![Proton VPN's Android Update Excludes Countries From Quick Connect [2025]](https://tryrunable.com/blog/proton-vpn-s-android-update-excludes-countries-from-quick-co/image-1-1770736044889.png)
The Problem With Quick Connect Nobody Wanted to Hear About
Quick Connect sounds great in theory. You tap a button, your VPN connects instantly, and you're protected. But there's been a nagging frustration lurking beneath the surface for Android users: sometimes the fastest server isn't the one you actually want.
Imagine you're in the United States but you need to appear as if you're browsing from Germany for work. Or maybe you're traveling and want to exclude your home country's servers for some reason. Quick Connect doesn't care about your preferences—it just picks the fastest available server and connects you there. If that server happens to be in a country you specifically don't want, you're out of luck.
This has been a consistent complaint in VPN communities. Users would fire up Quick Connect only to find themselves connected to a server location they had no intention of using. Then they'd have to manually disconnect, navigate through menus, select a specific country, and reconnect. It's a few extra taps, sure, but when you're trying to protect your privacy on the fly, friction kills the whole experience.
Proton VPN listened to this feedback. The latest Android update finally addresses this exact problem with a feature that should've existed from day one: the ability to exclude specific countries from Quick Connect entirely.
What Proton VPN Actually Changed in This Update
The core functionality of Quick Connect remains unchanged. You still get one-tap VPN activation that intelligently selects the fastest available server. The difference is what happens behind the scenes.
Now you can open your Proton VPN app settings and create an exclusion list. Which countries should Quick Connect ignore? Mark them in your preferences, save, and you're done. Next time you hit Quick Connect, the app will prioritize servers in the countries you actually want while completely avoiding the ones you've blacklisted.
It's simple. It's elegant. It solves a real problem without overcomplicating the interface.
This feature rolls out across the latest Proton VPN Android client. The update is available for download immediately if you haven't already grabbed it. If you're on the older version, you'll see a prompt to update within your app, or you can manually check for updates in the Play Store.
The implementation is clean. You access the exclusion settings through the Quick Connect menu itself, so there's minimal searching required. The UI shows you a checkbox list of all Proton VPN server locations. Pick the ones you want to exclude. Done.
Estimated data shows that accessing geo-blocked content is the most common VPN use case, followed by protecting connections on public Wi-Fi. Estimated data.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
See, this isn't just about convenience. It's about how VPNs actually fit into real-world privacy practices.
People don't use VPNs in a vacuum. They have specific use cases: accessing geo-blocked content, protecting their connection on public Wi-Fi, appearing to be in a different region for work, or simply maintaining general privacy. Quick Connect breaks when it ignores your actual needs.
Let's say you're a content creator who needs access to YouTube's US analytics dashboard. Quick Connect might default to connecting you through a UK server. Now you're stuck waiting for a manual reconnection, which defeats the entire point of Quick Connect. The feature's value proposition is speed and simplicity. When it forces you to take manual steps, it fails its core promise.
With country exclusions, Quick Connect becomes genuinely useful. It respects your privacy intent rather than just operating as a dumb "fastest server" picker.
There's another angle here too: server performance varies dramatically by region and time of day. You might notice that servers in certain countries consistently underperform during peak hours. Now you can exclude those problematic locations and let Quick Connect focus on the servers that actually perform well for you personally.
This is especially relevant for users in regions with limited Proton VPN server presence. If you're in Southeast Asia and Proton only has servers in Singapore, you might not want Quick Connect defaulting there every single time. Exclusions give you control.
How to Actually Use the New Exclusion Feature
Here's the step-by-step process for setting up country exclusions:
- Open your Proton VPN Android app and tap the menu icon (usually three horizontal lines or three dots, depending on your version)
- Navigate to Settings or Preferences, depending on how your app labels it
- Look for Quick Connect settings or Connection preferences
- Find the "Exclude Countries" option (Proton labels this clearly in the latest version)
- A list of all available server countries will appear as checkboxes
- Check the box next to any country you want Quick Connect to avoid
- Tap Save or Confirm to apply your preferences
Once you've set your exclusions, Quick Connect will remember them permanently until you change them again. You don't need to reconfigure anything each time you use the feature.
If you travel frequently between countries, you can adjust your exclusion list as needed. It takes about 30 seconds to modify your preferences and save them.
Estimated data shows that only 10% of users need country exclusions, while 90% do not, highlighting the challenge of balancing feature complexity with user needs.
Real-World Scenarios Where Exclusions Actually Help
Let's walk through some practical examples where this feature genuinely improves the VPN experience.
Scenario One: Remote Worker in Multiple Regions
You work for a company with offices in London, New York, and Singapore. Sometimes you're in the London office and need to access company systems as if you're in New York (for testing purposes). Other times you're traveling and want quick VPN protection without caring where the server is.
Without exclusions, you'd have to manually select a US server every time you were in the office. With exclusions, you set London and Singapore to be ignored, and Quick Connect becomes smart enough to default to US servers when you're at the office location. When you're traveling, you temporarily remove those exclusions.
Scenario Two: Streaming Content Geolocation Restrictions
You subscribe to a streaming service that has different libraries in different countries. You might prefer content from the UK version of the library but accidentally get connected to the US version through Quick Connect. By excluding the US from Quick Connect, you ensure the app prioritizes UK servers—solving your problem instantly.
Scenario Three: Privacy-First Daily Browsing
You live in the UK but want to avoid being identified as being in the UK when browsing. Quick Connect might default to UK servers (they're geographically closest, after all). By excluding the UK, Quick Connect will route you through a different country's server, giving you the appearance of browsing from elsewhere while maintaining speed.
Scenario Four: Network Performance Optimization
You notice that Proton VPN servers in certain countries consistently run slow during your peak usage hours. Maybe it's a capacity issue, maybe it's routing. Either way, you want Quick Connect to avoid those locations. Exclusions let you permanently eliminate the underperforming servers from consideration.
Why VPN Features Like This Take Way Too Long to Implement
Here's something that struck me about this update: it's relatively simple technically, but Proton VPN took years to deliver it. Why?
VPN companies face a funny trade-off. On one hand, they want the app to be as simple as possible for the average user. Add too many features and it becomes overwhelming. On the other hand, power users need customization that goes beyond the basics.
Quick Connect was designed with simplicity as the goal. Making it smarter requires adding complexity. Someone had to argue internally that the benefit of allowing exclusions outweighed the cost of slightly complicating the interface.
Additionally, testing matters more in the VPN space than in many other apps. If something breaks the connection logic, users lose privacy protection. If exclusions accidentally disconnect from servers you specifically wanted, that's a serious bug. The QA process is necessarily thorough.
There's also the question of how many users actually need this feature versus how many will be confused by it. If only 10% of users want country exclusions, adding it to the main UI could clutter the experience for everyone else.
Proton's solution is clean: exclusions are in the settings, not in the main quick-tap interface. People who want them can find them. People who don't care never have to think about them.
Comparing Proton VPN's Approach to Competitors
How does Proton VPN's implementation compare to other Android VPN clients?
Express VPN's Android app doesn't have Quick Connect at all. Instead, it forces you to select a server from a full list every time you connect. It's more explicit but also more time-consuming. No country exclusion option exists because the design philosophy is different.
Nord VPN added Quick Connect functionality but without country exclusions for quite a while. They eventually introduced a "favorites" system that lets you pin preferred countries. It's a different approach—you're saying which countries you like rather than which ones you dislike. The psychology is different, but the outcome is similar.
Cyber Ghost has a Quick Connect feature but handles exclusions by letting you set a default preferred country in settings. It's simpler than Proton's approach but less flexible.
Proton's method is arguably the most direct. You literally check the boxes for countries you want to exclude. It's intuitive and requires no explanation once you see it.
Exclusions can significantly improve VPN efficiency, with network optimization seeing the highest benefit. Estimated data.
The Privacy Implications of Country Exclusion Preferences
Here's a slightly uncomfortable thought: your exclusion preferences could theoretically reveal information about your location or browsing habits.
If you always exclude UK servers from Quick Connect, that suggests you might be in the UK or that the UK matters to you in some way. If you exclude 15 different countries but not the US, someone analyzing your app settings could infer things about you.
Now, in practice, Proton VPN doesn't have access to your exclusion settings unless it's stored on their servers, which it shouldn't be (and Proton says it isn't). These settings live locally on your device. But if your phone is compromised or if you're being monitored, someone could potentially extract this information.
It's not a deal-breaker. Most VPN users should feel comfortable with exclusion lists. It's just worth noting that any customization in a privacy tool creates a data point about you.
The good news: Proton VPN is end-to-end encrypted for all actual VPN traffic, and the exclusion settings are never transmitted or stored on Proton's servers. Your preferences are purely local.
What This Update Signals About Proton's Development Priorities
Software updates tell you what a company cares about. Proton prioritizing Quick Connect improvements says something clear: they're listening to user feedback about the everyday usability of their app.
Quick Connect isn't a marquee feature that impresses marketing teams. It doesn't appear in advertisements. It's a utilitarian feature that power users demanded. Proton dedicating engineering resources to it shows they're optimizing for user satisfaction rather than just chasing feature checkboxes.
This is particularly notable because Proton is already a complex product. Their app includes many features: Split Tunneling, Secure Core, Net Shield, Streaming profiles, and more. They could easily ignore the Quick Connect refinements and call the product "feature complete."
Instead, they're polishing the user experience in ways that matter to people actually using the app. That's good product thinking.
Setting Up Exclusions on Other Devices (Desktop Context)
While this update is Android-specific, it's worth noting how the feature works on Proton VPN's other platforms for completeness.
On macOS and Windows, the Quick Connect functionality has historically been more limited. The desktop apps focus more on letting users select specific servers from a full list, which is less about speed and more about control.
Mobile is where Quick Connect really shines because it aligns with how people use phones: they want speed and convenience. Desktop users tend to be more deliberate about their server selection.
Expect to see Proton bring country exclusion features to desktop platforms eventually, but the Android rollout is the priority because that's where Quick Connect matters most.
Currently, the country exclusion feature in Proton VPN's Quick Connect is only available on Android. Windows and macOS versions do not support this feature yet.
Potential Future Enhancements to This Feature
Now that Proton has established country exclusions, there are logical next steps they could implement.
Region-based exclusions would be more granular than country-based ones. Instead of excluding all US servers, you could exclude just the East Coast servers. This would be useful for users optimizing for specific latency requirements.
Time-based exclusion rules could be interesting too. Maybe you always want to exclude the UK during 9 AM to 5 PM local time (business hours when servers are slowest) but not outside those hours. You could set rules that adjust automatically.
Server load indicators within Quick Connect would help users understand why certain servers are being avoided. If a server is slow, it might be because it's overloaded. Transparency about that would be valuable.
Custom connection profiles are another possibility. You might create a profile called "Work" that excludes certain countries and enables certain features like Split Tunneling. Then Quick Connect within that profile would respect those settings.
None of this exists yet, but it's the natural evolution path for this feature.
Common Mistakes People Make With VPN Exclusions
Once you have the power to exclude countries, it's easy to get confused about what you're actually doing.
The biggest mistake: excluding too many countries. Some users see the checkbox list and think, "I'll just exclude everywhere except one country to maximize my privacy." That defeats Quick Connect's purpose. You're creating a custom connection that's no longer Quick at all.
Using exclusions as a security measure: Excluding countries you perceive as "unsafe" doesn't make you more secure. Security comes from the VPN encryption itself, not from geographic avoidance. You might exclude a country for legitimate reasons (content access, work requirements), but don't confuse that with privacy improvements.
Forgiving about your current location: If you live in Germany but exclude Germany from Quick Connect, you might expect to appear as non-German when you connect. But depending on your actual ISP and VPN routing, you might still get identified as German by your ISP details. The VPN's geographic location matters less than you think for this purpose.
Not updating exclusions when traveling: If you set exclusions for your home country, they're still there when you travel. Remember to adjust them for your temporary location, or you might end up with an unexpectedly slow connection.
The Technical Architecture Behind Country Exclusions
Under the hood, here's what's actually happening when you set exclusions.
Proton VPN maintains a list of all available servers organized by country and server group. When Quick Connect initializes, it ranks servers by latency, current load, and user-selected criteria. The exclusion list is applied as a filter before the ranking algorithm runs.
So if you exclude five countries, Quick Connect removes those countries' servers from consideration entirely before evaluating speed. This is more efficient than evaluating all servers and then filtering, and it's what keeps Quick Connect actually quick.
The exclusion data itself is stored locally on your device, typically in a SQLite database or preference file alongside other app settings. When you uninstall the app, these preferences disappear (which is good for privacy).
Network-wise, your exclusion preferences never touch Proton's servers. Proton doesn't know or care which countries you exclude. All the logic runs on your device.
This local-only approach means you can't sync your exclusion preferences across multiple devices through your Proton account. If you change your exclusions on phone, you'll need to manually replicate them on your tablet or computer.
Proton's recent updates indicate a strong focus on improving Quick Connect, reflecting their commitment to user feedback and usability. Estimated data.
How to Troubleshoot if Exclusions Aren't Working
Sometimes features don't work as expected. Here's what to check if your exclusions seem to be ignored.
First: confirm you're running the latest version of Proton VPN. Exclusions are a new feature, and older app versions won't support them. Check the Play Store for updates.
Second: clear your app cache after setting exclusions. Sometimes Android caches old preference data, and forcing a refresh helps.
Third: disable and re-enable Quick Connect entirely. Toggle it off in settings, wait a few seconds, toggle it back on. This often forces the app to re-read your preferences.
Fourth: check if you've accidentally excluded every single server location (which would break Quick Connect entirely). Open your exclusion list and make sure you haven't checked every box.
Fifth: restart the VPN app. A simple close and reopen often resolves preference-related glitches.
If none of those work, it's worth checking Proton VPN's support documentation or reaching out to their support team. They can verify that your app is properly configured and your preferences were saved correctly.
Why This Feature Matters for Privacy Advocates
Privacy isn't just about encryption. It's also about having agency over your tools.
When a VPN app makes decisions for you (like Quick Connect defaulting to a random country), you're trusting the app to make the right choice. With exclusions, you're reclaiming that decision-making power.
This matters philosophically. Privacy-conscious users often prefer tools that put them in control rather than tools that "optimize" for them. Proton VPN's country exclusions align with that principle.
It also matters practically. Different countries have different network infrastructure, server performance, and legal concerns. Being able to customize which countries Quick Connect considers respects the reality that not all countries are equivalent for all users.
Integration With Other Proton VPN Features
Country exclusions work alongside Proton VPN's other features, though there are some interactions worth understanding.
If you have Split Tunneling enabled, that applies to which apps use the VPN, not to which countries are available. Your exclusion list still applies when you use Split Tunneling.
Secure Core (Proton's multi-hop feature) might change server selections slightly because it routes traffic through multiple countries. Exclusions still apply, but you might not have as many Secure Core routing options if you exclude too many countries.
Net Shield (Proton's ad and malware blocker) operates independently of server selection and isn't affected by your exclusions.
DNS settings are also separate. If you've customized your DNS, those settings persist regardless of which country's server Quick Connect connects you to.
Looking Forward: What Users Really Want From VPNs
This update is a small thing, but it represents something larger about how VPN software is evolving.
Users don't want VPN apps that treat them like they're stupid. They want apps that respect their agency and let them customize behavior. Country exclusions are a simple example of that principle.
The VPN market is maturing. It's past the phase where "we encrypt your traffic" is enough. Now it's about thoughtful features that serve real use cases. Quick Connect is thoughtful. Country exclusions are thoughtful.
Expect to see more of this. VPN companies that listen closely to how people actually use VPNs will build better apps than companies that try to dictate usage patterns.
Conclusion: A Small Update With Real Impact
This seems like a small change. A quick-connect country exclusion feature isn't revolutionary. It doesn't make headlines. It won't convince anyone to switch VPN providers.
But that's exactly why it matters.
The best software improvements are often quiet ones that solve small frustrations that users have been tolerating for years. Proton VPN finally took the time to address a genuine usability problem in their Quick Connect feature.
If you use Proton VPN on Android and you've ever been annoyed by Quick Connect defaulting to a country you didn't want, this update is for you. Take 30 seconds to configure your exclusion list, and Quick Connect becomes genuinely quick instead of quick-then-manually-fix.
That's the whole story. It's not glamorous. It's not earth-shaking. But it's exactly the kind of thoughtful product improvement that separates VPN apps people enjoy using from VPN apps people tolerate using.
Update your app today. Set your exclusions. Experience the slightly less annoying version of Quick Connect.
FAQ
What is Quick Connect in Proton VPN?
Quick Connect is a one-tap feature that automatically connects you to the fastest available VPN server. Instead of manually browsing a list of countries and servers, you just tap the Quick Connect button and the app handles the rest, choosing the optimal server based on speed, latency, and current load.
How do country exclusions work with Quick Connect?
Once you set country exclusions in Proton VPN's settings, Quick Connect will ignore those excluded countries when selecting a server. The algorithm still chooses the fastest available option, but it only considers servers located in countries you haven't blacklisted. This ensures Quick Connect respects your geographic preferences automatically.
Why would I want to exclude countries from Quick Connect?
There are several practical reasons: you might need to appear as if you're in a specific country for work, avoid underperforming servers in certain regions, or prevent Quick Connect from connecting to your home country when traveling. Exclusions give you control without sacrificing the speed of Quick Connect.
Is this feature available on all Proton VPN apps?
Currently, country exclusions are exclusive to the Android version of Proton VPN. Desktop versions (Windows and macOS) don't have this feature yet, though Proton may add it in future updates as the feature matures.
Will my exclusion preferences sync across devices?
No, exclusion preferences are stored locally on each device and don't sync through your Proton VPN account. If you want the same exclusions on your phone and tablet, you'll need to configure them separately on each device.
Can I change my exclusions while connected to a VPN?
Yes, you can modify your exclusion list at any time, even while connected. The changes will apply the next time you use Quick Connect. You don't need to disconnect and reconnect to adjust your preferences.
What happens if I exclude too many countries?
If you exclude most countries, Quick Connect will have fewer server options to choose from, which could slow down your connection as it searches for available servers. In extreme cases, if you exclude all available server locations, Quick Connect won't work at all and you'll need to manually select a server.
Do my exclusion preferences affect security or privacy?
No, excluding countries doesn't change your encryption or security level. Your VPN connection is equally secure regardless of which countries you exclude. Exclusions are purely about controlling which geographic locations Quick Connect considers when choosing a server.
How do I know if my exclusions are actually working?
After setting exclusions, connect using Quick Connect a few times and check which country's server you're connected to (visible in the app's main interface). You should never see a server from an excluded country. If you do, try clearing the app cache or restarting the app to ensure preferences were properly saved.
Can I create multiple exclusion profiles for different situations?
Not directly through the current feature. Proton VPN has one exclusion list that applies whenever you use Quick Connect. However, you can modify the list anytime to accommodate different scenarios, such as adjusting exclusions before traveling to a new country.
Key Takeaways
- Proton VPN's new Android update finally lets you exclude specific countries from the Quick Connect feature, solving a persistent user frustration
- Country exclusions filter out unwanted server locations before the algorithm selects the fastest available server, maintaining Quick Connect's speed advantage
- The feature is stored locally on your device and never transmitted to Proton's servers, maintaining privacy while giving you geographic control
- Exclusions work seamlessly with other Proton VPN features like Split Tunneling and NetShield without affecting encryption or security
- This update represents a shift toward user agency in VPN software, where features respect individual preferences rather than forcing one-size-fits-all solutions
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