What to do if you can’t connect to Session in your region

Secure messengers like Session provide a safe and trusted space for people to communicate online. These are important digital tools for protecting the rights of all peoples to their privacy, security, safety, freedoms of opinions, expression, association, and peaceful assembly. 

However, access to tools intended to protect digital rights may be suppressed using techniques such as internet shutdowns and network level firewalls. This may result in users in different regions having difficulty accessing Session. This typically occurs when internet service providers (ISPs) block connections to nodes on the Session Network. 

How do I know if my device is unable to connect to the Session Network? 

If your device is unable to connect to Session nodes, you may have difficulty sending and receiving messages on Session. You may also see a yellow or red dot next to “Path” in your Session settings that indicates a limited or failed connection to the network. When you attempt to send messages, you may see an error message saying that the message could not be sent. You may also fail to receive messages and notifications from your contacts. 

How does Session’s connection process work?

Session operates through a decentralized network of over 1,500 community-operated nodes distributed across more than 50 countries. When Session starts, it connects to a seed node to get a list of active Session Nodes. Session then establishes an onion route through 3 randomly selected nodes and uses this path to send and receive encrypted messages to protect user privacy. However, in some regions, ISPs may block access to Session's seed nodes (initial connection points) or the IP addresses of Session nodes themselves.

If any step is blocked, Session cannot function properly. The app will continue trying to establish new paths if nodes become unreachable, but if access to the broader network is blocked, manual intervention through VPN or network configuration may be necessary.

What should I do if Session isn’t able to connect in my region? 

While network connectivity issues vary from location to location, some users in affected regions may still be able to successfully access Session and send and receive messages by experimenting with the following steps.

1. Use Session with a VPN

By using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), you may be able to bypass ISP-level blocks and connect to Session nodes through an alternative network path. When you use a VPN:

• Your VPN provider routes your connection via their servers to the Session Node network on your behalf, rather than your device connecting to nodes in the Session network directly

• By choosing VPN servers in countries which do not block access to the Session network you may be able to access the Session network despite local ISP restrictions 

To use Session with a VPN:

• Choose a reputable VPN service and install their application

• Connect to a VPN server in a country where Session is not blocked

• Once your VPN connection is established, open Session

• The app should now be able to connect to the Session Network through your VPN tunnel

What should I do if my VPN stops working? 

VPN connections may become unreliable over time. A VPN server or service that works today might stop working in the future if the VPN server addresses are blocked. If your previously working VPN stops allowing Session connections, here’s what you can try: 

• Try switching to a different VPN server location

• Consider trying a different VPN provider

• Look for VPN services that use advanced obfuscation features designed to bypass active network level blocking

2. Adjust Your Network Settings

Sometimes connectivity issues can be resolved by adjusting your local network configuration. It's important to understand that connection problems aren't always due to country-wide blocking of Session. In many cases, your internet provider may restrict certain types of traffic or ports, which can interfere with Session's ability to connect to its network nodes.

First, check app permissions (for mobile devices). Before troubleshooting network issues, ensure Session has the necessary permissions to access the internet. These may reset when you update the app and need to be reconfigured.

Try switching networks:

• If you're on Wi-Fi, try switching to mobile data

• If you're on mobile data, try connecting to Wi-Fi

• Try different Wi-Fi networks if available (home, work, public)

This can help you determine whether the issue is specific to your current network or ISP. Different networks often have different traffic management policies, and what's blocked on one network might work perfectly on another.

You can also check your firewall settings. Your device's firewall could also be blocking Session's connection attempts. Session needs to be able to make outbound connections to multiple nodes. You may need to add Session as an exception in your firewall settings.

If I can’t connect to Session, does it mean the app isn’t working?

If you are having connectivity issues with Session, it doesn’t mean that the app isn’t working or that there are issues with the Session Network itself. Session's decentralized architecture means that even if some nodes are blocked, the network continues to function through other nodes. However, if the connectivity issue is due to the region you are located in, you may need to try the steps above to restore access to Session. 

If I can’t connect to Session, does it mean that Session has blocked users connecting from my region?

No. Session as a platform cannot block users based on their location. Here's why:

No central control. Session's network consists of thousands of independent nodes operated by community members worldwide. There's no central authority that could implement or enforce region-wide blocks

Network resilience. Even if some individual node operators chose to block certain IP addresses, you would still be able to connect through other nodes that don't implement such blocks

Decentralization. For a regional block to be effective at the network level, virtually all nodes would need to coordinate and agree to block the same regions, which is highly unlikely to happen in a decentralized system.

When you experience connectivity issues, it's typically because:

• Access to Session nodes is blocked at the network level in your region or by your ISP

• Local firewalls or network restrictions are preventing connections

• The initial seed nodes that help you discover the network have been blocked in your region

Will future releases of Session contain solutions for region-specific blocking? 

In future, Session contributors plan to explore methods to maintain connectivity across different network environments and regional variations, ensuring you have a safe and secure way to communicate wherever you are. If you are in an affected region, you are invited to share updates about the accessibility and reliability of Session, local patterns of use, and techniques to restore connectivity that are currently known to work in your region via this survey.