If VilaNet on Android closes the moment you tap Connect, or ping and name lookup work but web pages do not, follow the order below. Install the current version first, then check a China Mobile cellular network, then the network stack. Do not start by turning off the Clash API or IP Detection Proxy. Those switches do not explain this symptom. A home-screen IP of -- while IP Detection Proxy is off is normal and does not mean there is no traffic.
1. Install the current version first
Many crashes are already replaced by a clear error in a later build. An old build is the one that most often closes as soon as you connect. Install the current Android app from one official channel only, not from a file someone sent you:
If the app crashes on Connect only on China Mobile 5G or cellular data, and Wi-Fi connects, the current version shows an error instead of closing. When you see that error, the crash itself is already stopped; continue with step 2 to connect. If it also closes on Wi-Fi the moment you connect, skip step 2 and go to step 3.
2. Only China Mobile cellular crashes or fails
That cellular network often has an IPv6 address and no IPv4 address. If Domain Strategy is IPv4 Only, it conflicts with that network.
- Open Settings > Connection > Advanced Settings.
- Change Domain Strategy from IPv4 Only to Prefer IPv4.
- Disconnect, then connect again. You can also connect over Wi-Fi for the moment.
If the screen shows IPv4 Only, change it to Prefer IPv4. After the change, tap Connect again on the same cellular network that crashed, not only on Wi-Fi.
3. Ping works, but pages do not
On vivo, iQOO, OPPO, OnePlus, and MediaTek (Dimensity) phones, ping and name lookup can succeed while web pages and other TLS sites fail. This usually happens when Network Stack is set to System. gVisor is the default. The hardened kernel on these phones drops TCP from that stack, so pages die while ping and UDP still work.
- Open Settings > Connection > Advanced Settings.
- Set Network Stack to gVisor.
- Connect again.
gVisor handles TCP in user space and does not depend on the vendor kernel. It is the recommended Android choice, and it is the stack that is in effect by default. System has lower overhead, but these hardened kernels silently drop its TCP, so ping still works while pages fail. If it is already gVisor, the network stack is not the cause. Continue with step 4, or use the end of this article.
4. The app is closed in the background, not at the moment you connect
In the phone's settings, turn off battery optimization for VilaNet, or allow it to run in the background. In VilaNet, open Settings > Connection > Background Protection and tap Request Exemption. Samsung's full steps are in VilaNet is crashing on Samsung devices. OPPO is in VPN apps frequently disconnect on OPPO phones. Other brands are in VPN drops in the background on Android.
How to tell it worked
- After you tap Connect, the app stays open. The main page turns blue and reads Connected, and you are not sent back to the home screen.
- A browser can open two familiar HTTPS sites.
- On China Mobile cellular, a crash that becomes an error message, followed by Prefer IPv4 or a Wi-Fi connection, then loads those sites.
Still not working?
Do not change this phone's DNS. Open Contact Support in the Menu and leave Include app diagnostics on, or open a ticket, and include:
- Phone brand and model, and whether you are on Wi-Fi or cellular. For cellular, say whether it is China Mobile, China Unicom, or China Telecom.
- The Android version and the VilaNet version.
- Whether the app closes the moment you tap Connect, or ping works and pages do not.
Install and first connection are in the VilaNet Android guide. If you are already connected and every site fails, and it is not the phone-model case above, see connected, but sites do not load.