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To automate an Android VPN when you join or leave a particular Wi-Fi network, create a Tasker profile using the Wi-Fi Connected state, match the network’s SSID, and attach the connect or disconnect action supported by your VPN app. For OpenVPN Connect on Android app version 3.3.2 and newer, OpenVPN documents Tasker actions for both operations. Other clients may not expose the same controls.
How do I make Tasker connect my VPN when I join Wi-Fi?
Create a Wi-Fi-triggered profile, then add the VPN client’s supported connect action. In Tasker, an SSID is the access point’s network name; you can also add a MAC address or IP address as an additional match condition. See Tasker’s Wi-Fi context documentation.
- Create the trigger: In Tasker, add a profile and choose State → Net → Wi-Fi Connected. Enter the SSID you want the rule to match. Add a MAC or IP condition only if you need to narrow the match.
- Choose how Tasker evaluates Wi-Fi: Set Active to Any if the trigger should mean “associated with this Wi-Fi,” even when Wi-Fi is not carrying the default internet route. Choose Yes only if Wi-Fi must be the active route.
- Add the VPN action: Attach a task to the profile and select the connect action your VPN client supports. The action’s name and required values depend on the app; do not assume one client’s parameters apply to another.
- Test the rule: Join the matching network and check Tasker’s VPN Connected state or Android’s VPN indicator to confirm that a tunnel is active.
Tasker warns that a VPN can make Wi-Fi inactive under the Active: Yes condition because the VPN becomes the default route. For a rule based on Wi-Fi association rather than routing, Any avoids that mismatch.
How do I make Tasker disconnect the VPN when I leave Wi-Fi?
Use the profile’s exit behavior to run the VPN client’s disconnect action when the Wi-Fi Connected state no longer matches. Configure the entry and exit behavior intentionally: the matching network should turn the VPN on, and leaving that network should turn it off only if that is the behavior you want. Tasker can detect VPN state with its VPN Connected context, documented at Tasker’s VPN context page.
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Before relying on this setup, check how the chosen client handles a failed connection or a request for authentication. A disconnect-on-exit rule only automates the transition when Tasker and the VPN app can perform the relevant actions.
OpenVPN Connect: documented Tasker actions
OpenVPN’s integration instructions cover OpenVPN Connect for Android version 3.3.2 and newer. The connect action uses the imported profile’s Profile ID; the documentation also describes a disconnect action. Follow the vendor’s current instructions for the action details at OpenVPN’s Tasker integration guide.
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OpenVPN says Tasker can connect autonomously when the profile needs no additional authorization or the user has already saved the profile’s connectivity credentials in Connect. Otherwise, the app prompts the user to authenticate. The first connection may also require Android’s VPN authorization; Android’s VpnService.prepare() flow checks authorization and shows a system permission activity when needed. See Android’s VPN developer guide.
Tasker automation or Android always-on VPN?
These options solve different problems. A Tasker profile is suited to a rule tied to a chosen Wi-Fi network. Android’s always-on setting delegates the VPN service lifecycle to the system, but it does not itself define a Wi-Fi-specific trigger; the VPN app remains responsible for connecting to its gateway.
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| Option | What triggers or manages it | What happens if the VPN is unavailable | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tasker Wi-Fi profile | A Wi-Fi Connected state matching the configured conditions; action availability depends on the VPN client. | Behavior depends on the app and rule. A Tasker connect action does not by itself establish that other traffic is blocked. | Turning a compatible VPN client on or off in response to a selected Wi-Fi network. |
| Android always-on VPN | Android manages the VPN service lifecycle; the VPN app must still connect to its gateway. | With blocking of non-VPN traffic enabled, traffic that does not pass through the VPN can be blocked. | Keeping the VPN service managed by Android, with stricter traffic control when the user accepts the connectivity trade-off. |
Always-on VPN is an Android system feature available from Android 7.0 (API 24). Google notes that the always-on option may not appear when the VPN was set up through an app, and the available settings can differ by device. Search Settings for “VPN” if the path on your phone differs from the instructions shown by your manufacturer. Google’s user guidance is at Set up and connect to a virtual private network (VPN) on Android.
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What can prevent the automation from working?
- The profile does not activate: Check the SSID spelling and whether Active is set to Yes when a VPN has changed the default route. Use Any if association with Wi-Fi is the intended condition.
- The client asks for credentials or permission: Complete Android’s authorization flow and save credentials in the VPN app if its supported workflow permits it. OpenVPN Connect’s autonomous behavior depends on authorization and saved credentials, as described in its integration instructions.
- Another VPN is already running: Android permits only one active VPN service per user or profile. Starting a new service automatically stops the existing service. This is stated in Android’s VPN developer documentation.
- Background operation is inconsistent: Android 8.0 (API 26) and newer impose background-service requirements on VPN apps, including foreground operation for supported services. Actual reliability therefore depends on the VPN client and the device’s Android implementation; a Tasker rule cannot guarantee flawless background connections on every phone. See Android’s VPN developer guide.
- Internet access disappears when the tunnel fails: Blocking traffic outside the VPN can cut off apps excluded from the VPN’s allowed or disallowed app configuration. Android describes this lockdown trade-off in its VPN documentation. Enable blocking only if losing non-VPN connectivity when the tunnel is unavailable is acceptable.
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