(Disclaimer: Due to the wide variety of Android TV Boxes, this guide is intended to provide general installation instructions and does not reflect all available devices. As such, we cannot guarantee success on every device)
Step 1: Install
The installation process will require access to a few of the standard services of the device, you must allow these for the application to fully operate as intended. To install Private Internet Access VPN on an Android TV Box, select the Apps icon.
Select Open the Google Play Store.
Then select the Magnifying glass to search for apps.
Type Private Internet Access in the search bar.
Select the option shown above and proceed to install the VPN.
Step 2: Opening Application
Once installed, select Open in the Play store to launch the VPN or PIA can be found in your apps.
Step 3: Credentials
You will be greeted with a login/subscribe screen. If you do not have an account, the purchase process can be completed here. Please view the following guide to Purchase subscription through the Android application. Otherwise, if you already have an account, select the login button. Once on the login screen, input your current login credentials that you should have received upon signing up via email, in the format of 'p1234567' and the password.
Step 4: Permissions
After entering your credentials, the app will ask for permission to access your VPN configurations, select OK to continue.
After selecting OK, the Android OS will ask you to confirm you want to allow the VPN access to your configurations. Select OK to accept.
Step 5: Connection
You will now see the main screen of the app. Select the "Connect" button in the center of the interface to initiate the VPN connection.
*The Current Region option below the connect button will allow for selection of a specific region if you want to use an option other than automatic server selection that is selected by default.
Congratulations! If the Connection button is green and displays Connected to VPN, you have successfully connected.
To verify your VPN service is working correctly, please visit our What’s My IP page.
PIA app features and settings:
1 - Power/Connect button
This is the button you will use to manually connect and disconnect from the VPN
2 - Server Selection
From the dashboard, you can scroll down to select a server of your choice, or select the magnifying glass for a custom search.
3 – IP
This is where you will see your real IP when disconnected from the VPN and the VPN IP when connected.
4 – Performance
The performance tile will show your history of data that flows through the application. Every five seconds the display will update, showing how much was downloaded over the past five seconds. The numeric display at the bottom of the widget shows live download traffic. Please be aware, this is the traffic that is occurring, not a speed test.
5 - Per App Settings
The per app settings feature is to allow apps to be specified to use or circumvent the VPN individually.
Selecting each of these individually will activate or deactivate PIA app protection of their traffic. The status is indicated by the red or green lock icon next to the app, green indicating protection.
Some apps are unable to utilize a VPN connection, and others may benefit from being able to access the real network information of the device and its connection. This allows for the use of apps that both do and don’t work with the VPN connected, simultaneously. Otherwise, frequently disconnecting and reconnecting the VPN would be necessary to achieve similar results.
6 – Favorites
The favorites tile provides the ability to select and manage your most used/preferred servers and add them as a favorite.
When using the search function for servers, your favorites will be listed first.
7 – Settings
We typically recommend the default settings for the application for the majority of our users, however at times, specific settings need to be adjusted in order to resolve connection issues or invoke extra security.
To access the app's Settings, first open the app, then select the settings option in the bottom right-hand corner.
General:
Launch on System Startup - This feature will cause the app to start and initiate a connection once your device has been turned on.
Connect on Launch- This allows the VPN to connect after opening the application.
Connect on app update - This feature will connect the VPN immediately after updating the application.
Haptic Feedback - Vibrate on connection clicked (may not function on all boxes based on controller).
Widget Settings - Customize how the widget looks and works on the home screen.
Show Service Communication Messages - Enabling this feature allows the in-app messages to be displayed.
Show Geo-located Regions - Includes the geo-located servers offered by PIA. More information can be found here.
Reset settings to default - This will reset all settings back to the original default settings.
Protocol:
Protocol Selection – Switch between OpenVPN and WireGuard.
Transport - Switch between TCP and UDP.
Data Encryption - This will specify AES-128-GCM, or AES-256-GCM. These are the two types of encryption that the PIA VPN uses. By default, the app will use AES-128-GCM, which is very secure.
Remote Port - This specifies what port the VPN's external connection will use for traffic. The allowed ports for our VPN are; UDP: 8080, 853, 123, and 53 --- TCP: 80, 443, 853 and 8443. To learn more about these protocols/ports and why they would be changed visit the article here.
Local Port - This specifies the port used for internal communication on your device. This only needs to be adjusted in very specific situations and is not suggested.
Use Small Packets - This will reduce the MTU/reduce the IP packet size on your device which can sometimes aid with some connectivity issues. Specifically, if packet issues are seen in a debug log.
Handshake - This will specify what certificate to use when establishing a connection to the VPN server.
Network:
DNS - This specifies what DNS servers are used with the VPN. By default, they use PIA's DNS servers. If you are experiencing connection issues or wish to use different servers, you can tap this setting and select Custom DNS to change them.
Request Port Forwarding - This will allow incoming connections to connect to your mobile device via an external port. This is sometimes helpful if an ISP is blocking or restricting specific ports. Also, for those who wish to torrent, this is a recommended setting.
Aggressive IPv6 Blocking - This feature will protect users from leaks caused by the use of IPv6. Traffic that occurs over an IPV6 address is not protected as currently, the PIA VPN operates exclusively on IPV4.
Allow LAN Traffic - This will allow access to your local network devices. If you are on a public network, this is not suggested.
Privacy:
VPN Killswitch - This feature will prevent internet traffic if the VPN becomes disconnected. This is a good utility in general for making sure your traffic does not leak when your traffic absolutely requires protection. This uses the built in Android OS "Killswitch". Android 8.0 and later includes this feature which blocks connections when a VPN is not connected. This is better integrated compared to the PIA Killswitch as it is deeply integrated with Android OS.
PIA MACE (APK only) - This enforces the use of MACE, which blocks ads, malware, and trackers. If you are having trouble accessing specific content/websites, sometimes it is because the source of this content is being blocked by MACE.
Automation:
Automation - This feature will keep the VPN connected unless you are using a Wi-Fi or Mobile network that you have listed as "Trusted"
Obfuscation:
Connect via Proxy - this allows you to connect certain apps through the PIA App Proxy, i.e. torrent apps.
Help:
Version - This lists the version of the application currently installed on your device
View VPN Debug Log - This will show the debug log for the VPN connection. For most users, if assistance is needed, we suggest contacting our support team. However, if you would like to review the log to search for the cause of an issue you are experiencing, you may do so with this option.
Send Debug Information to Support - This will generate a debug log ID for you to submit to the support team via support ticket (use the Contact Us tab above to submit a ticket or click here.)
Help improve PIA - Helps improve the VPN by sharing anonymous connection statistics.
Latest news - Opens the latest news regarding new additions to the app and to PIA.
For further information and troubleshooting, please visit our Android guides section.
8 – Logout
Selecting this option will log you out of the VPN application.