If Signal has suddenly stopped connecting, you're most likely in or travelling through a country where it's been blocked. A handful of countries restrict encrypted messaging apps at the network level, and Signal is one of the most commonly targeted. The good news is there are two reliable routes back in: a VPN, and Signal's own built-in proxy that works even when VPNs themselves are blocked. Both are covered below.

Option 1: Use a VPN

A VPN is the more complete fix. It wraps all your traffic in an encrypted tunnel that looks like ordinary internet traffic to the blocking infrastructure, so Signal connects as if you were somewhere else entirely. Close Signal first, connect the VPN, then reopen the app.

If you're on NordVPN and a standard server isn't getting through, switch to Obfuscated Servers in your connection settings. These disguise VPN traffic so it doesn't look like VPN traffic, which makes a real difference in countries that specifically block VPN protocols. Obfuscated servers use OpenVPN TCP under the hood, which is more reliable in restricted networks than UDP because TCP traffic looks similar to ordinary web browsing.

With ExpressVPN, switch to the Lightway TCP protocol. Same idea: TCP gets through firewalls that block UDP.

Which server to connect to

Connect to a server in a country with open internet access that's reasonably close to where you are. For most people in Iran or China, US, UK, Netherlands, or Germany are solid choices. Closer servers tend to be faster, but the priority in restricted environments is picking a server that's not already flagged by the local firewall. If one server isn't working, try a different city in the same country before switching countries entirely.

If you're in a country where a specific VPN protocol is blocked, trying a different server location sometimes helps even without changing the protocol, since different IPs can have different block status.

Option 2: Signal's built-in proxy

Signal has a censorship circumvention feature built directly into the app, no separate subscription needed. It routes Signal's traffic through a relay network using a method that's harder to block at scale than a standard VPN. The automatic option works for most people and is the right place to start.

To enable it: open Signal, go to Settings > Privacy > Advanced and look for the censorship circumvention option. You can let Signal choose a proxy automatically or enter a specific proxy address manually. There are publicly shared Signal proxy addresses maintained by volunteers online; search "Signal proxy" for current lists, as addresses rotate.

The proxy only covers Signal's traffic. If you need access to other apps and websites too, a VPN handles that as well.

Setting up before you travel

If you know you're heading somewhere that restricts Signal, sort this out before you arrive. In some countries the VPN app stores and provider websites are themselves blocked, making it genuinely difficult to set things up once you're there. Download and configure your VPN at home, test it, and save a few proxy addresses too. Five minutes of prep before you leave is much better than troubleshooting on a hotel network.

If nothing is working

Some countries block all identifiable VPN traffic. If your VPN and Signal's proxy are both failing, try Tor Browser: it's slower but uses a completely different routing system that's harder to block across the board. The Guardian Project also maintains Orbot for Android, which routes individual apps through the Tor network rather than your whole connection, which can be useful if you specifically need Signal and nothing else.