Hello Nothing Team,
I am using a Nothing phone and would like to request a privacy feature in Nothing OS: an optional user-controlled setting that restricts third-party apps from detecting whether a VPN is active on the device. This setting should be configurable by the user, with the ability to turn it on or off depending on the scenario.
At the moment, Android applications can determine VPN usage through standard network state APIs such as `ConnectivityManager` and `NetworkCapabilities`, including checks like `hasTransport(NetworkCapabilities.TRANSPORT_VPN)`. Apps can also monitor network changes through network callbacks, which makes VPN detection straightforward for developers with the normal `ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE` permission.
This matters because many users rely on VPN not for abuse, but for personal safety, privacy, and access to uncensored information. For people living in countries with censorship, political filtering, or strong surveillance, the ability of ordinary apps to detect an active VPN can create unnecessary risk, discrimination, reduced app functionality, or forced denial of service. A privacy-focused mobile OS should give the user control over whether apps can learn that a VPN is active.
I would like to ask Nothing to consider adding a dedicated privacy toggle in Nothing OS, for example:
- “Hide VPN status from apps”
- enabled per-app or globally;
- optional and disabled by default;
- with clear warnings that some apps may rely on network-state visibility for security or compatibility.
From a technical perspective, such a feature would ideally prevent or virtualize access to VPN-related signals for selected apps, especially:
- `ConnectivityManager.getActiveNetwork()`
- `ConnectivityManager.getNetworkCapabilities(…)`
- `NetworkCapabilities.hasTransport(NetworkCapabilities.TRANSPORT_VPN)`
- network callbacks that expose VPN-related state
- related visibility of VPN transport or interfaces where feasible at the OS level.
I also understand why stock Android does not currently provide such a user-facing restriction. Android is designed so apps can adapt to available network conditions, manage connectivity-sensitive behavior, and respond to changes in transport type, including VPN. That is useful for legitimate functions, but it also means there is no simple built-in toggle for users who want to deny apps access to this specific signal. This is exactly why an OS-level privacy enhancement from Nothing would be valuable.
Please consider this as a feature request for Nothing OS. I believe it would be especially important for privacy-conscious users, journalists, travelers, and users in regions where VPN usage is essential for safe access to the internet.
Thank you 🙏
