The newest version of the ProtonVPN seems to have removed the ability to create profiles on Android. Is this intended, or am I missing something?
Guess we’ll see how long we can go without updating the app.
This is a terrible decision. As others have said, granular control matters to many.
So now, when my phone restarts, the VPN will no longer auto-connect to my preferred server, using the protocols I choose? It will just pick one of my Pinned servers? What if I want different servers to use different protocols?
Taking away choice is a good way to lose customers.
I realize I’m coming to this post late, but my android app just updated this morning and has caught me completely off guard.
First, its clear that something didn’t update properly for me as my “recents” only shows two options US secure core and US. I had several other profiles that were important to me, that are now just gone. Is showing only the last two “recents” the intended behavior or is this a bug?
Looking at recents, the fact that I can’t set a specific server & protocol completely spoils my entire reason for using this VPN. Before the update I had several profiles that used stealth protocol as it is the only protocol that will connect while on my work’s wifi (My work’s IT department loves to block anything & everything, including vendor websites). But when not on my work’s wifi I liked to use other protocals as they were typically faster.
I also like to periodicly change my sever location inside of whatever exit country I was using, sometimes something close for decreased latency, sometimes farther out to get around geo restrictions.
Now with the update to the app I have to globally set every single setting, every time. Removing the ability for me to create a tailored experience for the situation I’m in is a massive inconvience. Now I have to change all of those settings (protocol, whether netguard is on, location, etc) every single time I connect. This has understandbly made the experience with the app worse in almost every way.
I honestly don’t see how having pinned recents is in any way better. If the app stays as it currently is I will likely be cancelling my unlimited plan or at the very least scaling it back to just mail. This update removes an incredibly important feature that was a major factor in my deciding to pay for the vpn beyond the free tier.
To be clear, I don’t mind having recents show up on the main page as I load into the app, I even like the new look of the UI, but having some sort of profiles that I can spend time tailoring ahead of time and then quickly deploy is essential and needs to return in some form. Please, I have so far really enjoyed every proton product I’ve used and would like to continue, but if there is one thing that drives me up the wall it is the removal of important and useful features for seemingly no reason other than you felt like it. Is there some rational reason behind this change? Was there a technnical problem with having profiles? Was it a load balancing thing?
Thank you for reading my rant.
Edit: grammar is hard
I don’t want to pile on here, but removing profiles is a terrible idea. What is wrong with having a large “Connect” or “Auto Connect” button, and then putting all of the “old” profiles into the Settings section, like it was? Having no way to control protocol, location, server, etc. likely weren’t important to some kid downloading torrents, but if you happen to be a person in/living in a dangerous environment/country, it can be very, very important to have fine-grained control, lest you abruptly cease to be a user.
I understand that torrents and geolocation-defeating are likely a large part of the userbase, if not the majority, but surely there are enough of us that really need careful control?
Please bring profiles back. Pinned locations are of no use at all, really.
New app version is utterly terrible and unusable. They took away features from paying users. I’m switching vpn companies.
I am on 4.9.40.23 and I have it is this the version you’re running?
Insane that Proton has decided to remove functionality when feature parity doesn’t even exist elsewhere, let’s just continue to widen the gap shall we? Definitely switching to Mullvad after seeing how Proton treats Linux and Android users.
I believe the new android interface removed the profiles list for a reason. It’s just my informed opinion.
I believe they removed the profiles function so you can’t easily see server loads.
They are trying to spread everyone across available servers evenly (load balancing), despite the server load or location. I think you can figure out why. Their response to my complaint was; “Use the recent list and pinned servers.” Fine, if it worked and showed server load; but again, they don’t want you to see that.The fastest country is a joke. The fastest server doesn’t work. You can verify this by selecting the apps “Fastest Server”, check the load and then go to countries and compare. You’ll find what the server the app connected you to isn’t the fastest.
I ran several tests showing server load, throughput speed, and latency. And what’s up with the information less country map with the throbbing blob?
They are just sneaking in forced server balancing, at the cost of your throughput speed.!!
Personally, I don’t understand why anyone likes the new interface.
The custom profiles were replaced with ‘Recents’ for an enhanced user experience. Recents allow the same functionality as profiles, the only difference being that you connect first and then pin the connection, rather than having to configure and save a profile before trying it out.
Your existing profiles aren’t lost by updating to the redesigned app. All existing profiles will appear as Pinned items in your Recents list. The only difference is that they won’t have a name, colour, or protocol attached anymore. It will use the same protocol that you have selected in Settings.
My sentiments exactly!
It’s not a rant. You are spot on. I believe they made the change to force load balancing on users.; at the expense of ease of use, throughput speeds, and even personal safety (in dangerous countries).
You explain the unpractical, quixotic nature of the UI change very well
I totally agree. The issue of privacy and personal physical safety is paramount. I went back and forth on this issue with Proton support. They told me to use the “Recents” feature. I tried to explain that wasn’t a solution, to no avail. I have over 40 yrs experience working as a cyber security consultant for major tech companies such as Apple. I’m also a degreed sw/hw engineer with certifications from major network hardware companies.
I’m rolling back to the last android version before the UI upgrade.
Mine is 5.1.51.2
Looks like this https://i.imgur.com/QyepodF.jpeg
a) no, my profiles did not show up in my pinned items
b) there are fewer options for ‘recents’ vs the previous profiles
The experience hasn’t been enhanced for me. I really enjoyed having preset servers and protocols for different use cases. The recents feature is nice, but a completely different feature. I really hope you bring back the profile feature.
Is this a joke? Are you trying to lose customers?
Rather than manually setting up profiles, they now autocreate as “recents”.
Are you using the free version of Proton VPN, or are you on a paid plan?
Note that both Profiles and Quick Connect are no longer available features. With that in mind, you cannot assign a specific profile to the Quick Connect option. The Quick Connect button has been renamed to ‘Connect’. This feature now allows you to connect to the last VPN server that you have used.
That said, as the custom profiles have been replaced with ‘Recents’ (which can be found under the ‘Connect’ button by sliding up), you now have the option to quickly connect to previous VPN servers. If you want to pin or remove those servers, you can do so by sliding right or left on the VPN server itself.
Lastly, ‘Always-on VPN’ is still accessible in the app settings.
No, they don’t. If I select a specific server, it does not show up in recents. Only the country shows up there.
And that’s not even covering other features when it comes to the old profile creation.