What are known issues with the current version of NymVPN?

Below is a list of known issues currently affecting NymVPN, and what you can do to fix them.

Daemon & startup issues

"Entry server not responding or responding badly to a bandwidth increase" error when connecting

NymVPN doesn’t connect after reboot or first-time setup

NymVPN may fail to connect on some devices after the device is restarted or during first-time setup. This is often due to the system daemon not starting automatically. In case you run into the issues listed above, please follow these steps in the following order:

1. Disconnect: Stop any ongoing connection attempts.

2. Reconnect to the same gateways: Attempt to reconnect to the same gateways after stopping previous connection attempt.
3. Reconnect via different entry gateway: Switch to a different entry gateway and connect again.
4. Reconnect with a different exit gateway: If step 3 doesn't work, switch to a different exit gateway and connect again.

5. Restart the daemon: Restart the NymVPN daemon service by following these steps:

   Linux
   Run: sudo systemctl restart nym-vpnd.service

   macOS
   Open Activity Monitor, search for "Nym", and find the Nym-VPN-Helper process. Quit this process, then reopen the app and reconnect as you normally would.

   Windows
   1. Open the start menu
   2. Type services.msc and select the Services system console (should be the top search result).
   3. In the Services Console, find NymVPN Service right click and select Restart.
   NymVPN should now be able to connect successfully.

6. Restart your device: If none of the other troubleshooting steps work, please restart your device and attempt to connect again.

In case you run into similar errors, you logs are always helpful. Go to Settings and send us your logs via the support page if you'd like to report these issues.

"API failure" error when connecting

Some users may see an "API Failure" error when attempting to connect.

There are two primary reasons the API connection can fail. If you are in a region or on a network with high levels of Internet censorship, our API may be blocked. We are actively working on adding censorship circumvention technology which will automatically attempt to bypass API blocking in the near future.

The second reason is that our API service may be down. For more information, please check our status page.

The team is actively working on a fix. If you're not in a censored region, usually, restarting your daemon service or reinstalling NymVPN can help you resolve this issue.

We appreciate your patience and will update this article once the issue is fixed.

"Update required" error

If you see a pop-up saying, “Update Required”, it means your current version of the NymVPN app is no longer supported by your operating system. To resolve this issue: 

Download and install the latest version of NymVPN on your device. You can now continue using the service without interruptions!

Network issues

We are currently working on improving our NymVPN network services, but you may encounter the following issues: 

• "What's my IP Address" services show a different location than the one selected in NymVPN

Each NymVPN server's location is inferred based on its IP address by our IP geolocation system. The actual location may slightly differ from what is displayed in the app, but this is continuously being improved. You can visit our help article on "How is server location determined by NymVPN" to understand more about geolocation and how this works on NymVPN.

• When trying to connect to the same entry/exit gateway I receive the following error: "NymVPN won't use the same gateway for entry and exit. Reconnect or choose different locations."

To safeguard your privacy, NymVPN does not allow your traffic to be routed through the same entry and exit gateways to protect privacy against possible surveillance threats. However, in locations with few gateways, the random gateway selection made by NymVPN may result in the same gateway being selected twice, which triggers this error message. Try reconnecting or selecting a different set of entry/exit locations.

• NymVPN is causing high CPU/Battery usage

You may notice increased battery consumption and higher CPU usage when NymVPN is connected. Our team is aware of this and is actively working on optimizations to reduce battery and processing demands. Please note that the Anonymous mode (mixnet) consumes more data and resources, which may contribute to higher battery usage. 

• The Anonymous mode (mixnet) is slow

The Anonymous mode prioritizes privacy over speed, which makes it unsuitable for high-bandwidth and low-latency activities like browsing and streaming. Consider using this mode for latency-tolerant apps and traffic like messengers, email, and crypto wallets.

• NymVPN cannot connect due to the error "Could not authenticate and start up the gateway connection - gateway returned an error response: provided request timestamp is in the future."

You need to sync your device's clock or make sure that you are using the correct timezone settings when attempting to connect to NymVPN.

• Slow speeds or app/website incompatibility in VPN mode

Some users may experience reduced speeds or difficulty using certain websites or apps when connected in WireGuard mode. We're actively monitoring and optimizing performance and compatibility.

Platform-specific issues

Linux

• Daemon not connected error when using Flatpak or AppImage on Fedora and similar distributions

The Flatpak and AppImage packages include only the client app. To use the app successfully, you must also install the daemon using one of the other available installation methods (such as from a .deb, AUR, or via the raw binary available in the GH repository releases.). Without the daemon running, the app will not connect.

Flatpak users should also be aware of a known limitation: if the daemon is restarted while the app is still open, the app may not reconnect due to Flatpak’s sandboxing. Fully restarting the app will resolve this.

• App opens with blank screen

On some Linux systems (like Fedora or OpenSUSE Tumbleweed), the NymVPN app may open with a blank window due to a Tauri-related issue. If the app logs show the error:

Could not create default EGL display: EGL_BAD_PARAMETER. Aborting...

then this is a known problem. There is currently no fix upstream, and it is outside of our control. The recommended workaround is to use an alternative client - either your system package (e.g. .deb or AUR) or the Flatpak version, which is not affected.

Windows

• Firewall-related connection issues

Some users report connection problems due to Windows firewall interference. This is under active review.

• API failure: "SYNCING_STATE" error

You could see this error if your device's time is not properly synced. To fix this, go to Settings > Time & Language > Date & Time and then click on the Sync now button.

Once done, restart the NymVPN service from services.msc and restart the app to connect. You can find more information about known time-sync related issues here.

Cross-platform compatibility

• Certain websites not loading in Anonymous mode

Some users on MacOS, Windows, and Linux report that specific websites (e.g., DuckDuckGo, UPS) may not load properly when using the mixnet. We're investigating improvements for compatibility.

If you encounter any errors or bugs not listed above, please submit a ticket by clicking the Get in Touch button and choosing the option that best describes your issue.