guardianproject / guardianproject/orbot-android

[BUG]Latest version of Orbot CANNOT run at the same time as Rethink.

Open
#1,647 1 comment 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
Bug
Dominant language
Kotlin
Stars
3.5k
Forks
485
Avg merge
2d 14h
Merged PRs (30d)
24

Description

MY DEVICE = Android tablet
MY OS = Android 14 (not rooted)
ORBOT VERSION = Dependent on the bug being reported (see below for exact version)
RETHINK DNS VERSION = 0.5.5e (latest version so far)
Rethink DNS can be found in the Google play store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.celzero.bravedns) & also from here (https://github.com/celzero/rethink-app/releases).

RELATED INFORMATION
For a long time now, I have been using BOTH "Rethink DNS+Firewall+VPN" & "Orbot for android" together at the _same_ time, & they have worked together with no problems.

DESCRIBE THE BUG
Today (March 23, 2026) the Google play store told me (correctly) that there was an updated version of Orbot for android, so I updated it. Several hours later, I (accidentally) looked at my "Notifications" bar & saw that _only_ Rethink DNS was running, & that Orbot for android was turned Off. I started Orbot manually & started it's connection, & then doing the same for Rethink DNS. _Before_ I updated Orbot for android today, this _always_ allowed BOTH of them to run, but with the _latest_ update of Orbot for android, that fails. Specifically, turning either of them "On" will turn the other one "Off", & I can't think of any solution to convince them to _both_ run at the same time.

HOW TO REPRODUCE THE BUG BEHAVIOR
(1) Go to here (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.celzero.bravedns) or here (https://github.com/celzero/rethink-app/releases) & download / install the _latest version_ of Rethink DNS. (I use the Google play store, but I doubt that there's any difference.)
(2) Go to here (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.torproject.android) or here (https://github.com/guardianproject/orbot-android/releases) & download / install the _latest version_ of Orbot for android. (Again, I use the Google play store, but I doubt that there's any difference.)
(3) Set both of them up so that they are _both_ allowed to display notifications, & also so that they are _both_ allowed to start _automatically_ when you first turn on your device. (Orbot needs you to connect to a WIFI signal for it to _succeed_ at establishing a connection.)
(4) Connect to a WIFI signal so that Orbot will establish a connection.
(5) With the LATEST updated version of Orbot, starting either Rethink DNS or Orbot for android will automatically turn the other one "Off", even if you try to start them _manually._ This results in you being able to only use ONE of them, but not _both_ of them at the same time.

WHAT I EXPECT TO HAPPEN INSTEAD OF THE BUG BEHAVIOR
_Before_ I updated Orbot for android to it's _latest_ version, I was always able to run BOTH of them at the _same time,_ & they would even _start_ at the same time _without_ stopping the other one.

_POSSIBLY_ APPLICABLE SETTINGS FOR ORBOT THAT I USE
I can't remember if the following Orbot settings are _default_ settings, or if I changed them, but I'll list them here anyway. These settings are the SAME settings that I used _before_ I updated Orbot.
Settings > General
+ Start Orbot on boot = YES
+ Allow background starts = YES
+ Root detection = YES
Settings > Reachable addresses = YES
Settings > Padding
+ Connection padding = NO
+ Reduced connection padding = YES
+ Circuit padding = YES
+ Reduced circuit padding = YES

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
I _uninstalled_ the _latest_ version of Orbot for android, then I went to the "Releases" page here & downloaded / installed the version _before_ the latest update (17.9.2 BETA 1 (tor 0.4.9.5.1)). After setting it up using the exact settings as described above, both it & Rethink DNS are running at the _same_ time. This indicates that the bug behavior is caused by some _change_ to the _latest_ version of Orbot, so that's where you should look for the cause.

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

Assessment

This issue has not been assessed yet.

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.