ProtonVPN, a Swiss VPN provider, has enabled a "smart protocol" feature in its Android app that allows users to automatically switch between VPN protocols can now be automatically switched.

The ProtonVPN Android app supports the OpenVPN protocol over standard TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) Internet Protocol, UDP (User Datagram Protocol) Internet Protocol OpenVPN, or IKEv2/IPsec VPN protocols.

Each of these protocols uses standard network ports, but these ports can be individually blocked by IT administrators, school network administrators, or ISPs that do not want their students, employees, or customers to use VPNs.

So, like a game of whack-a-mole, ProtonVPN's smart protocols hop from one protocol to the next, from one port to the next available port, looking for a path to the Internet.

For example, the IKEv2/IPsec VPN protocol typically uses ports 500 and 4500, while other services typically do not use these ports. Therefore, it is easy for a network administrator to block these ports and not significantly interfere with normal business operations. Similarly, OpenVPN typically uses port 1194, and other services do not use it much.

However, OpenVPN can also use port 443, which is used for almost all encrypted web traffic. If a network administrator blocks this port, it will block most of the web for everyone on the network; if the ProtonVPN Android app switches to OpenVPN on that port, communication is possible, although the speed may be a little slower!

ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN rolled out its Smart Protocol for Windows client software last September. Although that software does not support IKEv2/IPsec and only supports OpenVPN, the Smart Protocol nevertheless allows the user to "hop between ports 1194, 443, and other ports that support TCP and UDP, which ProtonVPN does not want to expose. hop." . because hostile ISPs and networks may block it."

(TCP handles most web traffic, such as data to display a website in a browser; UDP often handles unlimited data streams, such as music or video).

ProtonVPN also said that smart protocols are "coming to more platforms soon." However, it gave no further news about when it might roll out the WireGuard feature.