Note: We have an official Proton VPN app for Android that provides the easiest way to connect to our servers and allows you to benefit from many of Proton VPN’s advanced features. For example:

• Kill switch and permanent kill switch
• Choose between the OpenVPN, WireGuard, and Stealth VPN protocols
• Smart protocol
• DNS leak protection
• NetShield Ad-blocker
• Moderate NAT
• VPN Accelerator
• Alternative routing

Get Proton VPN for Android 

You can also connect to Proton VPN servers manually using the following VPN protocols:

• OpenVPN (using OpenVPN for Android or OpenVPN Connect )
• WireGuard (using any “vanilla” WireGuard client, including the official open-source app)
• IKEv2 (using the strongSwan VPN client)

In this guide, we show you how to manually configure Android to connect to our servers using the IKEv2 protocol. These instructions are based on a Samsung phone running Android 12 and One UI 4.1 but should be very similar for most Android devices.

Please note that connecting in this way means you will not benefit from the advanced features available through the official Proton VPN Android app.

Android manual IKEv2 VPN setup for Proton VPN

Download strongSwan

Get the strongSwan client from the Google Play Store. strongSwan is an open-source IPsec VPN client. 

Download the Proton VPN IKEv2 certificate

1. Download the Proton VPN IKEv2 certificate and Open with strongSwan.

2. Tap Import Certificate.

3. In strongSwan, tap Add VPN profile.

4. . Enter the following information and then tap Save:

• Sever: The name of the VPN server you wish to connect to (see below)
• VPN Type: IKEv2 EAP (Username/Password) 
• Username: Your Proton VPN IKEv2 username (see below)
• Password (optional): Your Proton VPN IKEv2 password (see below)
• Profile name (optional): Choose any name for the VPN connection that makes sense to you

To find the names of our VPN servers: Log in to account.protonvpn.com using your browser and go to ≡ Settings (on small screens) → Downloads → OpenVPN Configuration files → select the server you would like to connect to. In the Action column next to it, click the dropdown icon to see the server name.

Tapping on the server name will save it to your clipboard for easy pasting into the Android Settings menu. 

To find your IKEv2 username and password: your IKEv2 login details are not the same as your regular Proton VPN login details. To find your IKEv2 login details, log in to account.protonvpn.com and go to ≡ Settings (on small screens) → Account → OpenVPN / IKEv2 username.

5. Tap your newly created VPN connection to connect to your chosen Proton VPN server.

6. Tap OK to confirm the connection request.

If this is your first time using strongSwan on your device, the app will ask to Stop optimizing battery storage? This is necessary so that strongSwan can run in the background and keep the VPN connection active, so you should Allow it. 

You are now connected to Proton VPN using IKEv2!

Related articles:
Proton VPN Android application manual
Proton VPN iOS IKEv2 manual setup
Proton VPN Windows IKEv2 manual setup