QuickQ fine in the Android foreground, dead after lock: set battery to Unrestricted, allow background data. If you still need a commute tunnel, enable system Always-on VPN. When the tunnel fails, Always-on can take the whole phone offline—disable it while you debug.
Platform docs: Android VPN. OEM boosters will still kick you off the allowlist.
Order
- Battery → QuickQ → Unrestricted.
- Background data / autostart, brand-dependent names.
- Ten-minute lock test, watch the key icon.
- Then Always-on, keep it only if the test stays up.
Always-on plus smart routing is two variables. Prove Auto/global first: smart vs global. Install: first connect. Download, FAQ, guides.
Field questions tied to this guide
- Always-on vs in-app reconnect? Always-on is an Android setting that may block all traffic on failure. In-app reconnect retries. Know which one cut you off.
- Drops only after lock = bad node? Usually the OEM killer. Foreground-ok, lock-fail → battery policy.
- Other VPN apps? Android can Always-on only one. Uninstall or disable the rest.
- iOS equivalent? Different path; see the Apple permissions article.
Change one control, then retest
While working through “Android Always-on VPN for QuickQ versus battery killers”, write the download-page version, mode, protocol, and node name on the first line of a note. After each toggle, run one check only: 1.1.1.1/help or the exact page that failed. Changing Kill Switch, split rules, and nodes together makes the next failure un-debuggable. Get QuickQ packages only from the download page; permissions and device limits live in the FAQ and guides.
On office or hotel networks, finish captive portals and clear leftover PAC entries before you decide this article’s failure mode applies. A cellular A/B exposes router DNS and parental filters quickly. Avoid hammering login on a second device during the test so session kickouts are not mistaken for radio drops.
Pin the combination that works—SSID, node, protocol—and reuse it on that network instead of starting from Auto every time. Keeping slug qqv-always-on-android as your note title makes the write-up searchable later.
When to stop and change layers
After five identical failures, stop. Recheck the documented build, confirm a single tunnel client, ensure Kill Switch was not blocking a portal, and verify the browser is not Direct in a split list. Stopping is how you escape the wrong layer.
When you ask for help, include time, SSID, mode, protocol, node names, and steps already tried. After recovery, verify egress in a clean browser so cache does not fake success, then write the split list or favorites back into your notes before the next reinstall.
Extra pass for “Android Always-on VPN for QuickQ versus battery killers”: retest three minutes on a second network and confirm the download page build. If only one app fails, inspect split membership; if everything fails, inspect permissions and DNS first. One change at a time remains the fastest habit when debugging QuickQ.
Extra pass for “Android Always-on VPN for QuickQ versus battery killers”: retest three minutes on a second network and confirm the download page build. If only one app fails, inspect split membership; if everything fails, inspect permissions and DNS first. One change at a time remains the fastest habit when debugging QuickQ.
Extra pass for “Android Always-on VPN for QuickQ versus battery killers”: retest three minutes on a second network and confirm the download page build. If only one app fails, inspect split membership; if everything fails, inspect permissions and DNS first. One change at a time remains the fastest habit when debugging QuickQ.
Extra pass for “Android Always-on VPN for QuickQ versus battery killers”: retest three minutes on a second network and confirm the download page build. If only one app fails, inspect split membership; if everything fails, inspect permissions and DNS first. One change at a time remains the fastest habit when debugging QuickQ.
Extra pass for “Android Always-on VPN for QuickQ versus battery killers”: retest three minutes on a second network and confirm the download page build. If only one app fails, inspect split membership; if everything fails, inspect permissions and DNS first. One change at a time remains the fastest habit when debugging QuickQ.
Extra pass for “Android Always-on VPN for QuickQ versus battery killers”: retest three minutes on a second network and confirm the download page build. If only one app fails, inspect split membership; if everything fails, inspect permissions and DNS first. One change at a time remains the fastest habit when debugging QuickQ.