Top 10 Ways to Fix Opera VPN Not Working on Android

Opera has come a long way since the Symbian days. It now supports Android (as well as iOS) and comes with advanced features like free VPN (Virtual Private Network). The problem is that Opera’s VPN is not working for some users on Android phones. By the time you finish reading this guide, the problem should be resolved.

A VPN is a much needed feature, especially in today’s world where everyone is busy mining and selling data for pennies. Often without your permission. However, that doesn’t mean you can use any VPN. We’ll explore this piece in more detail later in the guide.

Let’s start.

1. How to Install

The VPN feature is turned off by default in the Opera mobile app. Not everyone needs or uses it, and certainly not all the time. Make sure the VPN is set up correctly in the Opera app for Android. It shouldn’t take more than a minute.

2. Disable Data Saver Mode

Opera mobile app comes with many useful features and one of them is data saving mode. As the name suggests, it will reduce data consumption especially when using carrier data. The problem is, Opera VPN will stop working on your Android phone when Data saver is turned on.

Tap the Opera icon and select Settings. Turn it off and make sure VPN is enabled here.

3. Reset and Retry

You know how your ISP support staff always start with a reset and reboot solution? Because this works. It might work here too. Open Opera app and disable VPN feature in settings. Wait a few seconds and then turn it back on. Check if VPN by Opera works on Android.

4. Private Tabs Only

There is a feature in Opera that is enabled by default that makes the VPN only work in private tabs and not otherwise. Trying to use VPN in a regular tab?

Tap on the tabs icon at the bottom and select the Custom tab. If you haven’t already, create a new tab and you should see the VPN options and settings.

Here make sure VPN is enabled and open Settings. Opera does not allow screenshots in private tabs, here are the photos taken.

Toggle the Use VPN for private tabs only button here to enable it everywhere. You can also choose to enable or disable the VPN while using Google search. This will affect your search results and will no longer be personalized.

5. Update App

All settings are as they should be. In this case, if it is a known bug, the Opera dev team may have released an update. Open Play Store and update Opera for Android to the latest version.

On the contrary, a recent update may have broken the VPN feature. In this case, you need to revert to a previous version. You can download and sideload previous versions of any app on APKMirror. Always read reviews before updating important apps.

6. Conflicting Applications

Are you using a dedicated VPN app at the same time? Turn this off to see if this helps in fixing Opera VPN not working on your Android phone issue. Some ad blockers, such as DNS66 and Blokada, work by creating a local VPN. Disable them and check again. Finally, turn off your antivirus and any other security apps you may have installed. If any of these fix the issue, you should either whitelist the Opera app within that app or disable the app entirely when using a VPN in Opera.

7. Change Location

Opera browser comes with three different virtual locations. Changing the location can help as there may be an outage or other error in the server location you are using. Go back to VPN settings as you did before and tap on Virtual location.

Try each location until the VPN in the Opera browser works again.

While staying on location and free VPN, you can also try using ProtonVPN’s free unlimited plan.

8. Clear App Cache and Cookies

Open Settings and under Applications search for and open the Opera app.

Tap on Clear data at the bottom of the screen and select Clear cache and then Manage space. You can delete all the data there.

9. Blame the ISP

VPN services offered by browsers like Opera are frowned upon by the governments of some countries. You may be living in such a country. Call your ISP and see if they know anything. You can also search social media sites like Twitter and local or app Facebook pages, as other users may have reported similar situations.

10. Private VPN Apps

We do not recommend free VPN services like Opera offers in GT. When there is no product to sell, you are usually the product. Free VPN service providers are known to collect user data. We recommend looking at paid VPNs like CyberGhost or ExpressVPN, or those offered by the popular password manager Dashlane. Note that popular VPNs have been hacked before, but they are much better than free alternatives like Opera. I would also recommend you to take a look at the TOR browser.

note: Get 49% off when you sign up for ExpressVPN using this link.

You get what you pay

It’s true and you know it. Opera’s free VPN service works and is fine for the mundane, but you don’t want to use it when your data, privacy, and security are at stake. That’s when you should consider using a private VPN. It’s good enough for everything else and one of the solutions above should have fixed the problem on your Android.

Next: Looking for a more secure browser? Click on the link below to learn about TOR and the Brave browser. See how the combination of the two can help protect your identity and data, and what each has to offer in our in-depth comparison.