Hello everyone, This is the report from user support team for the month of April 2026. You can access the previous report (March 2026) here: https://lists.torproject.org/mailman3/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/thread/QMBWPETMU53O6PWKGN5QHFZJPCPTZMXW/
Note: (↑), (↓) and (-) are indicating if the number of tickets we received for these topics have been increasing, decreasing or have been the same from the previous month respectively. - Summary of updates from user support - General user support - Farsi-speaking user support - Russian-speaking user support - Frontdesk (email user support channel) - Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal user support channels - Highlights from the Tor Forum - Highlights from Google Play Store # Summary of updates from user support ## General user support * 455 tickets in total (↓31 as compared to March) * 284 tickets on Email * 143 tickets on Telegram * 28 tickets on Signal * Updated instructions for Tor users in China, encouraging them to obtain WebTunnel bridges from @GetBridgesBot on Telegram or from our Bridges website (bridges.torproject.org). * In April, although the support channel over WhatsApp being accessible, we did not receive any messages through it. Users can reach our support team via a text message to our WhatsApp number: +447421000612. This service is only available for text messages; videos or calls are not supported. ## Farsi-speaking user support * 100 tickets in total (↑67 as compared to March) * 48 tickets on Email * 52 tickets on Telegram * In April, as per reports from users in Iran, users regained access to some Google-powered services like Gmail and Google Drive. As a result of which, we also saw a significant increase in tickets coming through Email. Nonetheless, internet restrictions remain very severe. * We have continued to encourage users to try dnstt bridges with Tor, especially Orbot. Latest releases of Orbot, on Android as well as iOS, ship with built-in support for dnstt bridges. Instructions to use [dnstt bridges with Orbot][] is available on the Tor Forum in both English and Farsi. Finding a DNS resolver that will work with dnstt for users in Iran remains a major challenge. We have been monitoring relevant forums and social media threads to find DNS resolvers that were reportedly still reachable from inside Iran and shared the modified dnstt bridge addresses with users. Feedback has been mostly negative with users still unable to connect to Tor because finding an unblocked DNS resolver for dnstt has been hard and other Tor PTs aren't working. [dnstt bridges with Orbot]: https://forum.torproject.org/t/connecting-to-tor-from-iran-using-dnstt-with-orbot/21485 ## Russian-speaking user support * 615 tickets in total (↓94 as compared to March) * 194 tickets on Email * 414 tickets on Telegram (↓104 March, ↓311 February) * 7 tickets on Signal * The visible decline in the number of tickets from Russia we received over Telegram is due to Telegram being blocked in April in Russia: https://explorer.ooni.org/findings/96225549500. # Frontdesk (email user support channel) * 502(↑) RT tickets created * 526(↑) RT tickets resolved Tickets by topics and numbers: 1. 194(↓) tickets: circumventing censorship in Russian speaking countries. 2. 173(↑) tickets: instructions to circumvent censorship for Chinese speaking users. 3. 60(↓) tickets: help with troubleshooting existing Tor Browser install on Desktop (Windows, macOS and Linux). 4. 49(↑) tickets: circumventing censorship with Tor in Farsi. 5. 12(↓) tickets: help with troubleshooting Tor VPN beta. 6. 7(↓) tickets: reports of fake apps on iOS AppStore masquerading as official Tor Browser. 7. 4(↓) tickets: report of websites blocking Tor connections or not performing well in Tor Browser. 8. 3(↑) tickets: reports of anti-virus software blocking Tor Browser from running on Windows. 9. 2(-) tickets: can't use Tor VPN when Private DNS is configured on Android's Network settings. 10. 2(↑) tickets: instructions to get started with Tor Browser desktop post-install. 11. 2(-) tickets: help with troubleshooting Tor Browser for Android. 12. 2(-) tickets: help with setting up Snowflake proxy. 13. 2(↑) tickets: questions about whether it's possible to retrieve browsing history across browsing sessions on Tor Browser. 14. 2(↑) tickets: instructions to install Tor Browser on Linux. 15. 2(↑) tickets: name string of the [pluggable transports directory gets truncated][] on Tor Browser for Desktop, resulting in failure to use pluggable transports. 16. 1(↓) ticket: instructions on how to get Tor Browser binaries from GetTor. 17. 1(↓) ticket: query about Tor Browser support for Windows 8.1 (legacy operating system). 18. 1(↑) ticket: instructions to configure the 'exit' location on Tor VPN. 19. 1(↓) ticket: questions about which Tor app to install on iOS (i.e. Onion Browser or Orbot). 20. 1(↑) ticket: instructions to verify Tor Browser's GPG signature. 21. 1(↑) ticket: instructions to change app appearance of Tor VPN. 22. 1(↑) ticket: [ExoneraTor bug][]. 23. 1(↑) ticket: instructions to setup a onion service on a ipv6-only host. 24. 1(↑) ticket: instructions to update Tor Browser on Desktop. 25. 1(↑) ticket: report of ['Uptime' label][] on Tor metrics is misleading. 26. 1(↑) ticket: question whether it is safe to install Tor Browser Nightly. (It is not recommended to install nightly versions of Tor Browser apart from testing.) 27. 1(↑) ticket: Tor Browser (i.e. Firefox) [security features][] warning on Ubuntu Linux. [pluggable transports directory gets truncated]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/tor-browser/-/work_items/44905 [ExoneraTor Bug]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/web/tpo/-/work_items/520 ['Uptime' label]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/network-health/metrics/website/-/work_items/40095 [security features]: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/linux-security-warning # Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal user support channels * 644(↓) tickets resolved Breakdown: * 609(↓) tickets on Telegram * 35(↑) tickets on Signal * 0(↓) tickets on WhatsApp Tickets by topics and numbers: 1. 421(↓) tickets: circumventing censorship in Russian speaking countries. 2. 44(↑) tickets: help with troubleshooting Tor VPN beta. 3. 31(↓) tickets: help with troubleshooting existing Tor Browser install on Desktop (Windows, macOS and Linux). 4. 36(↑) tickets: instructions to circumvent censorship for Chinese speaking users. 5. 52(↑) tickets: circumventing censorship with Tor in Farsi. 6. 29(↑) tickets: instructions to fetch bridges from Bridge distributors on Telegram or Email and use them with Tor Browser and Tor VPN beta. 7. 20(↑) tickets: instructions to use [dnstt bridges with Orbot][]. 8. 14(↓) tickets: questions about which Tor app to install on iOS (i.e. Onion Browser or Orbot). 9. 14(↓) tickets: help with using bridges with Tor VPN Beta. 10. 10(↓) tickets: helping users on iOS, using Onion Browser or Orbot, to use censorship circumvention methods. 11. 10(↑) tickets: help with troubleshooting existing Tor Browser install on Android. 12. 9(↓) tickets: instructions on how to get Tor Browser binaries from GetTor. 13. 9(↑) tickets: instructions to use WebTunnel bridges with Tor Browser. 14. 4(-) tickets: help with using bridges with Tails. 15. 4(↑) tickets: query about Tor Browser support [legacy operating systems][]. 16. 3(↑) tickets: help with configuring bridges to use with little-t tor (the network daemon). 17. 2(↑) tickets: reports of fake apps on iOS AppStore masquerading as official Tor Browser. 18. 2(↑) tickets: help with installing Tor Browser on Desktop on Linux. 19. 1(↓) ticket: questions about onion services and how to access them. 20. 1(↓) ticket: report of websites blocking Tor connections or not performing well in Tor Browser. 21. 1(↑) ticket: name string of the pluggable transports directory gets truncated on Tor Browser for Desktop, resulting in failure to use pluggable transports. [dnstt bridges with Orbot]: https://forum.torproject.org/t/connecting-to-tor-from-iran-using-dnstt-with-orbot/21485 [legacy operating systems]: https://support.torproject.org/tor-browser/security/legacy-os/ # Highlights from the Tor Forum * Instructions to [connect to Telegram][] using Tor's SOCKS proxy from Russia. * Connecting to Tor from Iran using [dnstt with Orbot]. * Call for Testers: [Snowflake Volunteer][], an Android app to help others circumvent censorship. [connect to Telegram]: https://forum.torproject.org/t/telegram-tor-how-to-bypass-russian-block-on-telegram-with-tor/21497 [dnstt with Orbot]: https://forum.torproject.org/t/connecting-to-tor-from-iran-using-dnstt-with-orbot/21485 [Snowflake volunteer]: https://forum.torproject.org/t/call-for-testers-snowflake-volunteer-an-android-app-to-help-others-circumvent-censorship/21462 # Highlights from Google Play Store ## Tor Browser for Android * Tor Browser for Android (TBA) had a Google Play rating of 4.426 stars in April, which is the same as compared to in March. * Tor Browser for Android (TBA) got 508 (↓73) new reviews. The total count of reviews for the app stands at 68,794. * For Tor Browser, the most common issue mentioned on reviews was the censorship against Tor in countries like Russia, China, Iran. ## Tor Browser for Android Alpha * Tor Browser for Android Alpha app had a rating of 4.128(↓0.003) in April which is lower compared to March. * In March, Tor Browser for Android Alpha got 12 (↓9) new reviews. The total count of reviews for the app stands at 8,785. ## Tor VPN Beta * Tor VPN beta number of unique daily users is around 68,000 at the end of April. * The top 5 countries by the number of installations being (in descending order): Russia, India, the United States, Turkmenistan, and Iran. Thanks! -- ebanam
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