Three steps, and most people are messaging again in under a minute.
Download VPN Super for your phone, computer, or tablet, and create an account.
Open the app and connect to a server outside the network that's blocking Signal.
Open Signal. Your messages, calls, and files go through like nothing was blocking them.
Pro tip: If you know you're heading somewhere Signal is restricted, download VPN Super and set up your account before you go. Some app stores don't carry VPN apps once you're already inside a heavily censored network, so it's easier to get set up ahead of time.
In February 2021, Signal's own blog reported that Iranian censors had started blocking all Signal traffic in the country. It wasn't a rumor or a slowdown. Signal confirmed the block directly.
In August 2024, Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor blocked Signal for what it called violations of the country's legislation, a block independently confirmed by news outlets at the time. It's the most recent large-scale Signal block on record. VPN Super's Android app remains available in Russia even though the iOS listing is not.
Signal wrote in 2016 that several ISPs in the UAE and Egypt were blocking traffic to the app and to Signal's own website. In Signal's own words at the time: "when some states can't snoop, they censor."
Signal doesn't only get blocked at the country level. Offices, schools, and public networks routinely restrict messaging apps at the firewall, whether that's an IT policy or a campus network rule. The fix is the same either way: get onto a different network path.
| Issue | Solution guidance |
|---|---|
| Signal shows "Connecting..." and won't send or receive messages | This is the exact failure mode Signal's own support documentation describes when its built-in proxy loses its connection. Switch to a different VPN Super server or protocol, then reopen Signal. |
| Signal won't verify my phone number | SMS and call verification can be sensitive to which country your connection appears to come from. Try switching to a different server location, or complete verification before you connect to VPN Super. |
| I can't find the download button on vpnsuper.com | The direct-download button on our website is hidden in a small number of regions. Use the App Store or Google Play instead. On iOS and Android, the apps are still listed and installable the normal way. |
| VPN Super isn't showing up in my country's app store | VPN Super's app store listings aren't available in every country. If you're heading somewhere the listing isn't available, download and set up the app first, before you travel. |
| My connection keeps dropping on a restricted network | Heavily restricted networks work better with a protocol built to disguise VPN traffic. On iOS and Android, switch to V2Ray from the home screen and reconnect. |
| Signal Desktop won't connect and there's no proxy option | Signal's own proxy feature isn't available on Desktop yet, by Signal's own admission. If Signal Desktop is blocked at the network level, VPN Super for Windows or Mac is the way around it, since there's no built-in alternative inside Signal itself. |
| Messages take a long time to send or receive | Try a server closer to your usual location, or use Fastest Location to auto-pick the lowest-latency option. Switching protocol can also help depending on the network. |
Built to get you online, not just around one app. See how VPN Super's protocols are designed to get past network-level blocking.
Signal's whole design is about keeping your metadata private. A VPN that logs your activity would work against that. VPN Super runs under a no-activity-logs policy, so your connection doesn't become the thing you were trying to protect.
V2Ray is built to disguise VPN traffic so it's harder for a network to flag and block. It's available on iOS and Android, and it's the strongest option when a standard connection keeps getting cut off.
Signal's own built-in proxy only unblocks Signal, and only if you can find a working link through a hashtag search. VPN Super works at the network level, so every other app and site you use on the same connection gets through too.
Signal has said plainly that its phone-based proxy trick isn't possible on Desktop yet. If Signal Desktop is blocked where you are, VPN Super for Windows or Mac gives you a way around it that doesn't exist inside Signal itself.
Switch to a server outside the network that's blocking you. With 100+ locations in 60+ countries, there's almost always a fast option nearby.
Cover your phone, laptop, and tablet under a single VPN Super subscription, up to 10 devices at once.
VPN Super's free plan is available on iOS and Android, so you can test the connection before deciding whether to upgrade.
VPN Super's free plan is available on iOS and Android. Windows and Mac are Premium-only, with no free tier on desktop. Compare the full breakdown on VPN Super's free VPN page.
| Feature | Free VPN | Premium subscription |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | Paid subscription |
| Server locations | A smaller selection of locations | 100+ locations in 60+ countries |
| V2Ray protocol | Not included | Included on iOS and Android |
| Ads | Included | |
| Devices | Fewer devices at once | Up to 10 devices |
| Platforms | iOS and Android | iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac |
| Best for | Trying out Signal access before you commit | Everyday use across all your devices |
Fast and steady even on networks that used to block Signal for me. Switching servers takes a second.
I set this up before a trip and didn't think about it again. Signal just worked the whole time.
Simple app, connects fast, and my messages go through without the usual lag.
Governments block Signal when they want to limit private communication. Signal's own blog has documented specific cases: Iran in 2021, the UAE and Egypt in 2016, and Russia in August 2024, when the regulator Roskomnadzor blocked the app outright.
Yes. Running Signal over a VPN is standard, supported use. Signal doesn't do anything to detect or block VPN traffic.
No. The two are separate layers. VPN Super encrypts your connection to the network; Signal separately encrypts your messages end to end. Neither one depends on the other.
Yes, sort of. Signal has a built-in proxy feature under Settings, but it only unblocks Signal itself. It depends on finding a working proxy link through a #SignalProxy hashtag search, and Signal has said it isn't available on Desktop yet. A VPN covers your whole connection and works the same way on every device.
No. There's nothing in Signal's own documentation suggesting it detects or penalizes VPN traffic.
V2Ray, available on iOS and Android. It's built to disguise VPN traffic, which helps on networks that actively try to block VPN connections. V2Ray isn't available on Windows or Mac yet: Windows offers Auto, OpenVPN, and WireGuard, and Mac currently runs on WireGuard.
On iOS and Android, yes. VPN Super's free plan works there, with a smaller selection of servers than Premium. On Windows and Mac, VPN Super is Premium-only. There's no free tier on desktop.
SMS and call verification can depend on which country your connection appears to come from. Try switching to a different VPN Super server location, or complete phone verification before you connect.
Yes. VPN Super for Windows runs on Auto, OpenVPN, or WireGuard, and Mac runs on WireGuard. This matters more on desktop specifically, because Signal Desktop doesn't have its own proxy workaround. If Signal Desktop is blocked on your network, a VPN is the only way around it.
No. VPN Super runs under a no-activity-logs policy. For Signal users, that's the point: you chose Signal because it protects your metadata, and a logging VPN would work against that choice.
Not quite. VPN Super's app isn't currently listed in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store in China or Iran, two of the countries where Signal has faced the heaviest blocks. In Russia, the Android app remains available even though iOS doesn't. If you know you're heading somewhere VPN Super isn't listed, download and set up the app before you travel there. It won't help to look for it once you've already arrived.
Get VPN Super and connect through a network that isn't blocking you.
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