macOS Release - AdGuard VPN versions

This time, we've concentrated on solving technical problems and fixed some annoying bugs. AdGuard VPN runs much more smoothly now — hope you'll like using it.

Not even the smallest of details will escape the attention of AdGuard team. This time we noticed two glitches: the new version of the app crashed when users tried to edit the exclusions, and the standard DNS server was incorrectly identified as an ISP server. In this update everything has been fixed — the words are more accurate and the application is more stable.

This release is part of a major AdGuard VPN update for all (seven!) platforms and it is ready to amaze you! The most significant new feature of this version is the completely reimagined Exclusions section: now you can add Internet services with all their subdomains to Exclusions lists in just one click! Also we’ve added DNS filtering to AdGuard VPN to make you browse the web even safer. The other changes are less noticeable but no less important: we fixed some bugs that were preventing you from enjoying AdGuard VPN and updated the VPN client.

Exclusions 2.0 — the name itself reflects the extent of the changes that the section came through. Previously you could only add sites to Exclusions by entering their domains manually, but now you can do it in one click.

We divided the most popular Internet services into eight categories, such as Shopping, Social Networks, and Streaming Music Services, and added all their subdomains (e.g., *.google.com) and domain names with different top-level domains (e.g., google.de). That way, when you click the “Add” button beside any service, you add all addresses associated with it to the Exclusions. Convenient, isn’t it? And one more thing to mention here: now it is possible to add third-level domains to Exclusions lists.

Finally, this feature is implemented in AdGuard VPN!

What does it mean for you? From now you needn't rely on a DNS server provided by your ISP by default, you can add a custom DNS server (or servers). We recommend adding AdGuard DNS, which not only encrypts your DNS traffic but also identifies requests to malicious sites and redirects them to a “blackhole”.

This release is pretty similar to the previous AdGuard VPN v1.1 for Windows. It took us three months to prepare the new version. As always, we have fixed bugs here and there to improve the user experience. But more importantly, AdGuard VPN for Mac began supporting QUIC protocol that offers better connection quality in less-than-ideal conditions (think of using mobile data while riding on the subway or elevator, for instance). Besides, now you can add apps to exclusions. Let's see these two key tasks in greater detail

Following the footsteps of AdGuard VPN for Windows, we switched to HTTP/3 and QUIC communication protocols. Using them is certainly among the best practices, as they're the latest, cutting-edge versions of HTTP. It should be mentioned that the new protocols won't affect speed when the connection is totally fine and stable, but their benefits will show up when the connection is worse – e.g., when using mobile data or connecting to a public Wi-Fi network. New protocols do have their perks – using them will allow connection migration and won't cause packet retransmissions and Head of Line Blocking (or HoLB) queues. But rather than getting into the technical weeds, let's just summarize that the main advantage is the improvement of connection quality in non-ideal conditions.

We implemented Split tunnelling for apps, which means that you'll be able to add them to exclusions – yep, not only websites.

AdGuard VPN for macOS is officially released! 🎉 Multiple-language (10!) support, updated menu, stable app performance and compatibility with AdGuard ad blocker — all those fancy words are about us now. Oh, and the fanciest of all — Kill Switch is added.