Everyday use
Why VK, MAX and banks on Android ask you to turn off your VPN
In short: since April 2026 big Russian apps, on the Ministry of Digital Development's recommendation, check whether a VPN is on. On Android an app sees the VPN even when its own traffic goes around the tunnel: the system tells it that a VPN network exists on the phone. So the “outside the VPN” mode helps where the address is checked, but not where the VPN itself is checked. The most reliable way is to switch the VPN off for a minute with the button in the shade. A general overview for all devices is in why services detect a VPN.
What happened in 2026
- End of March. The Ministry of Digital Development gathered more than 20 companies, among them Sber, Yandex, Wildberries, Ozon and Avito, and asked them not to let VPN users in, with 15 April as the target. Roskomnadzor gives the companies the list of VPN addresses (RBC).
- Mid-April. Researchers at RKS Global took apart the code of 30 popular Russian apps: after their updates all 30 detect a VPN. Thirteen of them go through the phone's network interfaces and another 7 look at which VPN apps are installed. This is code analysis; the researchers did not test on phones.
- What users see. VK Video says “Better without a VPN. Videos will load faster”, Yandex Pay says “It looks like you use a VPN. You cannot sign in with it”, MTS says “VPN is on. Data may not be shown” (Meduza and Novaya Gazeta Europe, 14–15 April 2026).
- September, MAX. According to an InterSecLab report, MAX for Android version 26.12.0 checks for a VPN on a command from the server and shows a full-screen request to turn it off. By the same report MAX does not see a VPN on a router. MAX itself called the report untrue but answered about a different part of it.
How an app sees a VPN on Android
This is not hacking: Android itself tells apps about the phone's networks. What an app that was let go outside the VPN sees was tested by one developer on an Android 15 emulator in September 2026:
| What the app checks | Does it see the VPN |
|---|---|
| Its own address on the internet | No: it goes out with your real address |
| Its own current connection | No: to it this is an ordinary network |
| The list of all the phone's networks | Yes: the VPN network is in it, and you can see which app brought it up |
| The phone's network interfaces | Yes: the VPN interface is up |
| The list of installed apps | Yes, if the app asks for it |
Nobody has publicly repeated this experiment on real phones with VK, MAX and Gosuslugi, and neither have we. A work profile and a “second space” do not hide a VPN: according to RKS Global it is visible from the other profile too.
What helps
| Way | What it gives | What it does not give |
|---|---|---|
| Switch the VPN off for a minute | The app works as without a VPN | While it is off, the whole phone is without it. The quickest way is the VPN tile in the shade |
| Let the app go outside the VPN | It goes out with your Russian address, which helps where the address is checked | The app may still notice the VPN on the phone |
| A VPN on the router | There is no VPN on the phone at all | The router also has to send Russian sites directly, or they see a foreign address. See VPN on a router: the trade-offs |
| A work profile, a “second space” | Does not hide the VPN | — |
| A second phone without a VPN | Reliable | You need a second phone |
In our app
- “Russian apps outside the VPN”. Banks, Gosuslugi, shops, VK and MAX from our list go to the internet directly and see your real address. It is under More → Tunnel and works when “I am in Russia” is selected. Under the switch the app itself says: “An app can still notice that a VPN is on”. The interface is English or Russian only.
- “Your own apps outside the VPN”. Any other apps you choose yourself, in the same place; the apps you choose go direct wherever you are.
- The tile in the shade. It turns the VPN on and off without opening the app: add it with the pencil in Quick Settings.
Our testers checked this mode on Android phones and it works: the apps from the list go outside the VPN. But an app can still notice that a VPN is on, on the phone. If it asks you to turn the VPN off, switch it off with the tile for a minute.
- 1Install ProxysVPN from Google Play or from the APK file: both buttons are on our apps page, in the Android card.
- 2Get a sign-in code: in your dashboard, open the device card and press “Code for the app”. The eight-character code is valid for 10 minutes and works once. No account yet? Signing up takes a minute with an email address; Telegram is not needed.
- 3Open the app, choose sign-in by code and type the code. Android asks for permission to set up a VPN connection: tap “OK”.
The app itself is free; what you pay for is the subscription: $1.50 per device per month, taken from your balance, with nothing charged to your card automatically. Top-ups start at $5. An account opened on the Russian site is priced in roubles instead: an account keeps the currency it was opened in, whatever card tops it up.
Frequently asked questions
Why does VK say “Better without a VPN”?
Since April 2026 Russian services, on the Ministry of Digital Development's recommendation, check for a VPN on the device. VK Video keeps working, and the message advises turning it off.
I let MAX go outside the VPN and it still sees the VPN. Why?
Android shows apps all the phone's networks, the VPN among them, even if MAX's own traffic goes directly. Only switching the VPN off for a while, or keeping the VPN on the router, helps.
Will a bank block my account if it sees a VPN?
We found no such reports: apps refuse to let you in or limit functions while a VPN is on. Switch the VPN off, sign in and switch it on again.
Will a work profile or a “second space” help?
According to RKS Global, no: the VPN is visible to apps from the other profile too.
Is it the same on iPhone?
On iPhone apps see less: according to kod.ru, the Ministry's recommendations say that detecting a VPN there is “significantly limited”. A general overview is in why services detect a VPN.
Did this help?
Nothing follows from the answer; only we see it.