Mullvad VPN+ Signal

shaldon

I got my Pixel 6 connected to Mullvad VPN at all times. But using Signal to talk to my family is a terrible experience with a lot of laggin. So I enable Mullvad Split Tunneling to exclude Signal from being routed through VPN, hoping that I may have better Signal call quality. But everytime I open Signal, it says " Network failed". I disable Split Tunneling and Signal has network again.
Please help.

Nuttso

shaldon check if another app is working probably while excluded

treequell

shaldon Open Settings > Network & internet > VPN > cog next to Mullvad VPN, and disable the toggle "always block connections without VPN". That toggle is enabled by default.

After doing that, the split tunneling functionality provided by the Mullvad VPN app should work fine.

spiral

shaldon
Fwiw, I am always connected to mullvad while using signal and I experience no problems with signal whatsoever.

NightSky

shaldon
Under advanced settings in Signal, do you relay all calls through their server? This setting greatly reduces call quality and would be awful if you have a weak connection in addition to slow VPN server.

shaldon

Yeah. Tried excluding other apps and they ended up with "No Network". Looks like Split Tunneling isn't working properly
P/S: I've also set up Nextdns as Private DNS Provider in my wifi settings.

shaldon

treequell
Thank you, you are a big help. I followed your guide and now my phone is connected to Mullvad excluding Signal

Nuttso

treequell exactly you need to disable this ofc

shaldon

spiral I don't have the luxury to live in a country where Mullvad have servers. I have no other choice than to choose a server closest to my country, leading to very low latency. To ensure quality of Signal/ messaging apps video calls, I have to make a tradeoff by excluding them from VPN.

maximus87

Hello,
I had a question as I read this. Is there a reason to always keep a VPN on? Is there a scenario where you would trust the ISP more than the VPN?
Thank you!

shaldon

maximus87 it comes down to which you trust more. Most VPNs are nothing more than paid potential honeypots. Nobody can guarantee you that a VPN provider will respect your privacy and data more than your ISP. If have more questions, you should open a topic regarding VPN.

User2288

maximus87

Is there a reason to always keep a VPN on?

Yes. For some apps you may want them to never see your actual IP address. Also sometimes you dont want your isp to ever see you connecting to a particular address. Always on vpn exists to prevent accidental leakage.

Is there a scenario where you would trust the ISP more than the VPN?

There could be, but i cant think of one.

gonzalo

I have to say I am using Mullvad and I have the same issue

MoonshineMidnight

I have perfectly clear talking back and forth on Signal using Proton VPN with a Secure Core double-hop from a EU server to a U.S. server. That's a lot of latency, but Signal works fine for talking. Something to consider when getting a new VPN as Mullvad, Proton VPN and IVPN are the only three recommended by Privacy Guides.
https://www.privacyguides.org/en/vpn/#mobile-clients