F-secure app (VPN) icon on Windows taskbar does not tell the status of VPN (on/off)

anhil

I used the former F-Secure Freedom a long time and just like other VPN programs, its icon on the Windows takbar gave the status of VPN (on/off) without any further efforts. Having now considered a return to F-secure from a rivaling product, I took the current F-Secure VPN app into the free 5 day test. Immediately I noticed that F-secure VPN no long manifests the current status of the VPN with the taskbar icon. For me this is a definate reason to ditch F-secure VPN after the trial period.

Am I doing something wrong since I do not get the status of VPN with the taskbar icon or is this really a carefully thinked new feature of F-Secure VPN in Windows environment?
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anhil

JOnes

A very good usability observation, which it is worth putting in the "Feature requests " queue

anhil

Thank you for your quick response, JOnes!

So, this feature — manifesting the VPN status on/off with the status bar icon — has been left out intentionally by the developers when they migrated features from F-Secure Freedome VPN to this current F-Secure VPN — at least in Windows environment.

Sadly, for me this also a decisive question, whether to purchase F-Secure VPN after the evaluation period or just stick to my current product. (equipped with this mentioned feature). I have no experience of agility of F-Secure software development in adding customer requested features, but unfortunately my general experience from other software houses tells me that the word agile has nothing to do with implementation of customer requests 😏.

Maybe I will test run F-Secure VPN again after a year or so.
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anhil

anhil

Thank you for your quick response, JOnes!

So, this feature — manifesting the VPN status on/off with the status bar icon — has been left out intentionally by the developers when they migrated features from F-Secure Freedome VPN to this current F-Secure VPN — at least in Windows environment.

Sadly, for me this also a decisive question, when I consider whether to purchase F-Secure VPN after the evaluation period or just stick to my current VPN (equipped with this mentioned feature) from another provider. I have no experience of agility of F-Secure software development in adding customer requested features, but unfortunately my general experience from other software houses tells me that the word agile has nothing to do with implementation of with customer requests 😏.

Maybe I will test run F-Secure VPN again after a year or so.
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anhil

Ukko

Hello,

Sorry for the discussion. I am also only an F-Secure user.

So, this feature — manifesting the VPN status on/off with the status bar icon — has been left out intentionally by the developers when they migrated features from F-Secure Freedome VPN to this current F-Secure VPN — at least in Windows environment.

I have always confused all these things.

Is this status bar icon - exactly the logo in the status bar? Or do you mean the logos in the taskbar? How, for example, are the clock/network/volume located there?

Was it just off/on - or some more information? I mean, is it enough to have just "off" or "on" state difference?

I have no experience of agility of F-Secure software development in adding customer requested features, but unfortunately my general experience from other software houses tells me that the word agile has nothing to do with implementation of with customer requests 

It all depends on at what moment you come with the necessary desire. It may well be that you only have to wait a day, a week or a month. :) // later added: well, or a couple of months.

Such popular (and, in general, logical and not very "obstructive" to implement) things are relatively often added with queue priority. Therefore, I would not put off getting acquainted for a year or more (otherwise, you never know - if a feature is added, but by the time solution is re-checked, it will be removed again, for example, since no one will use it enough and it will not leave the necessary feedback, right from the target audience).

I think F-Secure TOTAL give you a month (instead of five days of just F-Secure VPN). You might also want to look at how the most complex package is set up (// later added: at some point; like not waiting a whole year, but just a bit later). And not just F-Secure VPN. Before purchasing any.

Thanks!

anhil

Thank you for your comments. Ukko!

I ment the status bar in the bottom right corner where time+date and the icons of the minimised apps are displayed. There is also the small icon of F-Secure VPN but not giving any additional information of VPN status. I accidently referred to task bar in the header of my initial post - sorry for the confusion.

Good point about the 30 day trial period of the whole F-Secure TOTAL package - I might just switch into it just to observe if this icon thing would implemented in the VPN app while the TOTAL trial period is running

Ukko

Thanks for your response.

I might just switch into it just to observe if this icon thing would implemented in the VPN app while the TOTAL trial period is running

There is What's new in the F-Secure app (Windows) page; I think that such changes most often (if they happen) will be part of major updates. From version to version, or from build to build.

You can look at what (previously) months of releases were there to have an approximate idea of ​​when updates might be released. Doesn't mean that this is how it will be, but just an approximate idea of ​​when any changes (or additions of features) could happen. Obviously, there could be multiple of them in a year.

And the things you want don't always appear first. But as you can see in these release notes, quite often the required things were released, one way or another. Especially if they do not require any significant changes to the entire design; or do have a significant increase in convenience or safety. Directly your concern - I think that from the very first version of the built-in VPN module in F-Secure TOTAL app, it was one of the most requested. Let's just say it was "justifiably" requested.