From October 17th, 2024, older applications will have a few function limitations. The issues can affect
Android applications version 7.9.2 and below. They can include not receiving notifications in the app and reduced Dark Web Monitoring and Meshnet functionality.
To resolve the issue, please update your application to the latest version.
To begin using NordVPN on your Android device, all you need to do is to download the VPN for Android, sign in (or sign up), and then connect to a NordVPN server. As soon as you've successfully connected to a NordVPN server, your Android's internet connection will be secure and private.
To go through these steps with ease, check out the instructions we provide below. Additionally, you'll find the various ways in which you can adjust the NordVPN app for Android to suit your needs!
Table of contents:
How to download and install NordVPN for Android
How to set up the NordVPN mobile app for Android
How to use NordVPN Android app
Choosing between different servers
(Optional) Sideload the NordVPN app
How to download and install NordVPN for Android
First, download NordVPN for Android and install the app on your Android device.
- Open Play Store.
- Enter NordVPN in the search bar and select the NordVPN app. Tap Install.
How to set up the NordVPN mobile app for Android
- Once you’ve installed the application, tap to open it.
- In the main menu, tap SIGN UP to create a new account or LOG IN if you already have one.
- Pressing on any of the two buttons above will open your browser and take you to our Nord Account page, where you can either proceed with logging in or creating an account.
Please note that in case you're signing up, you will be asked to get a subscription before you may begin using the service.
How to use NordVPN Android app
To make your connection to the internet secure and private, connect to a NordVPN server. This can be done in several ways: by pressing on the QUICK CONNECT button, clicking on a country name within the Country List, or finding a server through the search bar.
Now you know how to set up a vpn on Android but there's a lot more NordVPN can offer to make your experience the best for you. Let's take a look at the different options and features that you can adjust according to your needs.
Swipe up on the main screen to find all server options and features.
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- Quick Connect: connect to the closest and least loaded server. This connection method is useful when the specifics of server location or other settings aren't as important as getting lighting-fast service.
- Traffic routing: Traffic routing is one of the Meshnet features. It allows you to route all of your Internet traffic through your friends or your other device and use the IP address of that device to access the Internet.
- Specialty servers: NordVPN offers a variety of different types of servers, each with unique benefits. Learn more about them in our dedicated article: What do the different server categories mean?
- Search bar: use it to find specific servers. You can input the name of a country, city, server number, or even the name of the specialty category.
- All countries list: another method for connecting - simply scroll through the list for the country you would like to connect to, and then on the country name when you find it.
- Meshnet: this feature allows you to create a secure, private network for many devices located anywhere in the world, access them remotely, and send all your online traffic through another device.
- Notifications: here you can find all news about the latest updates and security tips.
- Statistics and Settings: by clicking here you can find your connection statistics and by pressing this cogwheel icon you will open the settings menu. There's a separate section below that explains all of the options found there.
Choosing between different servers
Connecting to a specific country: Swipe up to see the Country list. There, tap on the country you're looking for, and you will be automatically connected to a server in that location.
Alternatively, the pins on the world map signify where we have servers and the number of them in the country. Pressing on them will show you the exact city servers we have. You can tap on different pins without a number and connect to any desired city.
Finally, you can also click on the search bar, and type in the country's name there.
Connecting to a specific city: You can tap on the three dots next to a country to select a specific city.
The search bar can help here, too. Type in the name of the city, and it will appear as long as we have VPN servers in it.
Connecting to a specific server: have a server number in mind that you want to reuse? Type it into the search bar, and you'll get it:
Adjusting VPN settings
- On the map screen, tap the user profile icon in the bottom right corner to access Account Statistics and Settings.
- Tap on the gear icon at the top right corner to find all application settings.
VPN connection
Auto-connect: this option allows you to have the app automatically connect you to a VPN server the soonest there is access to the internet. Click here to learn more about this feature.
Protocol: here you can switch between TCP, UDP, and NordLynx connection protocols. In short terms, the TCP protocol makes the connection slightly more stable, at the cost of speed. UDP, on the other hand, offers the opposite: a speedier, though less reliable connection. NordLynx has the best of both worlds, it provides speed and reliability.
Split tunneling: this allows you to specify which apps go through the VPN connection.
DNS: specifies a particular DNS server for the NordVPN app.
Local network discovery: lets you stay invisible to devices on your local area network (LAN) when disabled.
Metered connection: gives you more control over the data usage.
Tools
Threat Protection: blocks intrusive ads and malicious domains based on DNS filtering. You can enable this feature once you connect to one of the NordVPN's servers. It comes with all the NordVPN plans. Read more about stopping intrusive ads with NordVPN's ad blocker on our feature page.
Due to Google's policies, Threat Protection no longer blocks ads for NordVPN apps downloaded from the Google Play Store. However, it still protects you from malicious domains and trackers through DNS filtering. You can download the NordVPN app with ad-blocking functionality directly from our website.
Kill Switch: cuts off your internet connection when you’re disconnected from secure NordVPN servers.
Tapjacking protection: keeps you safe from unintentional disconnects by requiring 2 steps to disable VPN.
General
Appearance: the go-to settings section for changing between light, dark and neutral display modes.
Help us improve: by turning on this feature, you can share your anonymous data to help us improve in the future.
Auto-connect
- Select which networks NordVPN can use to automatically establish a VPN connection on Android: mobile networks, Wi-Fi and Ethernet, or Always (for any network).
- If you choose to automatically connect to the Fastest available server, you will be able to choose one of the servers from your Recent Connections, one of the Specialty servers, or a server in a specific country.
Please note: a Trusted networks section is visible only on lower versions than Android 10. It allows you to disable Auto-Connect on specific Wi-Fi networks. For example, you can make an exception for your home Wi-Fi if you trust it. Later versions do not allow this feature due to security changes in the Android OS.
(Optional) Sideload the NordVPN app
If you're unable to download NordVPN from the Google Play Store, you can get the .apk file here. These files allow users to bypass the Google Play Store if they are having technical issues.
To install the app, you will need to change the security settings on your device. Go to Settings > Security & Privacy > More Settings > Install unknown apps. Select the browser you used to download the NordVPN .apk file and enable Allow from this source.
On Android version 7.0 and below, you can find this option in Settings > Security > Unknown sources.
Looking for a tutorial on how to install and use NordVPN on Android TV? Read this article.