Required updates
We regularly release software updates that improve Proton VPN’s security, reliability, and user experience.
Most of these new versions are recommended but not strictly required. However, sometimes we release updates that are required for all users. A required update means that you must update the Proton VPN app to the latest version available to continue using our service. Any older versions of our apps will no longer work.
In this article, we explain why required updates are necessary and how to perform an update.
Why do we have required updates?
At Proton VPN, we’re constantly improving our apps by adding new features and fixing bugs from previous versions.
You might notice some of these improvements right away, while others are “behind-the-scenes” upgrades that are only apparent if you examine our open-source code. Your operating system is also being continually updated and improved, so we need to update our apps in line with these changes.
Over time, the cumulative effect of many small updates can affect the Proton VPN software. This can sometimes mean that our app becomes slower or features no longer work as expected.
This is why we must occasionally release a version of Proton VPN that contains all available features and fixes up to that time. We make this comprehensive version a required update so that everyone who uses Proton VPN gets access to the new features, improvements, and critical security patches.
How do I update Proton VPN?
We recommend you always use the latest version of our apps.
On some platforms (such as Android, iOS, and iPadOS), you can have our app update itself automatically using the Google Play Store or Apple App Store (the open-source F-Droid will notify you when updates are available).
On Linux, your package manager should alert you when updates are available. On Windows and macOS, you’ll see an in-app notification prompting you to update the app.
Update notification on Windows
On all platforms, you can also manually check to see if new updates are available.
Learn how to check for new updates
We’ll email you to let you know when a required update is available and inform you that you must update your app if you wish to continue using Proton VPN.
When you receive such an email, please be sure to verify that it is a genuine email from Proton VPN. You can do this by checking that the From email address matches one of our verified email accounts.
If you use Proton Mail, all emails sent from legitimate Proton domains belonging to Proton have an Official badge(new window), making it easy to know that an email is genuinely from us.