# Signal stopped working in Russia even with the "bypass censorship" option **URL:** https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/signal-stopped-working-in-russia-even-with-the-bypass-censorship-option/21166 **Category:** Off Topic **Created:** 2024-09-28T14:47:21Z **Posts:** 23 ## Post 1 by @hakavlad — 2024-09-28T14:47:21Z From today. Tested with several ISPs. Source: my experience. Previously, the “bypass censorship” option helped. --- ## Post 2 by @null — 2024-09-28T15:37:55Z Try Molly + Orbot proxy mode Molly: Settings → Network → Proxy → Tor via Orbot. Orbot: Settings → power user mode → next click “…” → Apps → Molly. --- ## Post 3 by @hakavlad — 2024-09-28T15:44:29Z > [@null](#): > > Try Molly + Orbot proxy mode Too complicated. Especially for my contacts. We’ll just go back to WhatsApp. --- ## Post 4 by @null — 2024-09-28T15:45:15Z Oh isn’t Tor also banned from Russia? --- ## Post 5 by @hakavlad — 2024-09-28T15:50:45Z Yes. --- ## Post 6 by @anon48875053 — 2024-09-28T15:54:00Z Try SimpleX. --- ## Post 7 by @hakavlad — 2024-09-28T15:56:06Z > > > ### Is there an existing issue for this? > > - [X] I have searched the existing iss…ues > > ### Platform > > Android > > ### OS version > > Android 14 > > ### App version > > 6.0.4 > > ### Current Behavior > > . > > ### Expected Behavior > > . > > ### Steps To Reproduce > > . > > ### Relevant log output > > _No response_ --- ## Post 8 by @anon48875053 — 2024-09-28T15:57:03Z That’s unfortunate. --- ## Post 9 by @null — 2024-09-28T15:59:50Z Maybe keybase? --- ## Post 10 by @anon63378630 — 2024-09-28T16:01:50Z > [@null](#): > > keybase owned by zoom --- ## Post 11 by @null — 2024-09-28T16:10:27Z Yeah but I know of a few groups that is uses Keybase that isn’t so lets say “not so popular with governments”. And is probably better than Telegram and WhatsApp --- ## Post 12 by @IksNorTen — 2024-09-28T16:22:37Z Does it work with a VPN ? --- ## Post 13 by @hakavlad — 2024-09-28T16:45:55Z Yes (there is no reason to believe otherwise). Session also banned. --- ## Post 14 by @traine — 2024-09-30T16:08:53Z No better alternative being available, you can try Delta Chat or Telegram’s secret chats. --- ## Post 15 by @anon80779245 — 2024-10-03T05:33:53Z This is why Signal really need to invest in advanced censorship obfuscation like Shadowsocks. --- ## Post 16 by @IksNorTen — 2024-10-03T06:52:26Z You can also use Molly with integrated TOR network --- ## Post 17 by @hakavlad — 2024-10-03T11:02:08Z Today, suddenly, Signal resumed its work. I don’t know why. --- ## Post 18 by @hakavlad — 2024-10-03T11:03:04Z > [@IksNorTen](#): > > TOR network tor is banned. Built-in bridges are unstable. --- ## Post 19 by @IksNorTen — 2024-10-03T16:39:06Z Not snowflake mode, It’s always working for all my friends in Russia --- ## Post 20 by @anon45588987 — 2024-10-04T07:05:35Z for russia, lran, china, just use [hiddify.com](http://hiddify.com) to bypass the isp network detect, it based on [singbox](https://github.com/SagerNet/sing-box) and [mihomo](https://github.com/MetaCubeX/mihomo/releases), can self-hosted or just paid almost 1-5 usd / month to use third party hosting, here [listed](http://duangks.com) many third party service provider(Is a chinese website, need to translate but it available in russia) for android / free solution, [MahsaNG](https://github.com/GFW-knocker/MahsaNG) it works too, but delay a bit higher(for russia) [simliar](https://wiki.metacubex.one/en/startup/client/client/) project is much, they are all open source(whatever frontend or backend) and it all deverloped for only bypass censorship, for some extent, they are safer than proton/mullvad/ivpn (for example: hiddify support tls fragment, hysteria2/vless encrypt protocols, for hysteria2/vless, it basically its super secure, newest shadowsocks-like protocols) for pro player, [v2ray](http://v2ray.com) is a better software it included all protocols and have stronger custom whatever singal, SimpleX or others, just through hiddify to connect proxy and use it as well --- ## Post 21 by @rottenwheel — 2024-10-07T02:01:33Z Is this a ban on default servers’ connectivity, or a protocol-wide ban? Because if it is the former, Russian users could pass a list of self-hosted SMP and XFTP servers that they can manually put in, rotate and use as necessary, no? Granted, would be ‘cumbersome’ and not an out-the-box experience, but it certainly is a workaround, along with the SOCKS proxy support in latest beta release. --- ## Post 22 by @User53 — 2025-09-04T15:04:15Z > [@hakavlad](#): > > Too complicated. Especially for my contacts. We’ll just go back to WhatsApp. Just enable Orbot as a VPN then you don’t need to worry about all this stuff. But also remember to use a bridge if using Tor couldget you in trouble. --- ## Post 23 by @paranoid — 2025-09-04T16:45:32Z btw recently it just randomly started working again without proxies