Privacy VPN stopped working

Moondancer · May 10

I'm on a OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Android 15 phone and all of a sudden Privacy VPN isn't working anymore.

I've tried the three different protocols Hydra, WireGuard and OpenVPN without success.

I have even un- and reinstalled F-Secure Total (v. 25.4), which didn't help either.

Looking for help among the FAQ I found that you're recommended to renew your list of trusted networks within the F-Secure app. Only there's a problem with that, as there's nowhere in the settings for the VPN where this setup can be changed.

This is becoming more than a bit of a nuisance. C'mon F-Secure, how about getting this bug fixed NOW?

Firmy · May 17

Hello @Moondancer

Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention.

To help us investigate further, could you please elaborate on what you see when attempting to turn on the VPN? Specifically, any details regarding error messages, connection behaviour (e.g., if it attempts to connect and then fails), or if the toggle switch behaves unexpectedly would be very helpful. If possible, a screenshot of what you are seeing would also be greatly appreciated.

Additionally, could you please let us know which VPN server location you are currently trying to connect to? It's possible that the issue might be isolated to a specific server, so we would recommend trying to connect through a different server location to see if that resolves the problem.

As a potential solution, we also suggest checking the battery optimisation settings on your Android device for the F-Secure application. Please ensure that the app is set to "Unrestricted" or "Not optimised" to prevent the operating system from potentially interfering with its background processes, which can affect VPN connectivity.

We look forward to hearing more details from you.

Thank you for your cooperation, and have a lovely day.

Moondancer · May 17

Hi Firmy

There’s nothing looking strange or any odd behaviour happening when the VPN is turned on, if not protecting my geolocation after being turned on doesn’t count 😉 However, that glitch has been remedied by logging on and off a couple of times, which of course isn’t as it should be.

The server I am having difficulties with is the one in Sweden and there’s no alternative for the needs I have.

The battery optimization was set to ”always ask”, which I have now changed to being completely off for F-Secure. Let’s cross our fingers and hope that this maneuver fixed it.

Moondancer · May 17

The problem persists with the geolocation set to Sweden. None of the three protocols work. Hydra did for a short time but then the streaming started to lag appx. every 15 seconds or so. Now the VPN does connect with all three protocols but I immediately get a network error message:

There's nothing wrong with my internet connection and the speed is what it has always been, as I can stream YLE Areena (with the VPN turned off) without problems.

Firmy · 4:27AM

Hello @Moondancer

Thank you for your reply.

You mentioned that when the VPN is turned on, it initially wasn't protecting your geolocation. By this, we understand you mean that websites or services were still detecting your actual location despite the VPN being active. To help us understand this better, could you check your IP address both when the VPN is on and when it is off, and share the IP addresses and their associated locations with us? This will help us confirm if the VPN is successfully masking your actual IP. I have shared the instructions. Kindly share the IP addresses with us through this message.

Regarding the network error you're now encountering ("A network problem occurred..."), and the previous lag with the Hydra protocol, we are actively investigating reports of latency issues with the Hydra protocol in the Finland location. While these reports primarily concern latency and shouldn't typically prevent browsing or cause immediate network errors, it's possible there might be other factors at play.

To further diagnose the current network error, could you please perform a speed test using a reliable service (like speedtest.net or similar) while connected to the Swedish VPN server? Please share the download and upload speeds you observe. This will help us determine if there's a significant performance degradation when the VPN is active.

We appreciate you trying different protocols and disabling battery optimisation. The information about the geolocation issue and the network error with the Swedish server is valuable for our investigation. We are committed to resolving these issues and appreciate your continued cooperation.

Thank you, and have a lovely day.

Moondancer · 6:04AM

Good morning,

Here are the results from two speed tests with their respective IP addresses at the bottom of the screenshots.

This one was made without the VPN being switched on:

And here's the other, prior to which the VPN was switched on and the server set to Sweden:

And yes, when switched on the VPN randomly fails to hide my location.

Edit: PII removed

Firmy · 6:24AM

Hello @Moondancer

Please avoid sharing your IP address publicly on this forum, as it can compromise your privacy and security. We've removed the information for your protection. You can share the details privately by responding to the message I sent earlier. To access your Inbox, click the Mail icon at the top right of your screen, located between the Bell icon and your Profile icon.

Thank you for your understanding.

Moondancer · 6:37AM

Sorry for my misunderstanding when you wrote: "Kindly share the IP addresses with us through this message." I didn't realize there's another message somewhere else.

Privacy VPN stopped working

Answers

Categories