How to Stop NPV Tunnel Disconnecting on Android

The tunnel connects fine, and ten minutes later it is gone with no error. If that sounds familiar, your phone is probably helping a little too much with battery saving. Here is how to deal with it.

Why Android kills VPNs

Modern Android versions and manufacturer skins aggressively stop background apps to save power. A VPN is a background app by nature. Battery optimisation can close its process even after the tunnel is up. It is most common on Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus and some Samsung models, which have their own extra "app sleeping" layers.

Fix 1: Exempt NPV Tunnel from battery optimisation

1. Long-press the app icon and tap App info.
2. Open Battery.
3. Choose Unrestricted (wording varies: "Don't optimise", "No restrictions").

On Xiaomi/Redmi also enable Autostart for the app. On Samsung, remove it from "Sleeping apps" and "Deep sleeping apps" under Battery → Background usage limits.

Fix 2: Lock the app in the recent apps list

Many skins let you pin a card in the recents screen (long-press the app card and choose Lock). Pinned apps are skipped by the "clean all" button.

Fix 3: Use Android's Always-on VPN

Go to Settings → Network & internet → VPN, tap the gear next to NPV Tunnel and switch on Always-on VPN. Android then reconnects automatically after drops and restarts.

Fix 4: Block connections without VPN (optional)

Next to Always-on there is Block connections without VPN. With it on, when the tunnel is not up, no traffic leaves your phone at all, instead of silently falling back to your normal connection. That is useful if privacy matters, but it means no internet while the VPN is down. Turn it off when you need to fix the VPN itself.

Fix 5: Remove conflicting VPN profiles

Only one VPN app can hold the slot. Disconnect other VPNs, and if one keeps grabbing it, uninstall or disable it. If you also use auto-connect inside another app, turn that off.

Fix 6: Network switching

Moving from Wi-Fi to mobile data breaks every connection. NPV Tunnel includes recovery for network changes and the Android 124.0.37 notes mention SSH reconnect fixes, so keep the app updated. See the changelog.

Fix 7: Check the log

Open the Logs tab right after a drop. A timeout after a network change points to a recovery problem; an authentication error points to an expired config.

Quick checklist

• Battery: Unrestricted ✔
• Autostart on ✔ (Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo)
• Always-on VPN enabled ✔
• No other VPN apps active ✔
• Latest app version ✔

Not connecting at all rather than dropping? Use this guide.

Brand-specific settings

Is it the phone or the server?

A quick test: leave the phone on charge, screen on, and watch whether the tunnel drops. If it stays up, the problem is power management. If it still drops, the server, the config's data limit or the network is the cause. Check the Logs tab and the expiry details in your library.

Doze, Wi-Fi sleep and mobile data

Android Doze mode can pause network activity when the screen is off. Set Wi-Fi to stay on during sleep and consider disabling "Switch to mobile data automatically" while testing, as roaming between networks drops tunnels.

Do not stack settings blindly

Always-on VPN and a second app's auto-connect can fight for control. Use one mechanism. And remember the safety net is a trade-off: with "Block connections without VPN" enabled, a dead tunnel means no internet at all, which is safe but can look like a broken phone.

Frequently asked questions

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