Eddie Android Edition 2.3 released

[Staff 9973]

Hello!
 
We're glad to inform you that we have released Eddie Android edition 2.3.
 

Eddie Android Edition 2.3 is available on the Google Play Store as well as Amazon Appstore.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.airvpn.eddie
https://www.amazon.com/Eddie-AirVPN-official-OpenVPN-GUI/dp/B07KTD6DH9


You can also download Eddie Android 2.3 apk directly from our repository:
https://eddie.website/repository/eddie/android/2.3/org.airvpn.eddie.apk
 

Available languages: Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Turkish.

Source is code available on GitLab:
https://gitlab.com/AirVPN/EddieAndroid/

Eddie for Android is free and open source software released under GPLv3. We invite you to check from independent 3rd parties the lack of trackers code signatures, for example here: https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/search/org.airvpn.eddie

 

New in version 2.3:

• Disabled data backup on uninstall
• Server statistics shown in Favorite/Forbidden/Countries & Servers groups
• Logout drops user credentials
• Native library updated to the latest openvpn3, lz4, mbedtls and asio commits
• Minor bug fixes
• See changelog at the end of this post for a complete list 

Main features:

• Free and open source OpenVPN GUI based on OpenVPN 3
• The only Android application officially developed by AirVPN
• Robust, best effort prevention of traffic leaks outside the VPN tunnel
• Battery-conscious application
• Low RAM footprint
• Ergonomic and friendly interface
• Ability to start and connect the application at device boot
• Option to define which apps must have traffic inside or outside the VPN tunnel through white and black list
• Localization in simplified and traditional Chinese, Danish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish
• Full integration with AirVPN
• Enhanced security thanks to locally stored encrypted data through master password
• Quick one-tap connection and smart, fully automated server selection
• Smart server selection with custom settings
• Manual server selection
• Smart attempts to bypass OpenVPN blocks featuring protocol and server fail-over
• Full Android TV compatibility including D-Pad support. Mouse emulation is not required.
• Enhancements aimed to increase accessibility and comfort to visually impaired persons
• AirVPN servers sorting options
• Customizable "Favorite" and "Forbidden" servers and countries
• OpenVPN mimetype support to import profiles from external applications
• Multiple OpenVPN profile support. The app now imports and manages multiple OpenVPN profiles
• Support for custom bootstrap servers
• Support for favorite and forbidden countries
• AirVPN broadcast messages support
• User's subscription expiration date is shown in login/connection information
• The app is aware of concurrent VPN use. In case another app is granted VPN access, Eddie acts accordingly and releases VPN resources
• Optional local networks access. In such case, local network devices are exempted from the VPN and can be accessed within the local devices
• Localization override. User can choose the default language and localization from one of the available ones
• Favorite and forbidden lists can be emptied with a single tap
• VPN Lock can now be disabled or enabled from settings
• VPN reconnection in case of unexpected OpenVPN disconnection. (It requires VPN Lock to be disabled)
• User can generate an OpenVPN profile for any AirVPN server or country and save it in OpenVPN profile manager
• Server scoring algorithm implementing the latest AirVPN balancing factors in order to determine the best server for quick connection
• Network name and extra information are shown along with network type
• Device network status management

Kind regards & datalove
AirVPN Staff

Complete changelog available here:
https://gitlab.com/AirVPN/EddieAndroid/blob/master/ChangeLog.txt

Changelog 2.3 (VC 23) - Release date: 02 July 2019 by ProMIND

[ProMIND]
- Updated default manifest
- Updated native library
- AES-256-GCM is now the default cipher
- Language override reported to the log
- Improved connection error handling
- Added statistics in server tab
- Minor bug fixes

Changelog 2.3 beta 2 (VC 22) - Release date: 27 June 2019 by ProMIND

- [ProMIND] About page and webview function now point to https://airvpn.org
- [ProMIND] Updated native library with the latest sub-project branches and releases

AirVPNUser.java
- [ProMIND] getOpenVPNProfile(): AES-256-GCM is now the default cipher

MainActivity.java
- [ProMIND] Language override is reported to the application log

OpenVPNTunnel.java
- [ProMIND] improved connection error handling
- [ProMIND] removed doRun() method. Method's body moved to run()

VPN.java
- [ProMIND] Added CONNECTION_ERROR to Status enum

VPNService.java
- [ProMIND] Added method handleConnectionError()

Changelog 2.3 beta 1 (VC 21) - Release date: 17 May 2019 by ProMIND

AndroidManifest.xml
- [ProMIND] set android:allowBackup and android:fullBackupOnly to false

airvpn_server_listview_group_item.xml
- [ProMIND] added server statistics layout

ConnectAirVPNServerFragment.java
- [ProMIND] AirVPNServerExpandableListAdapter.GroupListViewHolder: added server statistics items
- [ProMIND] AirVPNServerExpandableListAdapter.getGroupView(): added server statistics items to HEADER and GROUP types
- [ProMIND] createGroupList(): compute server statistics for HEADER and GROUP types

AirVPNUser.java
- [ProMIND] getUserLocation(): set connection timeout to SupportTools.HTTP_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT
- [ProMIND] getUserLocation(): set read timeout to SupportTools.HTTP_READ_TIMEOUT
- [ProMIND] logout(): user name, password and current profile are set to empty and forgetAirVPNCredentials() is called


native library
- [ProMIND] updated to the latest openvpn3, lz4, mbedtls and asio commits

manifest.xml
- [ProMIND] updated to the latest document

[Guest]

This application is pretty good now, however wanted to leave some feedback:

1: Still no quick settings toggle - It would be nice to be able to connect/disconnect to the VPN via a single tap in the quick settings.

2: Remember master password - I should be able to choose how long to 'remember' the master password for - either never, for a set duration, for the session etc, could help with quick settings so you don't have to input that after the application crashes/exists.

3: No auto recovery - often times the app can get into 'weird' states where it thinks it's connected but is not (which is quite frequent) and so I need to DC then RC, which is okay but again, it's cumbersome to have to open the app (and sometimes, I need to enter the master password first).

4: Finger print - whilst the master password is nice to have, it'd be nice to integrate the fingerprint sensor into this master password, since the keyboard doesn't auto appear (need to tap the text input field) and having to write anything is cumbersome, a finger print is quicker and easier.

5: Expanding on this - maybe you can finger print the 'app' itself, some apps do this as authentication, but I'm not sure how things are encrypted with master password and whether that'd 'work', but as I believe I previously left feedback for the master password is great, but sometimes not ideal at times.

6: Reduce the need to ever open the app - it'd be nice to think about every scenario where the user needs to open the app itself - OpenVPN for Android is great in that once it's setup, you really do never need to open the app again. This is what I want/expect from a VPN, the application once configured should never need to be touched. Eddie for desktop works the same (starts on boot up, then connects, then you forget, I hardly need to ever open the UI).

7: Remove the 'ping' to IPleak.net - this may not 'seem' like a big deal, but transparency would be nice regarding which IP's and domains the application communicates with OUTSIDE of the tunnel. Obviously you have the IPs detailed in the manifest for login (which has to work outside the tunnel, which is visible to ISPs since they're not done over TLS) but the connection to IPleak.net is simply not required for the application to function. Being up front about this, and being able to disable it would be great. Even the smallest trace of 'metadata' leaking can be against someone's threat model, and every single untunneled communication that the user cannot control needs to be detailed.

(Which raises the question, in Android I select 'block connections without VPN' yet somehow you're able to authenticate and communicate with IPleak.net, how? I guess since the app registers itself as a VPN Android ignores the setting and allows the connections through?)

Other than this, the app still remains lightning fast and is stable and reliable enough that even with the small niggles remains superior to OpenVPN for Android, PROMind has done a great job.

[Staff 9973]

@💩💩💩
Thank you for your feedback!

We will consider seriously your suggestions.

About point 2, however, that would not be a master password, but something mainly useless. Maybe an option that could meet your needs is simply disabling the Master Password, but that affects security just like your proposal. Letting the user to opt-out from the MP seems the only reasonable way (i.e. the user deliberately and freely renounces to a security feature).

About point 7: yes, the app is authorized by Android system. Remember that the Android system option you mention is not strictly meant to prevent any POSSIBLE leak outside a VPN tunnel, but to mitigate them by restricting comms to registered apps only. Also, your ISP sees the IP addresses your system contacts to connect to a VPN, over TLS or not, with Eddie or not.

By the way, we don't think that Eddie pings at any time ipleak.net (we will check with ProMind) and when the network is in lock state (by Eddie) the app can't access anything, including ipleak.net. Remember in any case that ipleak.net is controlled by airvpn.org. Connection to it is very important to let the app understand what the best server to connect to can potentially be, as we can't use "ping" in any way to determine round trip times.

Quote

Other than this, the app still remains lightning fast and is stable and reliable enough that even with the small niggles remains superior to OpenVPN for Android, PROMind has done a great job.

That's a great feedback, thank you!

Kind regards

[air521745 2]

Any idea on when it will be available on F-Droid?

[Staff 9973]

@air521745

We're sorry, the plan to make it available on F-Droid has been dropped.

Kind regards
 

[OpenSourcerer 1435]

I am interested in hosting a (temporary?) F-Droid compatible repository but there is no build how-to for Android. The FAQ entry says Under Contruction.
Problem with that interest is that, while we can aim for something like a reproducible build, the signing key will be a different one, so the official version and anything I would build would be incompatible. Well, that's kind of what F-Droid does, anyway, so I can imagine this being one of the reasons why F-Droid support has been dropped.

[Staff 9973]

3 hours ago, giganerd said:

I am interested in hosting a (temporary?) F-Droid compatible repository but there is no build how-to for Android. The FAQ entry says Under Contruction.
Problem with that interest is that, while we can aim for something like a reproducible build, the signing key will be a different one, so the official version and anything I would build would be incompatible. Well, that's kind of what F-Droid does, anyway, so I can imagine this being one of the reasons why F-Droid support has been dropped.

Updated. Please see https://gitlab.com/AirVPN/EddieAndroid/ and feel free to contact us if you have problems to build it.

Kind regards
 

[OpenSourcerer 1435]

Actually, I just went through everything and setting up an F-Droid repository is as easy as copying your built apk to some webspace and issue one command.. so one doesn't have to build it at all.
Unless you want a nightly repo, then things get much more involved. Which I will probably do for the lulz.

Nevertheless, I successfully built Eddie for Android and that is also as easy as importing the git with Android Studio and Build > Build APKs... > Release.apk. Fine work there.