Latest Vivaldi Android snapshot update brings ProtonVPN to the browser

The latest snapshot (beta) update to Vivaldi brings a bunch of user-facing changes and one major new feature. The changelog also features various bug fixes and stability improvements.

Vivaldi officially published the entire list of changes in a blog post, but since the changelog is quite lengthy, we’ve attached a snippet of it below.

Immediately after updating, I looked for the new ProtonVPN feature that was advertised. Just tap on the Vivaldi logo at the top-right, and select the “VPN” option from the dropdown menu.

It’ll show a screen that says “ProtonVPN initializing…” and after this, you’ll be asked to sign in with a Vivaldi/Proton account to use the feature. You cannot use the VPN feature without signing in with an account.

Furthermore, you have to agree to share your email address with Proton in order to use the VPN. Once you’re done with the account creation/sign-in process, you can finally access the VPN.

While the VPN is technically “free” to use, several features are hidden behind a paywall. You cannot even select the country of your choice without paying for a subscription. The only feature you get without paying is a free VPN that connects to a random location/server.

You have a “Change server” option, but that doesn’t let you pick a country of your choice. It just shuffles the country to whatever it wants. Thankfully, it always auto-connects to the supposedly ‘fastest’ country.

Other features such as “Secure Core” and “Split tunneling” are also locked behind the subscription. Auto connect, WebRTC leak protection, and Notifications are enabled by default (and are free).

If you’re interested in buying the subscription service, we’ve attached a screenshot of the plans below.

While the VPN is the headline new feature, the update also brings some other fixes:

1. “Add the Vivaldi search widget” prompt appears when opening the Chrome Web Store from the extensions menu.
2. Fixed an issue with some extensions not working in Private Tabs.
3. The “To exit full screen” notice used to stay on for 10 full seconds instead of around 4.
4. Long-pressing a link that had a very long address/URL used to freeze the browser.
5. Various issues with crashing, such as a crash when switching out from private tab groups, and tapping “Add tab to stack.”
6. Various Regressions were fixed, including crashes on Android, keyboard-related issues, tab-switching problems, and more.
7. Chromium update to 154.0.8035.0.

Note: Vivaldi snapshot updates are not public releases and are intended for developers and testers. Since they’re meant to preview and test upcoming features, there’s a chance of stability issues in daily use.

While the list above covers most important changes, you can view the entire changelog here, and if you’re interested in trying out the snapshot version, it’s on the Play Store.

It appears that Vivaldi is gearing up to release a feature-packed stable update soon. A recent snapshot version on Android added a feature that lets you copy a clean link without all of the clutter and trackers at the end of it. More on that here.

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