Netguard anyone???

[R8a8idF]

Netguard is a firewall/VPN app that i absolutely love. It can enable internet access permission for each individual app you have on your device for both wifi and data, has a built in VPN, and a bunch of other great services. Its pretty cheap too! (I think the full bundle is about 8 USD).

Was curious to know if anyone else uses it here. Anyone love it? Hate it? Know some cool features most users dont know about? Would be great to hear some insight from the more tech gifted here as well.

Here is the google play store link

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.faircode.netguard

Thanks!

 

[svim]

I've always found firewall apps to be a 'must have' on my phones, they're an easy way to have more granular control over what apps/services get WiFi and cellular connectivity.
Note that root-required firewall apps like AFWall+ rely on iptables, the firewall functionality that's an integral part of the kernel itself. Non-root firewall apps like NetGuard don't have those same kind of system-level privileges so since they don't have access to iptables they instead rely on clever work-around, a local VPN service. This isn't a VPN service a lot of people mistakenly assume is the same as a typical VPN service you pay for and work off of remote servers, it's a local VPN working only within your phone where online connectivity loops back through this VPN first -- that's the kluge part, the filtering is done through this pseudo-VPN service. It's not as seamless as using iptables but it's still an effective way to have firewall functionality.

 

[svim]

Needs to be noted that adding a VPN app will require NetGuard being disabled. Even though NetGuard is a firewall app, its local VPN function creates a conflict. Running two VPNs concurrently on the same device isn't an option.
If you want to have both a firewall app and a VPN app, you'll need to root your device and then use different root-required firewall app like AFWall+, that relies on iptables instead of a local VPN. Again, non-root firewall apps don't have access to iptables -- they're all installed by the user so they only have user-level permissions. The local VPN they use is a workaround solution, a stop-gap, a kluge. So read through NetGuard's documentation again, it's a firewall, not a firewall/VPN because the VPN part is internal only, It is NOT a VPN service that you use to anonymize your online activity.