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[APP][6.0+] RETHINKDNS: ANTI-CENSORSHIP + ADBLOCKER + FIREWALL + VPN [OPEN
SOURCE] [NO ROOT]

 * Thread starter ignoramous
 * Start date Aug 8, 2020
 * Tags adblocker android blokada dns firewall netguard privacy security

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I

IGNORAMOUS

SENIOR MEMBER


Sep 22, 2012 68 67

 * Jan 2, 2024

 * 
 * #141

> hengkidermawan said:
> yup, rdns error...try another
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

Yeah, starting 16 Oct, our Cloudflare account was locked for reasons of "trust
and safety". It is still locked. It took us a while to get the services back up
and running without access to the main parts of the Cloudflare platform that
"Sky" (our stub DNS resolver) runs on. "Max" (our recursive DNS resolver) was up
and running throughout the ordeal. Today, "Sky" runs in a fairly limited mode,
but should work almost all the time. Our account has not yet been unlocked, but
should happen in the coming days. This process is just too long, apparently.


> qsu said:
> Is the censor block option combined with the ad block option or are they two
> independent options? If it is possible to turn off only the censorship option,
> how should I do it? I come from a country where this problem does not occur
> and this feature probably only slows down all the network traffic even
> further.
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse


Anti-censorship comes from the "Firewall". You can use the app in just the
"DNS-only" mode if you don't need the "Firewall" or its anti-censorship
capabilities. Tap on the down arrow next to the START / STOP button on Rethink's
homsecreen to change modes. You can also choose any upstream DNS of your choice
from Configure -> DNS


> qsu said:
> but also on most websites, verification is required every time, which is very
> troublesome in everyday use. I tested several VPNs and some of them have this
> problem, others are even worse - verification is even 3-stag
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse


This is a problem because services and websites set strict anti-abuse rules
against traffic exiting from known VPN and/or Tor IPs. One way around it is to
use VPNs that have good IP reputation (Tor does not) or let you use residential
IPs (typically, very expensive).


> qsu said:
> Normally, the battery lasts me about 3 days with constant use, and if I leave
> it overnight with the program on at 50%, the phone is black.
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse


Rethink does consume ~5% to ~10% battery in DNS + Firewall mode. It consumes way
less ~1% to ~2% in DNS-only mode.

Another thing to understand is that battery drains are usually a function of
installed apps. At night, it could be that some of the apps are trying to break
past Rethink's firewall and end up draining battery (as keep retrying throughout
the night; see). You can opt force stop (how) such apps before you go to sleep.
Or, relax Rethink's firewall rule-set (for instance, disable pervasive settings
like "Block when device is locked"; ref discussion on r/rethinkdns).
 
 * 

Reactions: AndroidWars and hengkidermawan


B

BIBIKALKA

SENIOR MEMBER

May 14, 2015 1,604 1,222

 * Jan 6, 2024

 * 
 * #142

> ignoramous said:
> ...
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse


Here is a feature request. We are using RethinkDNS to block OTA updates on Fire
devices. The apps that need blocking are the same for all users. The config is
also very much the same. I checked Configure/Settings/[backup+restore] in
RethinkDNS, and it wants to save [app settings, network, and dns logs.] It'd be
nice to save the full config and the app list separately without any logs,
perhaps as a human readable xml file. Then on a new device one would simply
import the xml file, and everything is ready to go without user input. Thoughts?

Here is how the OTA gets blocked via RethinkDNS:



[WINDOWS/LINUX][TOOL]FIRE TOOLBOX V36.1

Fire Toolbox V36.1 All-In-One Toolbox for Fire Tablets! The Fire Toolbox is a
collection of useful ADB (Android Debug Bridge) tweaks that can be applied to
Amazon's Fire Tablets. The Toolbox project aims to help users fully customize...
xdaforums.com

And here is a tweak to add RethinkDNS as VPN via the command line:



[WINDOWS/LINUX][TOOL]FIRE TOOLBOX V36.1

Fire Toolbox V36.1 All-In-One Toolbox for Fire Tablets! The Fire Toolbox is a
collection of useful ADB (Android Debug Bridge) tweaks that can be applied to
Amazon's Fire Tablets. The Toolbox project aims to help users fully customize...
xdaforums.com
 



I

IGNORAMOUS

SENIOR MEMBER


Sep 22, 2012 68 67

 * Jan 21, 2024

 * 
 * #143

> bibikalka said:
> Here is a feature request. We are using RethinkDNS to block OTA updates on
> Fire devices. The apps that need blocking are the same for all users. The
> config is also very much the same. I checked
> Configure/Settings/[backup+restore] in RethinkDNS, and it wants to save [app
> settings, network, and dns logs.] It'd be nice to save the full config and the
> app list separately without any logs, perhaps as a human readable xml file.
> Then on a new device one would simply import the xml file, and everything is
> ready to go without user input. Thoughts?
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

We're working on cross-device backup/restore (though, the logs *will* get
carried over, but also that the restore process will try to apply as many rules
as possible): https://github.com/celzero/rethink-app/issues/757


> bibikalka said:
> Here is how the OTA gets blocked via RethinkDNS:
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse


Ironic. I worked on FireTV and other devices for 5 years at Amazon!
 
 * 

Reactions: bibikalka



DANIELO

SENIOR MEMBER

Aug 16, 2007 250 52 Kosice hdhome.sk Samsung Galaxy S10e

 * Apr 5, 2024

 * 
 * #144

Hello,
I am looking for a firewall that I can install on my son's phone to block the
internet connection for some apps via a mobile network. Rethink seems ok for
this job, but for some reason, it stops working (it becomes disconnected) after
some time and I have to start it again manually in the VPN Android settings or
by simply opening the app. In VPN settings I enabled VPN always on option and
block connections without VPN option. I also turned off battery optimization for
the Rething app. As the application does not have any PIN protection I plan to
use another application to lock this app with a PIN, just to prevent turning it
off by my son. Any idea why Rething becomes disconnected after some time? My son
has a Samsung Galaxy S10e, no rooted with all available updates.

Thanks for any tips/ideas
 




O

ORGSHOOTER

MEMBER

Feb 1, 2008 47 31

 * Apr 5, 2024

 * 
 * #145

Are you using v0.5.5d?
Then you can try v0.5.5c!
 




DANIELO

SENIOR MEMBER

Aug 16, 2007 250 52 Kosice hdhome.sk Samsung Galaxy S10e

 * Apr 5, 2024

 * 
 * #146

> orgshooter said:
> Are you using v0.5.5d?
> Then you can try v0.5.5c!
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

No, I'm on v0.5.5.c
 



I

IGNORAMOUS

SENIOR MEMBER


Sep 22, 2012 68 67

 * Apr 5, 2024

 * 
 * #147

> danielo said:
> As the application does not have any PIN protection I plan to use another
> application to lock this app with a PIN, just to prevent turning it off by my
> son. Any idea why Rething becomes disconnected after some time? My son has a
> Samsung Galaxy S10e, no rooted with all available updates.
> 
> Thanks for any tips/ideas
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

PIN protection is planned (but one can enable "biometric" or "password" based
lock from Configure -> Settings -> Enable app lock).

Rethink on your Android may be crashing. Would you know how to take bugreports?
If so (and if you're comfortable doing so), you can email them to me: mz at
celzero dot com (and please mention this thread).


> orgshooter said:
> Are you using v0.5.5d?
> Then you can try v0.5.5c!
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse


Touche. v055e is imminent
 
 * 

Reactions: Steelskinz



DANIELO

SENIOR MEMBER

Aug 16, 2007 250 52 Kosice hdhome.sk Samsung Galaxy S10e

 * Apr 9, 2024

 * 
 * #148

> ignoramous said:
> PIN protection is planned (but one can enable "biometric" or "password" based
> lock from Configure -> Settings -> Enable app lock).
> 
> Rethink on your Android may be crashing. Would you know how to take
> bugreports? If so (and if you're comfortable doing so), you can email them to
> me: mz at celzero dot com (and please mention this thread).
> 
> 
> 
> Touche. v055e is imminent
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

Hi,

but as only I need to manage this VPN, then I need a separate PIN protection,
not the one from Android security settings like biometric/password. My son uses
those Android settings.

Next time when I find the Rething VPN turned off, I try to get a bug report, so
maybe it will help to nail the problem.
 
 * 

Reactions: ignoramous



J

JUMBO100

SENIOR MEMBER

Jul 21, 2022 1,085 902

 * Apr 11, 2024

 * 
 * #149

FYI

@Datastream33 's Fire Toolbox v34.0 has included RethinkDNS as the
pre-configured default process to block OTA Updates on Amazon Fire tablets. From
the release notes :




LET'S RETHINK THE BLOCKING OF OTA UPDATES

OK, I’ll be the first to admit that the current restriction workaround of
setting the Wi-Fi networks as metered isn’t ideal for a large majority of cases.
It not only prevents HD streaming in some apps, but can slow down downloads and
uploads. So, it would be ideal if we had a different approach, one that just
works for our case? Well luckily for us, @blaacksheep has us covered as usual.
In today’s update, I’m excited to announce that the Toolbox is now capable of
installing and configuring Rethink Dns for tablets running on a restricted
firmware! Huge shoutout to @blaacksheep’s guide, It was a very valuable resource
in getting this thing setup!

Unlike the metered method, Rethink allows us to block connections to Amazon’s
servers, without sacrificing networks speeds. But because Rethink is always
running in the background it will consume some RAM which can impact performance
on tablets with a lower RAM capacity. Despite this, it’s still worth a try if
you’re experiencing issues with the metered method.

The method works by installing Rethink, setting it as an "always on VPN", and
then restoring a settings backup that contains the neccessary rules for
blacklisting connections to Amazon's OTA updates servers, and preventing network
access for the OTA Update system packages.

If you’re interested in trying this method, all you need to do is launch the
Modify System Settings tool, and click the toggle next to OTA Updates (you will
have to revert the Metered method before the Rethink method can be used), and
select Rethink from the new method selection window!



 
Last edited: Apr 11, 2024
 * 

Reactions: ignoramous and blaacksheep


I

IGNORAMOUS

SENIOR MEMBER


Sep 22, 2012 68 67

 * Apr 14, 2024

 * 
 * #150

> The method works by installing Rethink, setting it as an "always on VPN", and
> then restoring a settings backup that contains the neccessary rules for
> blacklisting connections to Amazon's OTA updates servers, and preventing
> network access for the OTA Update system packages.
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse


Also enable "Block connections without VPN" (called the Lockdown mode).

Note that, System Apps (which the FireOS OTA downloader is likely to be) can
bypass even locked-down VPNs.


> Preventing use of other VPN services
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

Rethink does support connecting to SOCKS5 and WireGuard upstreams, but the UI
may not work on TV screens. We will fix UI for TV within the next 6 months.


> Jumbo100 said:
> Let's Rethink the Blocking of OTA Updates
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

Nice!
 
 * 

Reactions: blaacksheep and Jumbo100



BLACKHAWK

SENIOR MEMBER

Jun 23, 2020 15,162 1 6,777 Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

 * Apr 14, 2024

 * 
 * #151

Killer firewall! Excellent
Stock N10+ running on Android 10. It increased my SOT by over 10%. I'm using
Orbot but may not have it set up correctly, currently not using it.
The logging features are great to have on a non rooted device. Fast, efficient
and appears to be doing very well. Hasn't adversely effected functionality or
usability; just a few minor glitches that were fairly easy to correct. A bit of
a learning curve, still playing with it. My first try with it months ago didn't
go well but this time it exceeded my expectations (spent more time playing with
it). This firewall is great for tracking down the power hogs, a very valuable
tool Loving it.

The stats don't lie. SOT was at 8% and now seeing as low as 6% SOT with real
time current draws as low as 50 ma with the high idle peaks knocked down too.
For some reason screen off time isn't being accurately recorded by Accubattey;
it's >.3% an hour. This has improved as well.

*updated this review and it's all good.
 
Last edited: Apr 16, 2024




DAGATA

NEW MEMBER

Apr 28, 2024 1 0

 * Apr 28, 2024

 * 
 * #152

Mod edit - translated by https://translate.google.com/. Oswald Boelcke, Senior
Moderator.
Hello, my name is Dimitar, I am an ordinary user and I do not understand much
about this program. I am using pixel 8 pro, can you please explain how I should
set up the app step by step to be effective for my phone. I currently set it to
always vpn from phone settings. I would be very grateful if you could reply and
teach me how to use the app, thanks! I don't speak English so I use google
translate sorry for that!
*********************************
Здравейте, казвам се Димитър, аз съм обикновен потребител и не разбирам много за
тази програма. Използвам pixel 8 pro, можете ли да обясните как трябва да
настроя приложението стъпка по стъпка, за да бъде ефективно за моя телефон. В
момента го задавам винаги на vpn от настройките на телефона. Ще съм много
благодарен, ако можете да ми отговорите и да ме научите как да използвам
приложението, благодаря! Не говоря английски, така че използвам google translate
съжалявам за това!
 
Last edited by a moderator: May 12, 2024





OSWALD BOELCKE

SENIOR MODERATOR / MODERATOR COMMITTEE

Staff member
Apr 13, 2016 28,408 26 66,990 68 Preserving Air Supremacy over XDA
en.wikipedia.org Samsung Galaxy S III I9300 Asus Transformer TF300T

 * May 12, 2024

 * 
 * #153

> dagata said:
> Mod edit - translated by https://translate.google.com/. Oswald Boelcke, Senior
> Moderator.
> Hello, my name is Dimitar, I am an ordinary user and I do not understand much
> about this program. I am using pixel 8 pro, can you please explain how I
> should set up the app step by step to be effective for my phone. I currently
> set it to always vpn from phone settings. I would be very grateful if you
> could reply and teach me how to use the app, thanks! I don't speak English so
> I use google translate sorry for that!
> *********************************
> Здравейте, казвам се Димитър, аз съм обикновен потребител и не разбирам много
> за тази програма. Използвам pixel 8 pro, можете ли да обясните как трябва да
> настроя приложението стъпка по стъпка, за да бъде ефективно за моя телефон. В
> момента го задавам винаги на vpn от настройките на телефона. Ще съм много
> благодарен, ако можете да ми отговорите и да ме научите как да използвам
> приложението, благодаря! Не говоря английски, така че използвам google
> translate съжалявам за това!
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

Hello and good afternoon, @dagata Welcome to XDA! I hope you'll always get the
support you require and have enjoyable times on our Forums.

However, as a one-time courtesy I've translated your above post. With reference
to rule no. 4 of the XDA Forum Rules, please post in English or add at least an
English translation to your Bulgarian posts.

Spoiler: Rule No. 4
4. Use the English language.
We understand that with all the different nationalities, not everyone speaks
English well, but please try. If you're really unable to post in English, use an
online translator. You're free to include your original message in your own
language, below the English translation. (This rule covers your posts, profile
entries and signature). You could try :- https://translate.google.com/ ,
https://www.babelfish.com/ or https://fanyi.baidu.com/#auto/en or use one of
your choice.

Regards
Oswald Boelcke
Senior Moderator
 
 * 

Reactions: blackhawk


M

MAYBEME2

SENIOR MEMBER

Aug 28, 2015 2,348 755 Google Pixel 5 Moto G 5G

 * May 12, 2024

 * 
 * #154

I am a simple enduser who applauds you for your efforts.
I am unrooted and currently use Netguard VPN and adblock Plus on my phone with
Fairmail for my emails and Duckduckgo for browsing. Though very interested in
privacy I'm really no expert.

So, how does my setup's protection compare with the Rethink protection? Am I
missing an important component?

Thank you.
 




STEELSKINZ

SENIOR MEMBER

Mar 14, 2012 392 65 Lyon

 * May 22, 2024

 * 
 * #155

I only use rethink for DNS settings on child's smartphone but i can't autorun
and pin password the app to prevent change. I see you plan to use global
settings password.

Do you plan to add a custom password for the app ? Would be awesome. Thanks
 



M

MACHINTRUCCHOSE

MEMBER

Feb 19, 2013 24 12

 * Jun 5, 2024

 * 
 * #156

Great app, great featureset. I feel a bit bad since this is pretty much the
equivalent of a premium Netguard for free. I hope M66B/Netguard dev, who's been
serving this need on his own for like a decade, isn't too affected.

Question: does this have Netguard's wide open design flaw where if you reboot
the phone (or it reboots on you, or you run out of battery and have to power it
on, etc etc), there is a time window at startup, just before Rethink launches,
where the firewall is down and all the blocked apps that launch before Rethink
can upload freely?
If you use these firewalls for privacy reasons, then it doesn't matter if
something works 99% of the time, if it lets them upload all the queued spyware
the other 1% of the time.

Question 2: in both Netguard (which I had on my previous phone) and Rethink, I
hoped to mitigate the above flaw by configuring the VPN entry to Always On. But
when I do, Internet stops working completely ((whether Block Connections Without
VPN is checked or not). Why is that? Why can't we have a VPN firewall and not
allow any connections until it's up, like with a real VPN?


Quick feedback:
1. By default all apps are unblocked, and it wasn't obvious to me how to block
them all without doing it one by one (I like to Block All + Whitelist specific
apps). I recommend you give a first-time dialog popup that asks the user what
the initial behavior should be. Those icons/buttons are not obvious.

2. Until I did trial and error I couldn't figure out if "Rethink Plus" meant
that the feature required an upgrade to a paid version. But no, everything seems
to work. Whatever your intentions are, I've been conditioned to believe as a
normal user that "Plus" translates to "unavailable on the free version" so you
gotta improve on the UI messaging.

3. The blocklist list is huge and although you give broad categories there's no
indication how each entry compares to others in its category. A simple ? button
to get a description would be nice.
 





BLACKHAWK

SENIOR MEMBER

Jun 23, 2020 15,162 1 6,777 Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

 * Jun 5, 2024

 * 
 * #157

> MachinTrucChose said:
> Great app, great featureset. I feel a bit bad since this is pretty much the
> equivalent of a premium Netguard for free. I hope M66B/Netguard dev, who's
> been serving this need on his own for like a decade, isn't too affected.
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

Uses less battery, a lot less. I think Rethink's UI is better, great monitoring
setup and the dns log is very handy.


> MachinTrucChose said:
> Question: does this have Netguard's wide open design flaw where if you reboot
> the phone (or it reboots on you, or you run out of battery and have to power
> it on, etc etc), there is a time window at startup, just before Rethink
> launches, where the firewall is down and all the blocked apps that launch
> before Rethink can upload freely?
> If you use these firewalls for privacy reasons, then it doesn't matter if
> something works 99% of the time, if it lets them upload all the queued spyware
> the other 1% of the time.
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

I've rebooted and done cold reboots dozens of times with no issues as long as
the firewall is set to run on start. Stuff would slip by Karma Firewall so I
needed to put it in airplane mode before reboot. I haven't seen Rethink let any
of my pesky apps get through... and they try like all hell at startup.

For a stock phone it doesn't get any better. Rethink is using a similar amount
of battery as Karma which is easy on the power. Rethink enabled me to track down
and shutdown dozens of trouble makers with relatively little effort.
 



M

MACHINTRUCCHOSE

MEMBER

Feb 19, 2013 24 12

 * Jun 5, 2024

 * 
 * #158

> blackhawk said:
> I've rebooted and done cold reboots dozens of times with no issues as long as
> the firewall is set to run on start.
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse


Your firewall is set to run at startup, but so are many of the apps you want to
block. How do you know the apps are not uploading at startup if they launch
before Rethink?

I set up Swiftkey (keyboard app) once and blocked it permanently in Netguard.
Then after a few months, in Settings -> Mobile Data I saw it had used 500KB
data. That means Microsoft successfully received grabbed all my typing data from
all those months.

It doesn't matter if you block it for 1 year or 10 years, all it needs is a
window of 1 second of unblocked Internet at startup to upload and all your
efforts have been pointless.

I would sure like a Rethink developer to answer this. There's no point to using
Rethink for privacy if this flaw exists, it could only serve as an adblocker.
People shouldn't be given the false illusion of privacy.
 




BLACKHAWK

SENIOR MEMBER

Jun 23, 2020 15,162 1 6,777 Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

 * Jun 5, 2024

 * 
 * #159

> MachinTrucChose said:
> Your firewall is set to run at startup, but so are many of the apps you want
> to block. How do you know the apps are not uploading at startup if they launch
> before Rethink?
> 
> I set up Swiftkey (keyboard app) once and blocked it permanently in Netguard.
> Then after a few months, in Settings -> Mobile Data I saw it had used 500KB
> data. That means Microsoft successfully received grabbed all my typing data
> from all those months.
> 
> It doesn't matter if you block it for 1 year or 10 years, all it needs is a
> window of 1 second of unblocked Internet at startup to upload and all your
> efforts have been pointless.
> 
> I would sure like a Rethink developer to answer this. There's no point to
> using Rethink for privacy if this flaw exists, it could only serve as an
> adblocker. People shouldn't be given the false illusion of privacy.
> Click to expand...
> Click to collapse

If that really concerns you disable the offending apps!
Or put into airplane mode before rebooting.
Auto reboots aren't needed and a properly set up Android does not crash or self
reboot. Personally I'm not losing sleep over this.

It's an interesting question though. Can you set start up that priority as a
coder on a 3rd party app?


In Autostarts Rethink is listed as run after startup. It's pretty high of the
list but not on top (if that's the actual sequence). It's about 2 dozen down
(not shown in this screenshot).


There's a few trash apps above it.

 



M

MACHINTRUCCHOSE

MEMBER

Feb 19, 2013 24 12

 * Jun 8, 2024

 * 
 * #160

>If that really concerns you disable the offending apps!

If this is the solution, then what's the point of using Rethink for privacy
reasons? (which is a benefit Rethink advertises)
If I trusted every application I ran, I wouldn't need Rethink. If this was a
GrapheneOS phone running apps exclusively off F-Droid, I wouldn't need a
firewall.
I use a firewall because I try to get the best deal in the eternal sacrifice
between usability and privacy. I have to use spyware apps to make the most of my
phone, a robust firewall allows me to neuter all the downsides of those apps, so
I try to get the best outcome for myself.

>Or put into airplane mode before rebooting

What happens if a bug causes an app to drain the battery while you're talking a
shower?
What if your girlfriend bumps into your bedstand at night and this accidentally
unplugs your phone from the charger and the battery empties by morning?
What happens if you get so lost looking at photos of Suchar Pinchai that you
don't pay attention to the battery creeping to 0% during your furious
masturbation session?
Can you guarantee none of this will happen for all the years you'll keep your
phone?
And of course, you're wrong about Android phones not crashing. I didn't imagine
the 3 crashes I had on my previous phone.

Look, I think you're way too optimistic (naive) to be able to give good advice
on privacy issues. I appreciate that you're trying to help, and I'd buy you a
beer if I met you, but no one who cares about privacy should follow your advice.
It's downright dangerous.

Btw, the order of apps in Autostarts is probably meaningless. If it's like
regular Linux, it's just the order in which launcher scripts are called. Each
started app then needs some time until it's fully operational (varies depending
on the app, the code it executes at startup, the libraries it loads, etc), so by
the time Rethink is blocking new connections, an app listed after it might
already have launched and sent its data.

The only people who can answer my initial question are devs, or people who have
good test setups (not me).
 



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TOP LIKED POSTS

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 * There are no posts matching your filters.
 * 27
   I
   ignoramous
   
   
   
   Rethink DNS + Firewall + VPN is an anti-internet censorship tool with
   WireGuard VPN, DNS-based adblocking, and a no-root firewall for Android 6+
   devices.
   
   The app itself is free to use and comes with Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN
   (previous name BraveDNS) resolver with support custom denylists, allowlists,
   ability to store DNS logs for later analysis, view those logs consolidated
   from multiple devices in a single interface and so on: Pretty much a pi-hole
   in the cloud.
   
   Why'd we build this?
   
   As concerned Android users: It absolutely irks us that people who do care
   enough about privacy still couldn't use privacy-enhancing apps without
   requiring a degree in computer science. We saw this pattern unfold multiple
   times and a lot of tools over the years have done a tremendous job of making
   niche security tools accessible to naive users. We wanted to further that
   conversation on Android with a vision for what we think such a tool should
   look like:
   
   1. Anti-censorship: Enable open internet. DNS over HTTPS (and the imminent
   ESNI standard) is going to effectively break censorship as implemented in a
   lot of countries without requiring to route the traffic through VPNs. VPNs
   (and distributed tech like IPFS and mesh networks like Lantern) are still
   required in countries that employ Deep Packet Inspection. That's something
   we'd like to tackle in the near future.
   
   2. Anti-surveillance: Expose apps, their activity logs, network logs, and
   provide some actionable insights to the users on what they could do next.
   Exodus Privacy does a good job at statically analyzing an app and laying bare
   the trackers and permissions in-use, whilst the evergreen NetGuard does
   ever-so-well in revealing an app's connectivity history. We believe, there's
   a lot more that can be done than simply firewall an app: For instance, you
   could disable it, uninstall it, remove its permissions, remove the so-called
   special permissions (like read notification permission, read SMS permission,
   read app-usage statistics permission etc). Basically, empower the user with
   whatever control is available without-root in a neat little interface (think
   CleanMaster vs using the stock Settings app but being actually effective and
   not lie).
   
   The current version of Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN is a start in the
   direction laid out above partly because we want such an app ourselves and
   partly because we feel people deserve more such tools, and we hope to build
   it with this community's input, because god knows we have been wrong plenty
   when it comes to "what people really want".
   
   As privacy enthusiasts: We were frustrated that if we wanted to use NetGuard
   we couldn't use another VPN app, or if we wanted to use a DNS changer like
   Blokada then we couldn't use NetGuard (though, NetGuard + Private DNS feature
   alleviates the problem on Android 9+). We wanted something that wasn't as
   restrictive because we knew it could be built and so we did.
   
   Key points:
   0. WireGuard VPN support.
   1. Easy configuration.
   2. No root required.
   3. Free and open source (forked from Intra).
   4. No built-in trackers or analytics.
   5. In continuous development.
   
   Current features:
   1. DNS over HTTPS (circumvent censorship and prevent surveillance of DNS logs
   by ISPs and everyone else), DNSCrypt v2 with Anonymized Relays, and DNS over
   Tor.
   2. View DNS logs, including latencies and other metadata.
   3. Ad-block through RethinkDNS (previous name: BraveDNS) free resolver and
   local blocklists.
   4. Add your own DNS over HTTPS / DNSCrypt v2 servers.
   5. Firewall by app categories.
   6. Firewall individual apps.
   7. Firewall individual IP addresses.
   8. Firewall when apps are in the background (not-in-active-use).
   9. Firewall when device is locked.
   10. Forward DNS and TCP connections to Orbot (Tor as a proxy).
   11. Forward HTTP connections to any HTTP proxy.
   12. Forward TCP connections to any SOCKS5 endpoint or to Orbot.
   13. Forward DNS connections to any app running locally on-device or any
   endpoint (either local or on the Internet).
   14. [v053g / Sep '21] Firewall when apps bypass DNS (for example, block
   connections to IPs that apps resolve themselves).
   15. [v053g / Sep '21] Pause: Pause the Firewall and DNS for a brief
   time-period.
   16. [v053g / Sep '21] DNS Trap: Proxy all requests made on Port 53 to
   user-set DNS endpoint (for instance, this traps and redirects all custom DNS
   requests WhatsApp sends to Google's `8.8.8.8` DNS servers to the DNS endpoint
   of a user's choice).
   17. [v053i / Jul '22] IPv6 support.
   18. [v053i / Jul '22] Firewall based on metered (LTE) or unmetered connection
   (Wifi).
   19. [0v54 / Apr '23] Custom DNS allowlists/denylists.
   20. [v055 / Aug '23] Multi- WireGuard VPN integration.
   21. [v055a / Sep '23] IPv6 support for WireGuard.
   22. [v055b / Mar '23] Oblivious DNS over HTTPS support.
   23. [v055b / Mar '23] Bandwidth usage reports.
   
   Planned (in no particular order):
   1. Per-app DNS and VPN (route traffic to multiple VPNs / DNS based on which
   app is making those connections).
   2. Import popular domain blocklists.
   3. Bandwidth usage and control.
   4. Redesign: Material You.
   5. Android TV support.
   6. HTTPS filtering.
   
   See: github/celzero/rethink-app/feature-backlog.
   
   We can't emphasize this enough: Let us know what you'd like to see us build
   and more importantly that'd make this tool use-able for other Android users
   who care enough but aren't as tech-savvy.
   
   If you'd like to contribute, please feel free to send pull requests our way.
   
   Thanks.
   
   ---
   
   Source: github/celzero/rethink-app
   Website: rethinkfirewall.com
   Blog: blog.rethinkdns.com
   Twitter: twitter.com/rethinkdns
   FAQ: rethinkdns.com/faq
   License: Apache 2.0
   
   Download: via RethinkDNS.com | PlayStore | F-Droid.
   
   ---
   
   
   
   Aug 8, 2020 View
   3
   I
   ignoramous
   > lenny64 said:
   > a feature planned to add your own VPN, for example for public networks?
   > Click to expand...
   > Click to collapse
   
   
   Not our own VPN service, but yes, you'd be able to connect to any upstream
   WireGuard endpoint (not OpenVPN as it's too complex).
   
   In fact we just completed making changes to our network engine to support
   that (commit). Only UI work is pending (which is a lot of work), which I
   expect to be finished in about 2 to 4 weeks.
   
   Mar 21, 2023 View
   3
   letmedanz
   Thanks. Nice work.
   Unfortunately, it usually comes down to firewall or VPN
   
   Would love to see what you guys do (if at all) to allow third party VPNs
   
   Aug 29, 2020 View
   2
   C
   celestialspring
   > gemlion said:
   > I am a little bit stuck here. Had to reinstall RethinkDNS app while
   > Always-On VPN was active. Due uninstalling the VPN profile was gone. But
   > now RethinkDNS thinks the profile is still there and active. I cannot start
   > RethinkDNS and get the error "Always-On VPN active. Do you really want to
   > stop?" or something like that.
   > 
   > Any idea how to solve this and start the connection?
   > 
   > Best regards and thanks for this great app/service.
   > Click to expand...
   > Click to collapse
   
   Try their telegram group for more responses.
   
   Nov 18, 2022 View
   2
   I
   ignoramous
   > innocuous said:
   > How is this different from adguard?
   > Click to expand...
   > Click to collapse
   
   
   Haven't used AdGuard but likely AdGuard is a very advanced ad-blocker. Our
   aim with BraveDNS is to give users control over their Android devices,
   starting with connectivity. Being able to Firewall apps, IPs, endpoints,
   ports and so on. We aren't focused on adblocking, per se.
   
   We are more in line with Little Snitch and LuLu Firewall than AdGuard.
   
   
   > 73sydney said:
   > Using a VPN method to firewall on a rooted device is a no from me (i can
   > totally understand if you use this to increase your userbase to non-root
   > users, but thats not for me), ill stick with Invisible (for DNSCrypt & its
   > ability to load my 19Mb blacklist) and my root firewall for now.
   > Click to expand...
   > Click to collapse
   
   
   Gotcha. We are focused exclusively on no-root crowd for now. If there's
   enough ask, may be we implement an AfWall clone, it won't take us long to do
   so. I've noted your request on our GitHub.
   
   
   > chaoszero112 said:
   > Really need to change the name.
   > 
   > Brave = Brave Browser
   > 
   > A lot of people are going to assume it's a VPN by Brave.
   > 
   > It's like calling it FirefoxVPN.
   > Click to expand...
   > Click to collapse
   
   
   Thanks. I cannot see why it is confusing since Brave Software Inc isn't in
   the DNS business? Is it because of "VPN"? But, we don't use the words "VPN"
   in our branding.
   
   We do make it abundantly clear on our website and in the app who we are,
   where we are from, why we built this.
   
   Please let me know if we need to do more to inform the users. I'm not in the
   business of tricking anyone or blindsiding anyone. We really want to be as
   honest and as transparent as possible. Thanks.
   
   Aug 30, 2020 View


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