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Tutorial: Turn On Seamless Tunnel to Ensure Secure Internet Browsing

Abstract

Ensure your internet traffic stays secure by turning on seamless tunnel when using OpenVPN Connect.

Seamless Tunnel is a setting in OpenVPN Connect that ensures your internet traffic stays secure, even while the VPN connection is temporarily paused or reconnecting. When turned on, it blocks non-VPN traffic during transitions such as network drops or switching between Wi-Fi and cellular. This helps prevent accidental data leaks and enhances privacy.

✅ Available on all supported platforms: iOS 8 or newer, Android, macOS, and Windows.

Tip

If you're using Always-on VPN on Android or managing OpenVPN Connect through MDM tools, enabling seamless tunnel helps maintain secure connectivity in all scenarios.

Why use seamless tunnel?

Without seamless tunnel turned on, your device may briefly send traffic outside the VPN tunnel if the VPN connection is interrupted. Turning on seamless tunnel helps ensure:

  • Your internet traffic is blocked while the VPN reconnects.

  • You stay protected during network transitions (e.g., switching from Wi-Fi to mobile).

  • No data leaks occur while the VPN is in a paused state.

How to turn on seamless tunnel

  1. Launch OpenVPN Connect.

  2. Tap or click the Menu icon.

  3. Tap or click Settings.

  4. Scroll to Seamless Tunnel and toggle to On.

Once turned on, traffic will be blocked until the VPN tunnel is re-established.

Optional: Turn on layer 2 reachability (iOS)

For even better performance during transitions on your iOS device (like Wi-Fi to cellular), you can turn on Layer 2 Reachability. This uses a more robust method to test if the network is still reachable.

  1. From Settings, scroll to Layer 2 Reachability.

  2. Toggle to On.

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