A brand new version of ProtonVPN’s Android app is now available which includes OpenVPN support and better connection stability. If you are an Android ProtonVPN user, you can now choose between using IKEv2 or OpenVPN by installing the new 2.0 version of our app.
Most VPN providers only offer one major protocol, typically IKEv2 for mobile devices and OpenVPN for desktops. As a result, these VPN providers are more vulnerable to government censorship, ISP blocks, and technical problems. Supporting multiple protocols on Android will make it more difficult for ProtonVPN to be blocked or censored, and sets a new foundation for additional work we have planned in 2020 to make ProtonVPN even more censorship resistant.
Get the new app for Android
Because there are a number of new changes in ProtonVPN 2.0 for Android, we are releasing a brand new app. To get the improved ProtonVPN app, you need to download and install it from the Android Play Store. The existing app will not automatically update to the new one:
Download the new secure ProtonVPN 2.0 app
Or if you’re a beta tester, join the new open beta.
*Note: Remember that you must first disconnect from ProtonVPN before installing the new app from the Play Store. Additionally, the new app may take up to 24 hours to appear in Play Store search results, but you can access the app directly via the download link above.
Afterward, you can uninstall the old app, which will no longer be supported.
With the release of the new ProtonVPN 2.0 Android app, we will also be dropping support for the older Android 4.x operating system. Android 4.x is outdated, no longer supported by Google, and no longer a secure operating system, and we highly recommend that all Android 4.x users update their devices as soon as possible. Supporting only Android 5 or higher will also allow us to develop ProtonVPN faster.
If you are unable to upgrade, we will continue to support two ProtonVPN Android apps (the old v1.4, along with the new v2.0) for a period of time. However, we cannot promise long-term support, and we encourage all Android 4.x users to upgrade as soon as possible so you can install the new ProtonVPN 2.0 app for Android.
In the future, the new 2.0 app will also come with a number of additional improvements, such as enabling single sign on (SSO) for both the ProtonMail and ProtonVPN apps (and any other future apps, such as ProtonCalendar and ProtonDrive, which will be developed by Proton Technologies AG). We are also making some slight modifications to the ProtonVPN Terms and Conditions reflecting that the legal entity you are contracting with will be Proton Technologies AG (the parent company of ProtonVPN).
Benefits of OpenVPN support
Adding OpenVPN support in ProtonVPN 2.0 comes with several benefits. VPN protocols, like OpenVPN, manage the way your device transmits and encrypts data, balancing speed and stability to provide a consistent, secure connection. Offering OpenVPN alongside our existing IKEv2 protocol means you have greater choice and can adapt how you use our services depending on your needs. For example, IKEv2 has traditionally been seen as the go-to VPN protocol for mobile devices because it offers faster connections. This also makes it ideal for streaming and gaming.
However, IKEv2’s reliance on User Datagram Protocol (UDP) can be a weakness. Public WiFi providers looking to limit traffic on their networks will be more likely to limit IKEv2 access. Governments and ISPs trying to block VPN access may also block all UDP traffic because it is not necessary for regular web browsing. However, OpenVPN also supports Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) in addition to UDP, which makes it more effective at circumventing blocks placed on VPNs by Internet service providers or local networks.
Learn more: What’s the difference between UDP and TCP?
Each VPN protocol has distinct features, and which one is correct for you will depend on your situation. With two VPN protocols to choose from, the ProtonVPN Android app is now more flexible and adaptable.
What’s next?
We started ProtonMail and ProtonVPN because we want to make it possible for all citizens around the world to control their data and protect their privacy. We believe the launch of ProtonVPN 2.0 for Android and the other anti-censorship capabilities we are building in 2020 will bring us one step closer to that goal. Thank you for your continued support.
Best Regards,
The Proton Team
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Great post you’ve posted here on android app
Keep Sharing.
Is UDP the only drawback of IKEv2 compared to OpenVPN? Do they share same servers? Is IKEv2 opensource? Is IKEv2 recommended over OpenVPN unless we want TCP?
Our implementation of IKEv2 is fully open source. In general, we think both OpenVPN and IKEv2 work well so we don’t actively recommend one over another.
I am green with envy, as I wait for your iOS app to similarly support OpenVPN, both TCP and UDP, as does one of your major competitor’s iOS app, because all of your reasons, supra, for bringing OpenVPN to Android apply with equal force for bringing OpenVPN to your iOS app.
You are correct, which is why we are currently working on our iOS app so that it will support OpenVPN also.
This is great! Are there any plans of releasing these new functionalities for iOS users as well?
Yes! We are currently working on adding OpenVPN support to our iOS app as well. We will make an announcement on the blog when it is ready, so stay tuned.
Hi, I love your app. Where can we download it without the preying eyes of google. It would be nice if you would plac the app on Fdroid and/or direct download apk for all those people who know what they are doing.
Thanx for the support, Peer
Hi Peer,
We understand your concern and we are happy to announce that now that our Android VPN app is open source, it will be available on F-Droid shortly.
You can find more details on our open source apps here: https://protonvpn.com/blog/open-source/.
Cheers.
Hello there,
are there plans for a build-in blocker for advertising and tracking?
Best regards
Hello,
We are planning on developing an ad blocker in the near future. Stay tuned to our blog for the latest news. Cheers.
Hello,
We are planning on developing an ad blocker in the near future. Stay tuned to this blog for the latest news. Cheers.
Is there a way to obtain the Android VPN download without having to share with Google that I’m getting it?
Thanks.
Do you have a direct apk download link for those of us who are using degoogled LineageOS?
Happy to be a paid subscriber to you guys at Proton. Keep up the great work; the Internet needs more organizations like you.
Thank you for your support! Paid users like you allow us to continue fighting for a more private and free Internet.
Do you have the APK for those of us who hate, and I do say HATE, Google and do not have or want to use the play store? I have disabled Google and deleted much and do not want to go back.
We understand why you would like to avoid the Google Play Store. Now that our Android VPN app is open source, we will be adding it to the open source Android app repository F-Droid shortly. We’ll announce when our app is on F-Droid via social media or this blog.
Fantastic, now just for Proton Calendar and Proton Drive.
Keep up the great work 👍🏻
Thanks! And, just so you know, our Calendar beta has begun! Try it out and let us know what you think!
https://protonmail.com/blog/protoncalendar-beta-announcement/
Thank you for your efforts on improving the service we love and use daily.
Are you also actively working on implementing Wireguard into the new v2? I am really looking forward to this and think I am not the only one.
Thank you on advance
Hi,
We are strong supporters of WireGuard, and we are eagerly awaiting the date when it will be ready for wide deployment.
Unfortunately, given the current state of software support, it would require a lot of effort to make WireGuard available on all our apps (instead of just offering limited support on Linux). For this reason, and because Wireguard is currently UDP-only and therefore easy for censors to block, it hasn’t been a top priority for us.
We may come back to this in the second half of this year. However, we are prioritizing TCP-based solutions to better bypass state censorship systems.
Thanks