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VPN kill switch for Android, built on Always-on VPN

A VPN kill switch stops your phone sending anything while the VPN is down, so a dropped tunnel can't expose your traffic. In Tunnexa, Kill Switch & Always On takes you straight to Android's VPN settings, where you turn on Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN. It's free with a Tunnexa account.

Download Free How to Turn It On
  • Free with a Tunnexa account
  • Uses Android's own controls
  • Set it once
Tunnel down? Nothing leaves.
How it works

What is a VPN kill switch?

VPN connections drop for ordinary reasons. You walk out of Wi-Fi range, the train goes underground, the phone hops from Wi-Fi to mobile data. For those few seconds your apps keep talking. A kill switch decides where that traffic goes: out in the open, or nowhere.

  1. 01 · Connected

    Everything rides the tunnel

    Apps talk to the internet through Tunnexa. The café network only sees scrambled data.

  2. 02 · Tunnel drops, no kill switch

    Apps carry on in the open

    Your apps don't wait. They reconnect over the Wi-Fi you're on, from your real IP address, until the VPN is back.

  3. 03 · Tunnel drops, kill switch on

    Android blocks the gap

    Block connections without VPN stops every connection outside the tunnel. Apps pause until Tunnexa reconnects.

It matters most on public Wi-Fi in cafés, hotels and airports, where connections drop often and the network isn't yours.

Setup

How to turn on Always-on VPN and block connections without VPN

Tunnexa doesn't build its own kill switch on top of Android. It hands the job to the system, like everything else in our VPN for Android. You only set it up once.

  1. 1

    Sign in for free

    Kill Switch & Always On needs a free Tunnexa account. Guests see a small lock next to it.

  2. 2

    Open Kill Switch & Always On

    It sits in the Connection group of Settings. Tapping it opens Android's VPN settings, not a Tunnexa screen.Settings›Kill Switch & Always On

  3. 3

    Tap the gear next to Tunnexa

    Android lists every VPN app on your phone. Open Tunnexa's options.

  4. 4

    Turn on Always-on VPN

    Android now keeps Tunnexa as the VPN that should always be running.

  5. 5

    Turn on Block connections without VPN

    This is the kill switch. Android may ask you to confirm. From now on, nothing leaves your phone outside the tunnel.

Tunnexa Settings on Android, with Kill Switch & Always On in the Connection group
Getting there by hand

Menu names vary by phone. These are the usual paths:

Pixel and most phones
SettingsNetwork & internetVPN
Samsung
SettingsConnectionsMore connection settingsVPN

Then tap the gear next to Tunnexa. Block connections without VPN is part of Android 8.0 and later.

Free account feature

Kill Switch & Always On is free with an account

The first time you open Tunnexa, you can tap Skip and connect as a guest, or sign in. Guests get the free servers and DNS leak protection. Kill Switch & Always On needs a free account, which takes an email code, or one tap with Google or Apple. No card, no trial.

  1. 01In Tunnexa, open Settings and tap Sign in or create a free account
  2. 02Enter your email and type in the code we send, or choose Google or Apple
  3. 03Back in Settings, tap Kill Switch & Always On and flip the two Android switches
Download Free See everything that's free
Tunnexa sign-in screen: Skip at the top, then email, Apple and Google sign-in
Sign In to use Kill Switch & Always On Sign In
The honest part

What a kill switch can't do

A kill switch is a safety net, not a force field. Here is where it stops.

01

It only works while it's on

Turn off Block connections without VPN, or make another VPN app always-on, and the safety net is gone. Android allows one always-on VPN at a time.

02

Disconnect means offline

With blocking on, tapping disconnect in Tunnexa leaves your phone with no internet until you connect again or switch the setting off. That's the point, but it catches people out.

03

Android does the enforcing

We send you to the right switch. Android does the blocking, by its own rules, so we can't promise more than your phone's version of Android does.

04

It doesn't make you anonymous

A kill switch stops leaks when the tunnel drops. It doesn't hide who you are from the sites and accounts you sign in to.

FAQ

Kill switch questions

Still unsure? Write to us at support@tunnexa.com.

What is a VPN kill switch?

A kill switch blocks your internet connection whenever the VPN drops, so apps can't send data outside the encrypted tunnel. On Android, the setting that does this is called Block connections without VPN.

Does Android have a built-in VPN kill switch?

Yes. Android 8.0 and later has Block connections without VPN in each VPN app's settings, next to Always-on VPN. Tunnexa's Kill Switch & Always On opens those settings for you.

Why do I have no internet after disconnecting the VPN?

Block connections without VPN is doing its job: no VPN, no connection. Connect Tunnexa again, or turn the setting off in Android's VPN settings.

Is the Tunnexa kill switch free?

Yes. Kill Switch & Always On is free with a Tunnexa account. Sign in with an email code, Google or Apple. Guests, who tapped Skip, see a lock on it.

Do I need Auto Connect as well?

Not usually. Always-on VPN already asks Android to keep Tunnexa running. Auto Connect is the lighter option if you want Tunnexa to connect when the app opens or be ready when the phone starts, without blocking anything.