Mullvad’s Android VPN Adds Automatic Multi-Hop and an Interactive Server Globe

Mullvad’s Android VPN app now has an interactive server globe and a redesigned multi-hop feature that can switch itself on when your settings need it. The changes arrived in the stable android/2026.9 release on Sept. 15, and Mullvad quickly followed with 2026.10 on Sept. 17 to fix a bug in that build.

Multi-hop routes traffic through an entry server and a separate exit server, which Mullvad calls a “tunnel within a tunnel.” The entry server sees your real IP address but not your destination, and the exit server sees the destination but not your IP. The feature first reached Android in March 2025, TechRadar noted when the redesign appeared in beta on Aug. 20.

Multi-hop “when needed”

The new design adds a “when needed” option that automatically uses multi-hop when the active settings call for it, for example when DAITA, Mullvad’s defense against AI-guided traffic analysis, is on and the chosen server doesn’t support it directly. Filters are now split into separate entry and exit filters that can be set independently.

A globe you can spin

The connection map is now interactive, with pan, pinch-to-zoom and fling gestures for seeing where servers are located and tracing your connection path. Location search also improved, with results ordered by relevance, fuzzy matches included and the search phrase highlighted. The 2026.9 release also fixed LWO not working with multi-hop and DAITA on, and now routes 10.124.0.0/23 inside the tunnel when local network sharing is on, so SOCKS5 proxies on other relays work alongside it.

Skip 2026.9, install 2026.10

Mullvad advises against 2026.9. It contained an error that could leave the tunnel stuck connecting or disconnecting when QUIC obfuscation was used, with no way to recover except disconnecting through system settings or force-stopping the app. Version 2026.10 fixes the QUIC obfuscator hang. Both releases carry a note that the first connection attempt can sometimes fail when using quantum-resistant tunnels or DAITA, with a fix promised in a future release.