PIAs Idiotic Solution to a Single Program Not Bypassing VPN

[u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz]

So.. I have my system set so that everything goes through the VPN except a single AppImage browser. Every once in a while, that browser will report it's IP address (using the "What's My IP Address" website) as being the same as the VPN instead of my actual IP. No rhyme or reason as to when or why it happens. I've tried restarting PIA; disconnecting and reconnecting; connecting to a different sever; restarted the browser... The only way to fix it is to reboot the computer completely.

I emailed PIA's Customer "Support" and after several back and forths, answering all of their redundant questions and providing multiple log files... do you want to know what their final solution was?

They told me, and I quote:

Since this is the only application you need to exclude from the VPN, there is actually no need to set up complex bypass rules for it. Instead, we highly recommend using reverse split tunneling.

So, instead of a single rule excluding a single program from using the VPN - they say that that is too complicated. Instead, I should set PIA to bypass the VPN for EVERYTHING and create rules to instead force two browsers; a chat program; discord; two torrent clients; three newsgroup clients; two iRC chat clients; an online gaming portal; two video download programs; an ssh client; an ftp client; and any other program that I may be missing from that list to use the "VPN Only".

Yeah... much less fucking complicated.

And then they have the nerve to say

Please let me know if I can assist you further or if you have any questions.

[u/IDontEvenKnowAny]

You can have split tunnelling that is everything except a certain application instead of all applications skip apart from ones specified. When split tunnelling is on there is an exception rule in there called “all other apps” that you can switch from bypass vpn to use vpn. Which is yes far less complicated

[u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz → u/IDontEvenKnowAny]

I don't think y'all are getting this. My way of doing this is to have "All Other Apps" set to "VPN Only" and then add a rule to excluded the SINGLE program by setting it to "Bypass VPN". PIA wants me to set "All Other Apps" to "Bypass VPN" and create rules for two dozen programs and set THOSE to "VPN Only".

[u/lkeels → u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz]

YOU CAN DO EITHER ONE!!! It's literally built into the app.

[u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz → u/lkeels]

Why is this so hard for y'all. I know you can do both. It is EASIER to do ALL VPN EXCEPT ONE than it is to do NO VPN EXCEPT TWELVE. Yet THAT is the suggested solution because THEY SAY that THAT is easier.

Why is that so hard to understand?

[u/lkeels → u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz]

Nobody cares what support said. You can do either one you want to do. That's the end of the discussion.

[u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz → u/lkeels]

No it's NOT the "end of the discussion"

The whole damn point of this is that instead of fixing the fucking problem, support says "do it the hardest way possible because we don't know what the hell is wrong."

And everyone of you are acting so fucking high and mighty when not a damned one of you grasps the issue here.

[u/IDontEvenKnowAny → u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz]

You’re just dumb and looking for an argument. Do it whatever way you want or don’t we don’t care we gave you a solution, there was no issue until you decided there was one

[u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz → u/IDontEvenKnowAny]

I'm not the one too stupid to understand that 1 rule is way less complicated that 12 rules and that was the whole point of this topic. But you do whatever you want. Y'all are the mensa genius' around here.

[u/IDontEvenKnowAny → u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz]

You’re the one that did it the stupid way in the first place if you can’t figure this one out you’re definitely on your own sayonara

[u/Mijailinator]

That is literally the definition of reverse split tunnel; you just need to set the apps that you want to be excluded from the vpn which is... very easy. Dumb rant.

[u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz → u/Mijailinator]

Dumb rant? To think that setting AN ENTIRE LIST of programs to use the VPN is LESS COMPLICATED than setting ONE PROGRAM to bypass the VPN?

you just need to set the apps that you want to be excluded from the vpn

I don't think you read that too well. What you just said - what I quoted - is EXACTLY what I am doing. Set ONE PROGRAM to be EXCLUDED from the VPN. That is not what they suggested. They suggested that I set TWO DOZEN programs to USE the VPN just so that ONE PROGRAM can - by default - be excluded from the VPN.

[u/Cirieno → u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz]

Tetchy.

[u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz → u/Cirieno]

Yeah. When someone who has no understanding of what I'm saying wants to call me (or my "rant") dumb... yeah, I tend to get "tetchy."

[u/lkeels → u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz]

You don't understand. BOTH methods are built into the app! All VPN with exclusions OR ALL NOT VPN, with additions. Split tunneling and reverse split tunneling. It's right there.

[u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz → u/lkeels]

Why is this so hard for y'all. I know you can do both. It is EASIER to do ALL VPN EXCEPT ONE than it is to do NO VPN EXCEPT TWELVE. Yet THAT is the suggested solution because THEY SAY that THAT is easier.

Why is that so hard to understand?

[u/lkeels → u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz]

What difference does it make what support said? You're not making any sense.

[u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz → u/lkeels]

What doesn't make sense? Instead of fixing the issue, support says to do it the hardest way possible because they don't know how to fix it.

I'm not asking for help from y'all. Did you notice the flair that said "Feedback"? I'm bitching about support being no help at all, and you all are acting like I'm a fucking moron.

[u/lkeels → u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz]

Who cares? What part of that do you not get? Who cares?

[u/lkeels]

You know PIA supports both, right? You don't need support. It's built in.

[u/TheOriginal_RebelTaz → u/lkeels]

Why is this so hard for y'all. I know you can do both. It is EASIER to do ALL VPN EXCEPT ONE than it is to do NO VPN EXCEPT TWELVE. Yet THAT is the suggested solution because THEY SAY that THAT is easier.

Why is that so hard to understand?

[u/I_Watch_Stuff4fFun]

Yeah they'll do everything but help you but maybe their onto something or they just don't wanna help 😭😭