VPN users lack reliable control over when and where traffic is tunneled
VPN users want dependable connections, but the signals describe gaps in battery life, app-specific connection control, traffic routing, and device or protocol support. Existing options may work only in certain apps or require users to remember to connect and disconnect; some requests depend on support from a particular VPN client. The needs span different platforms, so a useful first product would need to focus on one platform and a specific control problem.
For VPN users across mobile and desktop. Mentioned from May 2014 to Sep 2026 on Bluesky, GitHub and Hacker News.
7 different people described this problem in 6 separate discussions.
- Indie fit
- 2.0/10
- Pain
- 5.1/10
- Frequency
- 7.5/10
- Willingness to pay
- 0.0/10
- Momentum
- 5.6/10
- Who pays
- Consumers
- Competition
- High
- Build difficulty
- High
What people said
Quoted word for word. Follow a link to read the whole discussion.
This all sounds great but until they stop it eating all my iOS battery I can't leave my phone connected continuously, which is such a pain. I'm not about to switch back to the configuration management hell that was pure wireguard but it would be really lovely to not have to connect/disconnect when I want to use tailsca…
I use VPN for one app only and always forget to turn if off after I'm done using it. iOS shortcuts could solve my problem easily
Build brief
See what to build and who will buy it
- 2 product ideas with the smallest useful version and pricing
- 4 places to find your first customers
- 5 more quotes from people who have this problem
- Current workarounds, existing solutions and risks