Culvert VPNHow to set up a VPN on Android in two minutes
Install a VPN app from Google Play, tap connect, accept Android's one-time connection request and check the exit IP. Full steps for Android 8 and up.
Android how-tos
Android gives a VPN app a specific set of tools and withholds others. These step-by-step guides cover setting a VPN up, Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN, per-app split tunnelling, the permanent notification, Private DNS, and keeping a VPN alive on Samsung and Xiaomi phones.
12 guides · RSS
Always-on VPN on Android: what it does and how to turn it on
Always-on VPN makes Android start your VPN at boot and restart it whenever it stops. What it changes, where the toggle is and when to add the block.
"Block connections without VPN": Android's built-in kill switch
Block connections without VPN stops every app reaching the internet unless the VPN is up. What it blocks, how to turn it on and its side effects.
VPN kill switch on Android: why the OS should own it
Only the Android system can stop traffic leaving outside a VPN tunnel, so the real kill switch is Always-on VPN's block. Why in-app switches fall short.
Split tunnelling on Android: keep some apps outside the VPN
Split tunnelling lets chosen apps skip the VPN on Android. How it works per app, why an exclude list beats an allow list, and what an excluded app sees.
Which apps to exclude from your VPN
A practical list of apps worth excluding from a VPN on Android, from banking to local-network and carrier apps, and the ones to keep inside the tunnel.
Why a VPN shows a permanent notification on Android
Android requires a running VPN to show a persistent notification and adds a key icon of its own. What each means, and how to quiet it without stopping it.
Stop Android's battery optimiser from killing your VPN
Android's battery optimiser and manufacturer power managers can stop a VPN in the background. Which settings to change, and why Always-on VPN is the fix.
VPN and Android Private DNS: how they interact
Android Private DNS and a VPN both decide where DNS lookups go. Which one wins in each mode, and the setting behind a VPN that connects but loads nothing.
Does a VPN work on older Android phones?
Modern VPN apps run on Android 8 and newer, released in 2017, and WireGuard is light enough for old hardware. What works, what is missing, what to check.
Keeping a VPN alive on Samsung and Xiaomi phones
Samsung Device care and Xiaomi's autostart and battery saver can stop a VPN in the background. The settings to change on each, plus Always-on VPN.
What the "connection request" prompt means on Android
Android's Connection request dialog asks you to let an app set up a VPN that can monitor traffic. What you grant, why it reappears and how to revoke it.