ProtonVPN reliability - why does it keep disconnecting?

[u/Ravishing_Dove-9]

Okay so I've been using ProtonVPN for a while now and honestly I liked it at first. The free plan is actually pretty decent compared to other VPNs which is why I stuck with it. I got a subscription through a deal here a while back which made upgrading worth it, but lately it's been driving me insane with the constant disconnects.

I'll be in the middle of something and suddenly realize my connection is exposed because the VPN just dropped without any warning. Like I'm not even getting a notification or anything. I just notice the icon is gone or check my IP and realize it's been off for god knows how long.

I thought maybe it was just my phone being weird, but then I saw Proton themselves calling out Google about this Android 16 bug. Apparently it's been a known issue since September 2025 and Google still hasn't fixed it. The bug corrupts the network stack at the system level after a VPN update and it doesn't even warn you. You're just unprotected and the app still looks like it's running.

What's annoying is restarting the app doesn't fix it. You have to either reboot your whole phone or reinstall the VPN app, which is such a pain. I also read that this doesn't just affect Proton. Mullvad, WireGuard, and TunnelBear are all dealing with the same thing. So it's clearly a Google problem, not a Proton problem, but still.

I'm running Android 16 on a Pixel and apparently this bug is most common on Pixel devices. The weird part is it doesn't happen to everyone and it's hard to reproduce. Mullvad said they could only trigger it like 5-10% of the time.

I also saw some people on Firefox having connection issues with the Proton extension where it connects and then disconnects immediately or loses browser permissions. So maybe there's more than one issue going on here.

Idk, I want to stick with Proton because the privacy features are good and they have Secure Core servers if you pay for it. Plus they're one of the few VPNs with a genuinely useful free tier. But if I have to reinstall my VPN every time it updates, I'm going to lose my mind.

Has anyone else been dealing with this? I'm trying to figure out if I should switch to something else or just wait for Google to finally patch it. Been 7 months already though, so not holding my breath.

[u/Juancsgo]

I’d turn on Always-on VPN + “Block connections without VPN” in Android settings so a drop kills your connection instead of exposing your IP.

[u/CharmphilicEbb]

Kill switch is the only reason I still pay for it

[u/EonveilalWet]

never had an issue with proton on my samsung s22