How to install VPN app on Android/iOS by link?

huwp

Central allows creation of shareable links to install subscribed apps on mobile devices.

The "Protection" app for mobile installs, and is automatically assigned to the Central subscription. ✓

The "VPN" app for mobile installs, but is NOT automatically assigned to the Central subscription: the user is asked for the Central admin email and password - which cannot be shared for security purposes.

Is installing VPN using Central broken?

Alexandru_BD

Hello @huwp,

Is the mobile device located in the same country?

If you send invites to someone from another country, or if the person trying to use the install link is connected to a VPN in another country, the link won't work and they will be prompted to enter the main Central account credentials.

This happens because a login attempt from another country can be a sign of suspicious activity, so the login security measures in place will be triggered if someone abroad is trying to use an install link coming from your account.

The following articles may be relevant:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/7090/

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/7091/

Regards,

Alex

huwp

All the devices are in the same country. It seems the new VPN app has no ability to be registered by the share link.

Alexandru_BD

@huwp do you have a VPN already installed on that mobile device?

kathyt

It seems like there might be a glitch or issue with the VPN app installation process through Central. While the "Protection" app smoothly installs and automatically gets assigned to the Central subscription, the VPN app prompts users for the Central admin email and password, which shouldn't be required for security reasons.

It's possible that there's a misconfiguration or a bug in the installation process specifically for the VPN app. This could be causing the unexpected request for sensitive credentials.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @kathyt,

Do you encounter this behavior when installing the VPN on other devices covered by the subscription/license in your Central account? The VPN is installed alongside the antivirus, so normally if the protection could be successfully installed on those devices, it should be available. Central has a couple of layers of protection against unauthorized use and these could be triggered in specific scenarios. There is a limit on how many autologins you can do in a certain period of time, and you can only autologin from the country where the Central account was created. So, if you send invites to someone from another country, or if the person trying to use the install link is connected to a VPN in another country, the link won't work and they will be prompted to enter the main Central account credentials.

This happens because multi-user home solutions are intended to be installed on devices that belong to the same household, and because a login attempt from another country can be a sign of suspicious activity, so the login security measures in place will be triggered if someone abroad is trying to use an install link coming from your account. These restrictions also have the purpose to deter unfair usage and unauthorized resale of license slots.

Of course, this is just an assumption based on the information available so far. For an accurate diagnosis, more details are required. I think this behavior should be reported to the Bitdefender Support teams as well. If you haven't done this already, you can use the link below to get in touch with them to further investigate:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/help/

Let us know how it goes.

Best regards and Happy New Year!

Alex

huwp

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/331687#Comment_331687

This is when no VPN is present, and this issue happens on both iPhone and Android, on local WiFi and other networks.

Alexandru_BD

Hi,

Ok, this looks like something the Support teams should check. I suspect it's isolated, but please get in touch with the Bitdefender engineers using the link below:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/help/

Choose from the available contact channels, chat, phone and email/ticket. Chat would be the fastest way to reach them.

Please do share your findings with the community, so we can help other users that may encounter this specific issue in the future.

Regards,

Alex