Built-In VPN Kill Switch: Protected When the Connection Drops

When your VPN connection drops, FreeGuard does not fall back to your regular, unencrypted network. Your apps simply cannot connect until FreeGuard reconnects, and it works this way in every FreeGuard app with nothing to set up.

Why VPN Connections Drop, and What Leaks Without a Kill Switch

Connections drop when you change networks, your ISP hiccups or a server restarts. Without a kill switch, your device quietly falls back to your unprotected connection.

VPN connections are not perfectly stable. They drop for everyday reasons: moving between Wi-Fi networks, switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data, an unstable ISP connection, server maintenance, or your device waking from sleep.

When a VPN without a kill switch disconnects, your operating system quietly sends traffic over your regular connection instead. There is no warning, and any app sending data at that moment does so from your real IP address, without the VPN’s encryption.

Even a few seconds is enough for DNS lookups to leak, for open connections to reveal your real IP address and for your ISP to log the traffic. For journalists, researchers and anyone on a restrictive network, a short lapse can matter.

How FreeGuard’s Kill Switch Works

FreeGuard keeps your traffic in the tunnel. If the link to the server breaks, connections fail instead of leaking.

While FreeGuard is running, your apps’ traffic goes into the VPN tunnel. If the link to the FreeGuard server breaks, for example when you leave Wi-Fi range or a server restarts, those connections fail instead of slipping out over your regular network. Once FreeGuard reconnects, your traffic flows through the VPN again.

There is nothing to switch on and no setting to remember: this protection is built into every FreeGuard app, for free and paid users alike. When you choose Disconnect yourself, your device goes back to its normal connection, as you would expect.

Extra Protection on Android

Add Android’s system-level enforcement for the moments when Android itself stops apps.

Android can also enforce the VPN at the system level, which helps if Android closes FreeGuard in the background. In Android’s system VPN settings, select FreeGuard and enable Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN. Android then blocks traffic whenever FreeGuard is not running.

If you use per-app proxy to let some apps bypass FreeGuard, Block connections without VPN can block those apps too.

How to Get Started

1. Step 1: Install FreeGuard and connect; the kill switch protects you from your first connection
2. Step 2: On Android, optionally enable Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN for FreeGuard in Android’s VPN settings
3. Step 3: If the connection drops and does not come back, reconnect or choose another server

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens when my VPN connection drops?

Your apps’ connections fail instead of switching to your regular, unencrypted network. As soon as FreeGuard reconnects, traffic goes through the VPN again.

Do I have to set anything up for the kill switch?

No. The kill switch is built in and active whenever FreeGuard is running. There is no setting to change.

Which apps does the kill switch protect?

Every app whose traffic goes through FreeGuard. Apps you set to bypass the VPN with Android’s App proxy filter use your regular connection, so they are not covered. The Chrome extension proxies Chrome only, so it protects browser traffic.

Does the kill switch work on every platform?

Yes. It is part of the Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone and iPad apps and the Linux command-line client. On Android, you can add the system’s Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN for extra protection.

Does the kill switch protect me if Android closes the app?

FreeGuard’s own protection works while the app is running. For the moments when Android stops apps in the background, enable Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN for FreeGuard: Android then blocks traffic until FreeGuard is running again.

Does the kill switch use extra battery?

No. It is not a separate app or background process; it is simply how FreeGuard’s VPN connection behaves when the link to the server breaks.

My apps cannot connect. What should I do?

Reconnect or choose a different server. If you want your regular connection back right away, choose Disconnect, and your device returns to its normal network.