QuickQ Kill Switch blocks other interfaces unless the tunnel is Connected, so your real IP does not leak for two seconds of roam. The same policy bricks boot, TAP setup, captive portals, SMS APIs, and protocol switches. Debug order is always: switch off → prove local internet → connect QuickQ → arm the switch. The switch is not an accelerator and will not revive a pop.
Reconnect timing: drops. Windows virtual NIC: TAP. Android battery: Always-on. Build 2.5.0: download. OS note: Windows VPN.
Three moments the switch fires; you only wanted one
Wanted: already Connected, Wi-Fi dies, switch cuts, the browser does not hit mail on the raw NIC. Unwanted: still Connecting, switch treats that as failure and also kills DHCP, the portal, and TAP traffic. Worse: you flip Fast → Compatible, the session tears down, the switch turns a protocol change into a black screen—you then file it as protocol switch failed.
On public Wi-Fi the switch earns its keep because APs roam—public Wi-Fi. On wired home after the portal, leave it off. Office portals need a browser first—office/hotel; autostart plus the switch almost always loses there.
| Scene | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Airport / cafe | On after Connected | Roam jitter |
| TAP / driver reinstall | Off | Setup needs the real NIC |
| Login SMS | Off or Direct the messenger | The send-code API can die |
| Debugging smart routing | Off | Two failure domains at once |
Windows, Android, iOS do not share a toggle
On Windows the switch is tied to Wintun/TAP. A yellow bang in Device Manager plus the switch on means Ethernet is already dead. Install the driver with the switch off. Do not run a third-party “repair network” tool while it is armed.
Android’s phrasing is usually “block connections without VPN.” Always-on keeps a process; the switch keeps quiet. OEM battery savers freeze QuickQ and the two policies stack into a brick. Switch off, unrestricted battery, then decide on Always-on. The work-profile copy has its own switch.
iOS/macOS need the Network Extension blessed. Arming the switch before that approval means “no tunnel, no other network either.” Permissions: extensions. After an OS upgrade, keep the switch off until you re-allow.
Split-app and smart routing in the same minute
Per-app Direct for the system browser does not beat Kill Switch during a down window—the whole machine dies first. Debug with the switch off, or put the browser in the tunnel. Per-app: split. Smart versus global: smart routing. If both modes fail and disabling the switch restores the LAN, you had a race, not a pop.
Linux “kill switches” are firewall scripts; a typo drops SSH. Do not arm day one on a remote box—Linux TUN.
Pass: LAN works with switch off; 1.1.1.1/help still works with it on
Off, local net; connect; test page; arm; test page still loads; yank Wi-Fi and the machine should go dark (that is the switch working). One boot in three stuck dark: “enable only when connected” or disable autostart. Five boots: leave it off and write a timeline from the drop article.
Encryption and logging claims do not change because the switch is on—no-log. Guides: hub. FAQ: FAQ. Skip “Kill Switch enhanced” forks of QuickQ.