Firewall and VPN won't turn on on Samsung Galaxy J7 Sky Pro. Please help.

[vcamazing]

I had a Unimax U504TL smartphone and used a free firewall called Firewall No Root by Protectstar Inc. on from the play store. The firewall would turn on just fine when I turned on the phone and tapped it to turn it on. It wouldn't turn on automatically with the phone like it said it would for some reason, but the other firewall I tried wouldn't let me access the internet at all so I just used that one for protection.

When I started to use my Samsung Galaxy J7 Sky Pro with the same firewall for some reason even though that is a better phone, the firewall wouldn't turn on. When I turn it on and tap the on button it reverts right back to off and doesn't turn on at all no matter how many times I tap. The app starts up with the phone but does the same thing where on reverts to off.

I tried a couple other firewalls and they did the same thing as No Root and neither started up with the phone. I saw nothing in the firewall settings that looked to fix this. The same thing also is happening with my NordVPN. I bought a license and can login on the phone, but no matter how much I tap the VPN won't connect. It works on my desktop computer, but It reverts back to disconnected as soon I tap on the phone. Is there a setting I can try in the phone settings to fix this and let the firewall and VPN work? I thought maybe something was blocking it since it worked on my Unimax but not on the Samsung. Thanks for your help.

PS: I didn't try to turn on both at the same time so there is no conflict there if it helps.

[Links removed.]

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! For NordVPN, have you tried connecting to various different VPN servers?

 

[vcamazing]

Thanks for the welcome and your reply. Yes I tried to connect to other servers, but they all did the same thing. I tapped and it acted like was going to connect, only to snap back to disconnected immediately. I used various VPNs on my Unimax and never had this problem until I started using the Samsung.

 

[B. Diddy]

Is the Samsung brand new, or was it used/refurbished? If the latter, maybe consider a factory reset.

 

[vcamazing]

The Samsung was brand new when it was purchased several years ago. It had worked fine up until this firewall and vpn problem. Thanks for your suggestion. I will format it and get back to you.

 

[B. Diddy]

Is the Samsung phone fully up to date in terms of system updates?

 

[vcamazing]

I'm not sure. Where would I go in the phone to check and make sure it's up to date? If I ever seem like I'm unclear or not understanding something I apologize in advance. I'm not very good with smartphones.

 

[B. Diddy]

See if this helps: https://support.tracfone.com/tutori...mware?device=samsung-galaxy-j7-sky-pro-s727vl

 

[mustang7757]

The Samsung was brand new when it was purchased several years ago. It had worked fine up until this firewall and vpn problem. Thanks for your suggestion. I will format it and get back to you.

Welcome to AC!

Which andriod version its running?

 

[vcamazing]

Welcome to AC!

Which andriod version its running?

Thanks for the welcome. It's version 6.0.1

See if this helps: https://support.tracfone.com/tutori...mware?device=samsung-galaxy-j7-sky-pro-s727vl

Thanks for the tutorial. The software is up to date.

 

[B. Diddy]

It may be time to try a factory reset, then.

 

[vcamazing]

It may be time to try a factory reset, then.

The firewall and VPN are working now.

I tried to uninstall a few other apps I wasn't using (Melon VPN, VPN Melon & Packe Save) and also the Protectstar Firewall I mentioned in my original post. I don't think Protectstar firewall is an issue since it worked on the Unimax but I uninstalled it anyway.

After uninstalling those, I tried NordVPN again and it worked fine! I tried No Root firewall and it also worked. Am I to guess one of those other apps was conflicting with the VPN and firewall and preventing them from working?

May I also ask what is best to protect a smartphone? I'm not very technical and don't know much about smartphones. I was told a firewall blocks sites and a VPN lets you get through to blocked sites. On my desktop computer I use a firewall and antivirus as I have seen recommended for protection.

Can I use the No Root Firewall and my Avast antivirus (it's the free version) to keep me safe and then only use the VPN to keep my browsing info shielded from hackers, etc?

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm glad it's working now! You're right, one of those apps was probably interfering. I can't tell you exactly why, but since they all seemed to be related to how the device connects to the web, it probably has something to do with that.

This is my guide on how to avoid malware: [GUIDE] How To Avoid Malware - Android Forums at AndroidCentral.com

 

[vcamazing]

I'm glad it's working now! You're right, one of those apps was probably interfering. I can't tell you exactly why, but since they all seemed to be related to how the device connects to the web, it probably has something to do with that.

This is my guide on how to avoid malware: [GUIDE] How To Avoid Malware - Android Forums at AndroidCentral.com

Thanks for letting me know and for the guide. I read that it's not the best for a VPN and a firewall to run on a phone at the same time. My question is shouldn't you have a firewall running anyway to protect you when you are online and can you run your VPN to shield you if you are going somewhere where you would want your info shielded like a financial site?

On my desktop I always have my firewall with my antivirus and turn my VPN on as needed, even with those other two on. It hasn't been a problem on my computer so I wondered why it would be an issue on a smartphone.

 

[B. Diddy]

With an Android device, I don't worry about using a firewall since I avoid risky sites and I follow the tips listed in that guide (i.e., never clicking on links in a browser popup, etc.). If I'm concerned about accessing the web for sensitive data like my bank accounts and I'm not at home, I stick with my mobile data rather than public wi-fi.

 

[mustang7757]

Thanks for letting me know and for the guide. I read that it's not the best for a VPN and a firewall to run on a phone at the same time. My question is shouldn't you have a firewall running anyway to protect you when you are online and can you run your VPN to shield you if you are going somewhere where you would want your info shielded like a financial site?

On my desktop I always have my firewall with my antivirus and turn my VPN on as needed, even with those other two on. It hasn't been a problem on my computer so I wondered why it would be an issue on a smartphone.

Hi again, since your device us running Android 6 and doesnt receive security updates any longer its vulnerable to any current threats out there , now with that being said just dint download any unknown sources, download suspicious texts, browse in shady sites you sould be ok for most part , a VPN is ok but stay away from firewall apps,app cleaner, antivirus on Android they tend to slow performance down cause other issues and if follow what i mentioned before u should be ok for most part .

 

[vcamazing]

Thanks B. Diddy and mustang7757 for your help and advice. I appreciate it.

Hi again, since your device us running Android 6 and doesnt receive security updates any longer its vulnerable to any current threats out there , now with that being said just dint download any unknown sources, download suspicious texts, browse in shady sites you sould be ok for most part , a VPN is ok but stay away from firewall apps,app cleaner, antivirus on Android they tend to slow performance down cause other issues and if follow what i mentioned before u should be ok for most part .

To mustang7757, you said Android 6 is no longer receiving security updates so it's vulnerable to new threats. I know on a PC you can upgrade to a newer operating system and receive the latest updates after it gets too old. (ie going from Windows 7 to Windows 10)

Is it possible (and not too difficult) to upgrade to a newer version of android on a phone to get the new security updates? On my computer I used the Windows ISO on my flash drive, to go from Win 7 to Win 10 when Win 7 no longer received updates a while back. That way I could make sure I am better protected from the new threats even while using safe practices.

 

[mustang7757]

Thanks B. Diddy and mustang7757 for your help and advice. I appreciate it.



To mustang7757, you said Android 6 is no longer receiving security updates so it's vulnerable to new threats. I know on a PC you can upgrade to a newer operating system and receive the latest updates after it gets too old. (ie going from Windows 7 to Windows 10)

Is it possible (and not too difficult) to upgrade to a newer version of android on a phone to get the new security updates? On my computer I used the Windows ISO on my flash drive, to go from Win 7 to Win 10 when Win 7 no longer received updates a while back. That way I could make sure I am better protected from the new threats even while using safe practices.

You can root and install a custom ROM that maybe is more current. , But there's a problem, most Dev dont support older Android version or non popular device such as yours , they tend to stay with newer devices.

 

[vcamazing]

You can root and install a custom ROM that maybe is more current. , But there's a problem, most Dev dont support older Android version or non popular device such as yours , they tend to stay with newer devices.

Thanks for letting me know. I will stay with my current device and it's current android for now since I'm not able to afford another phone at this time.