Why the "key" symbol on the top of my S9 screen ?

[Chris623]

Last night I realized I wasn't able to access ANYTHING having to do with the Internet. Realized a short time later there was a symbol of a KEY at the top of my screen that I hadn't noticed before. My phone says I'm connected to my wifi, but I'm sitting right by my wifi, and can't access my emails..........even though they are being sent to my phone. At the gym today I was connected to their wifi but was unable to access Pandora for music or access any websites I'd normally visit. I just don't get it. My phone seems locked but I can't figure out how to unlock it. Could someone please tell me how to fix this?

 

[hallux]

A key symbol in the notification bar usually indicates connectivity to a VPN.

 

[B. Diddy]

Yep, and a VPN would be a common reason for connectivity issues as well, depending on the servers the VPN is using.

 

[Chris623]

Thanks for the responses. Hmmmmm. My VPN has been on the phone for over a year now with no adverse effects. Any suggestions?

 

[Laura Knotek]

Thanks for the responses. Hmmmmm. My VPN has been on the phone for over a year now with no adverse effects. Any suggestions?

Depending on the issues, you could try changing the country. For example, certain sites or apps such as TV stations/news/streaming may not be available to those outside a particular country. For instance, my local TV news station app will not work if I have VPN configured to connect to a server outside the USA.

My local cable TV app will not work anywhere unless I whitelist it in the VPN.

We will need more information. What VPN app, what country?

 

[Chris623]

It's Proton's VPN. I opened it up and it was "trying" to connect. So I aborted the connection and everything works. Turned around and turned it back on and connected it. The "key" is still there, but most everything seems to be working correctly. Thanks for the tip...........I'd never have thought of that. Figured it was some setting in my telephone.