What’s new on PureVPN Android app?
The new and updated PureVPN Android app is now better than ever. It features some of the most awaited app features that many of our users were asking for quite some time. You can check out all that is new on PureVPN Android app from the list below:
A Recently Used Locations section on the Locations screen features the last 3 locations you connected to.
For the users who are curious about under the hood configurations, the new connection details section provides details about the dialed protocol, support for p2p, split tunneling status, and the app’s applied port forwarding policies.
When connected to a location, you can check out the connection stats and read through your current upload and download speeds.
Introduced an option to troubleshoot connection issues in case you face connection failures. The troubleshooting guide is dynamically controlled by our team to help you resolve the issue as quickly as possible without having to leave the app.
Options to refer your friends and family from inside the app!
What’s missing from the new PureVPN Android app?
As you can see from the list above, a lot of new features have been added to the PureVPN Android app. Likewise, a few features have been removed from the app as well. Although the list is very short, we'd still like to share it with you in the name of transparency.
You will no longer see modes in the new app. This was a feature that really polarized our users, where some users really liked it and some hated it. Luckily, we found a way to satisfy both: we have removed the modes by making sure that all the connections have optimum security, speed, and streaming support! And as always, for p2p, you should only use locations that have a ‘p2p’ tag next to them.
The Customize Network Type (NAT vs non-NAT) has been removed because of its lack of usage. In case, you want us to add it back, feel free to let us know through email to support@purevpn.com or on live chat and we’ll keep your suggestion under consideration.
The Secure WiFi feature has been removed. Even though it was being used by many of our users, Google changed its policies in version Android 10 and above, and to support this feature, we would have to ask you for your device location permissions. Being a privacy-focused company, we take these things seriously, and after weighing the pros vs cons, we decided to discontinue this feature until we find a better way to implement it.
Enhanced and deprecated features in the new app
In the new version of PureVPN Android app, you will see some features that have been enhanced to make them better than ever before. Meanwhile, there are also a few features that have been deprecated to make the overall user experience even more satisfying.
You can check out both the enhancements and deprecations in the list below:
The quick-connect option on the main dashboard has been improved to show you which location will you get connected to before the connection.
We have updated our algorithm to choose the nearest available VPN server from your location so you get a smoother connection and faster speed.
We introduced an enhanced version of the Automatic Protocol that adjusts itself based on your network conditions. The algorithm learns and remembers what works best for you. For example, if it takes a long time to get you connected for the first time on a network, the next time, our application will try to connect you using the protocol that worked best for you.
There are fewer virtual locations than ever before. The plan is to remove all virtual locations and only offer actual physical VPN servers within the next few weeks. Physical servers result in better speed and performance.
We have changed the way the Internet Kill Switch feature was implemented. As per our research with user focus groups, we found out that the most reliable way of implementing this feature is to enable it via system settings. Instead of giving the option to control this inside the app, we are now routing the user to System Settings to enable/disable this feature. While we understand that this will be a little inconvenient for some of our users, we think that giving reliable security is much more important.
Answering your most frequently asked questions
After the latest update, we understand if you have a few questions. For your convenience, we’ve tried to answer some of the most important questions that are probably coming to your mind right now!
How do I mark a location as favorite?
It’s easy! All you need to do is to swipe right on the location and it will immediately be marked as your favorite.
Why can I not see my favorites in the new app?
We understand how frustrating this must be for you, and we apologize for that. The reason you can’t see your favorites in the new app is that the information about your favorites cannot be retained once you upgrade the app from the old one to the new application. But not to worry, all favorites saved from this point forward within the new app will indeed be accessible within the app.
Where are the modes? Will I be able to use p2p in the new app?
You can absolutely use p2p in your PureVPN app just like you could in the older version. Before you connect to a location, just verify that it has the p2p tag.
The new app does not require you to choose between different modes such as file sharing, streaming, security, internet freedom, or dedicated IP. Instead, the app has now been made more intelligent and simple, letting you enjoy all the amazing features collectively. This is how it works:
Your connection remains secure at all times, even when you’re using the app for another use-case.
P2P does not require a separate mode to work. You can just look for the p2p tag when selecting a location and you’ll be able to use this feature on the go.
We’ve optimized all of our locations for a perfect streaming experience, which is why you don’t need a separate mode for that.
No separate configuration is required for internet freedom. You can enjoy the freedom of the web whenever you connect to PureVPN.
How can I choose a location to connect to?
It’s very easy to do. You can either click on the Locations button on the main menu, or you can click on the Globe icon which is visible on the top-right corner of your dashboard/ main screen
Why is the Secure WiFi option not available?
Android 10+ no longer offers support for this feature. The only way to make it work is by asking for some sensitive permissions. Since we value your privacy, we’ve decided to discontinue this feature.
How can I enable IKS?
This is a tough one. While building an IKS feature looks trivial on the face of it, building a reliable IKS on Android is very hard, especially given the nature of the offering (to disable your internet access when on a smartphone). As such, the only reliable way to build it is by leveraging the OS level “always-on” option. However, it has a downside. The Android OS does not allow apps themselves to read or modify the status of the always-on feature. What this means is that the app itself doesn’t use the always-on feature, since it can’t.
After careful consideration, we decided that in order for IKS to work efficiently, we needed to use the system-provided always-on option. While we understand that the experience here is not ideal (and painful, to be honest), we think that ensuring security is more important than experience. We’ll continue doing our research here to try and make this part of our product better and we welcome your suggestions. Until then, please enable the ‘Always on’ option by going to system settings if you want to ensure that your traffic stays protected in case of any disruption in your VPN connection.
How can I access other cities and countries?
Simply click on the locations button on the main menu or click the Globe icon on the top-right corner of your screen. To access all the cities of a country, click the arrow button next to it, or you can search for any city while on the Location screen.
How do I log in to a new app?
In the previous app, to log into the app, you could only use the system-generated login credentials that were shared with you by PureVPN (purevpn0sxyz or the like). Further, to log into the Member Area, you could only use your email address and password.
This was a pretty confusing setup for our users because they had to remember two different sets of credentials. Therefore, we made the new app smarter. It allows you to log in using both your VPN username and your email.
However, please keep in mind that when you’ll try to use your email credentials to login for the first time, it will ask you to follow a couple of steps to enable that email for your account. It’ll be a one-time process after which you can use your email as
your credentials across all your PureVPN apps.
Why is the speed so slow in connection details?
The app only shows you the current upload and download activity that is going on on your device. It does not mean that the speeds you see are the maximum speeds that you can achieve through PureVPN. You can confirm this by doing a speed test before and after you’ve connected to PureVPN.