AshtaLok for Android is in its last round of testing. This is where it stands, what we're checking, and why there still isn't a release date.
Where we're testing
- A Samsung Galaxy phone. Samsung adds its own battery management and settings on top of Android, which is exactly the kind of thing that can stop a background app without warning.
- An ASUS ROG Phone. A gaming phone with its own performance modes, and a good test of whether AshtaLok stays out of the way while games run.
- Android 14, 15, 16 and 17 emulators. These let us check each of those versions, at different screen sizes and font sizes, and repeat the same steps many times.
Emulators are useful, but they aren't phones. They don't have a phone maker's battery rules, a real mobile network or a user switching apps. That's why a release waits for the real devices.
What we're checking
Staying on
A blocker that quietly stops is worse than none, because you think you're protected. We restart the phones, move between Wi-Fi and mobile data, leave them overnight, and check that protection is still running afterwards, or that the app says clearly when it isn't.
Setting up
The first minutes matter most. We go through the VPN permission request, picking a protection level and choosing an encrypted DNS provider on each device, and make sure every screen explains what it's asking for and why.
Encrypted DNS on real networks
Home Wi-Fi, mobile data, and networks with sign-in pages all behave differently. We're checking that lookups stay encrypted, that AshtaLok never falls back to plain DNS by itself, and that the opt-in warning is shown when someone switches plain DNS on.
Fixing apps that break
At stricter levels some apps will misbehave. We use the guided Fix an app check on the apps we use every day, and change it wherever it points at the wrong address or takes too many steps.
The password manager and Autofill
Android Autofill behaves differently between apps and browsers. We're filling logins across the phones to find the places it doesn't offer to fill, or fills the wrong field.
Reading it comfortably
Light and dark themes, large text, and screen readers on every main screen.
What comes after
The browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Opera and Firefox has been built and tested. Android tablet layouts are ready, and testing on real tablets comes next. Desktop apps and iPhone come later.
So, when?
When the Android app passes these tests on the real phones. We'd rather give you no date than a wrong one. When it's released, it will be on the download page, and this blog will say so.