Problems caused by using a Restricted Mode profile

The owners of phones, tablets, or TVs running the Android 7+ operating system might face the problem caused by using a profile with Restricted Mode. If you have such a profile, AdGuard, like other applications that use VPN, gets restrictions on selective filtering of VPN traffic. As a result, AdGuard cannot launch protection in a local VPN mode. Also, one of the reasons for this situation may be using Dual app/Dual messenger profile on your device. Below are described the recommendations that you can apply when this problem occurs.

Solutions

You have three ways to solve the issue:

Option 1: Grant permissions to AdGuard using ADB

Please note, that this approach is available starting from AdGuard v3.5 nightly 6. If you're using an older version, you can get the nightly version here.

  1. Activate the developer mode and enable USB debugging:
    • Open the Settings application on your phone;
    • Go to System section (last item in the settings menu). In this section find sub-item About phone;
    • Click on the Build number line 7 times. After that, you will receive a notification that You are now a developer (If necessary, enter an unlock code for the device);
    • Open System Settings > Developer Options > Scroll down and enable USB debugging > Confirm debugging is enabled in the window Allow USB debugging after reading the warning carefully.

If you have any difficulties or additional questions, full instructions can be found here.

  1. Install and configure adb;

    On the Windows platform, Samsung owners may need to install this utility.

  2. Connect your device using a USB cable to the computer or laptop on which you installed ADB;
  3. Open the command line on your PC:
    • Cmd.exe if you are using Windows;
    • Terminal if you are using macOS;
  4. Enter the command adb shell pm grant com.adguard.android android.permission.INTERACT_ACROSS_USERS and press Enter.

Option 2: Remove restricted user account

About how to manage user accounts from an Android device you can find here.

Please note, that in some cases restricted user accounts are created implicitly and cannot be removed. For instance, when you use Dual messenger or Dual app features on Samsung or LG devices. You can read below how to fix the issue in these cases.

Option 3: Use AdGuard in Local HTTP proxy mode (requires root)

To enable this mode open AdGuard Settings > Network > Filtering method > Local HTTP proxy

LG and Samsung devices

Owners of LG or Samsung phones may also encounter a similar issue. It can be caused by using Dual app/Dual messenger function (which automatically creates a restricted profile).
To solve this issue, you need to disable this feature.

Samsung

  • Open Settings;
  • Press Advanced;
  • Scroll down, and then press Dual messenger;
  • Disable the Dual messenger for all applications;
  • Lock the device for 5 minutes;
  • Unlock the screen and try again to create the VPN profile.

LG

  • Open Settings;
  • Choose General tab;
  • Scroll down, and then press Dual app;
  • Remove all applications from the list;
  • Reboot your device.