- Proton VPN Android app now lets users exclude specific cities and countries
- It allows you to automatically avoid being connected to certain regions
- “Excluded Locations” is available through the “Connection Preferences” menu
Using a VPN generally involves a tradeoff between convenience and control. We all love pressing that big “Quick Connect” button to instantly get the best speeds, but we don’t always like where we end up. For privacy-conscious users, landing on a server located in a jurisdiction with invasive data retention laws, or simply in a country with poor peering, can pose a hurdle.
Proton VPN just solved this headache with a subtle but powerful update to its Android VPN app. Announced by GM David Peterson on X, the new “Exclude Locations” feature allows users to blacklist specific cities and countries from the server’s auto-selection pool. This means you can continue to use the “Fastest” or “Random” connection modes without worrying about being routed to somewhere you think is unsafe or slow.
The update is currently rolling out to users on Android, giving them unprecedented granularity over their automated logins.
How to use “Exclude Locations” on Proton VPN for Android
This feature is designed for those who want the speed of automation but the security of manual selection. If you have previously used “Quick Connect” only to find yourself redirected to a server in the United Kingdom or the United States, countries which are part of the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance, you will immediately see the value here.
To configure it, you must access the application’s connection settings:
- Open it Proton VPN Android app.
- Go to Settings and locate Connection preferences.
- Press Exclude locations.
From here, you can select specific countries (e.g. “United States”) or navigate to specific cities (e.g. “Texas” or “London”) to ensure that the app never automatically assigns you an IP address from those regions.
This level of control is rare. While most of the best VPN services allow you to “favorite” servers, very few allow you to explicitly “block” them from algorithmic selection. This is especially useful for users on restrictive diets who want to avoid servers in neighboring countries with similar censorship laws, or for sports fans trying to avoid local power outages while using the fastest available connection.
We know that sometimes when you quickly connect to @ProtonVPN, you may want to avoid certain cities and countries. So, Proton VPN for Android now has the “Exclude Locations” setting to give you better control over your “Fastest Countries” connections. pic.twitter.com/PuDtA5YZrcFebruary 9, 2026
A victory for “quality of life”
While headline-grabbing features like “Stealth Protocol” or new encryption standards often steal the show, it’s these quality-of-life updates that keep users loyal.
Users often rely on the “random” connection feature to hide their traffic patterns, but true randomness carries risks if it routes traffic through a compromised or hostile network environment. By applying a negative filter telling the app “Everywhere but here,” users can retain the benefits of randomization while mitigating the geopolitical risks associated with specific territories.
Currently, it appears to be an Android-focused update. As is often the case in Proton’s development cycle, features often debut on one platform before migrating to iOS or Windows, although no official timetable has been confirmed for other devices.
For now, if you’re an Android user and want to make sure your “random” jump never takes you to a jurisdiction you don’t trust, it’s time to check your app for an update.
