mullvadnet and Wireguard reported it even earlier, in August.

                                        Google's response? "I don't see anything unusual."

                                        Here's what's actually happening ⤵️

                                        wpeckham@social.linux.pizzaW This user is from outside of this forum
                                        wpeckham@social.linux.pizzaW This user is from outside of this forum
                                        wpeckham@social.linux.pizza
                                        wrote last edited by
                                        #31

                                        @protonprivacy @mullvadnet I had decided long ago not to use VPNs on Android because it didn't actually help. Connecting to the onion network and using Tor tools does kind of help but only solves half of the problem. far better to work from Linux instead of Android where you have the option but in my case that means not using the cell phone for that particular traffic or anything that requires real security.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • itseperkele@expressional.socialI itseperkele@expressional.social

                                          @rusty__shackleford @protonprivacy @semitones

                                          Sure. But cant do everything at once.

                                          rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
                                          rusty__shackleford@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
                                          rusty__shackleford@mastodon.social
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #32

                                          @ItsePerkele @protonprivacy @semitones

                                          Skill issue
                                          ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

                                          itseperkele@expressional.socialI 1 Reply Last reply
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