It seems a long-standing bug in Android 16 is causing VPN apps to crash. Multiple VPN providers are reportedly waiting on Google to fix this for over half a year. Proton VPN, in a post on X, called out Google, saying that it knows about the bug that breaks VPN apps for seven months, but still hasn’t addressed it. The popular VPN app says that it first reported the bug in September 2025, but others like Mullvad VPN and WireGuard already reported it a month earlier.
Android 16 bug reportedly breaks VPN connection without any warning
The bug reportedly causes VPN services to stop functioning in the background, without any warnings. It usually happens when users receive updates to the VPN app via the Google Play Store when it’s active on the device. That said, the problem isn’t reportedly affecting all devices, so some users are apparently spared.
In a series of posts on X, Proton says that the bug corrupts Android’s network stack at the system level after a VPN update. It notes that this is leading to users blaming their VPN providers. The company says that restarting the app won’t fix the issue, but a full-device reboot or reinstalling the app does. But not all users would figure these out or would want to every time.
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Google has known about a bug that breaks VPN apps for 7 months, leaving users exposed with no warning or error, just a VPN app that stopped working in the background.If you’re using ANY VPN on Android, you can help us by getting Google’s attention to fix it.
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— Proton VPN (@ProtonVPN) March 18, 2026
No fix even after seven months
Proton adds that this bug affects several VPNs on Android 16, and that only Google has access to diagnose it. Proton is publicly calling out Google about a fix. Google hasn’t acknowledged the issue since September 2025, besides a spokesperson’s “I don’t see anything unusual” statement in August. But there was an update a month later, which said it was looking into the problem further, with plans to share more details at a later date.
It doesn’t look like there’s any fix coming, or at least there are no signs of it, for the moment. Since there’s no warning, be sure to keep an eye on how VPNs are behaving in the background. As said, the only potential fix, for now, is manually reinstalling the app.
The post Android 16 VPN Bug Doesn’t Have a Fix Even After Months appeared first on Android Headlines.
