Key points in a minute
- Russian services see the VPN server’s foreign IP address and may block the sign-in, ask for extra verification, or load the site with an error.
- You don’t have to turn off the VPN every time: Russian apps and websites can be routed around the tunnel.
- On Android and Windows, exclusions are set per app; on iPhone, only by website and IP address.
- Don’t install third-party apps that promise to “get around” your bank’s checks: they put your money and data at risk.
Why Russian services don’t work over a VPN
When a VPN is on, websites see the VPN server’s address instead of your home IP address. That server is usually located abroad. To a Russian service, a sign-in like this looks like someone trying to log in from another country.
What happens next depends on the rules of the specific service. Some sites simply show the wrong city, others ask for extra confirmation, and still others deny access. Banks are especially cautious: a sign-in from an unfamiliar country is one of the signals anti-fraud systems use to catch scammers.
- Banking apps may block sign-in or certain transactions until you verify your identity.
- Gosuslugi (Russia’s public services portal) and other government websites restrict access from foreign addresses at certain times, for example during DDoS attacks.
- Streaming services and some other platforms show content only to users in Russia because of their licensing terms.
- Marketplaces and delivery services determine your city by IP address and show the wrong region.
- Some apps detect that a VPN profile is active on the device and warn you about it.
Three ways to solve the problem
The simplest way is to turn off the VPN for the duration of a task and then turn it back on. It’s reliable, but it gets old fast: you need your bank, Gosuslugi, delivery, and marketplaces several times a day.
Split tunneling is more convenient. With it, the VPN client decides on its own what to send through the tunnel and what to send directly over your regular connection. There are two ways to set it up.
- By app: selected apps, such as banking apps, always work without the VPN. Available on Android and Windows.
- By website and IP address: Russian domains and addresses go direct, and everything else goes through the VPN. Works on all platforms, including iPhone.
- A combination: exclude banking apps individually and also let Russian websites in your browser bypass the VPN.
How to set it up on your device
In your Byte VPN account, Happ is the recommended client for Android and iPhone, and Hiddify for Windows. Both have the settings you need, but they work differently on each platform. Step-by-step instructions are collected in separate articles.
- Android: exclude banking apps with per-app proxy in Happ or Hiddify.
- iPhone and iPad: iOS doesn’t let regular VPN apps exclude individual apps, so you set up routing by website instead.
- Windows: the “Russia” region in Hiddify’s routing settings and, if needed, rules by process name.
- Any platform: geosite and geoip rules that send Russian websites directly.
How to check that everything works
Once it’s set up, reconnect the VPN: many clients apply new rules only on the next connection. Then open your banking app or Gosuslugi and make sure you can sign in without errors.
To check that the rest of your traffic still goes through the VPN, open any IP check website in your browser. It should show the VPN server’s address. If the IP check site is itself in the Russian zone, it may show your regular address — that just means the rules are working as intended.
What split tunneling doesn’t solve
If an app checks whether a VPN is active on the device, excluding it from the tunnel may not help: the VPN profile is still active in the system. In that case, your only option is to turn off the VPN while you use that app.
Website rules aren’t perfect. A Russian service may load some of its data from foreign servers, and a foreign service from Russian ones. If something only partly works, add the domain in question to your exclusions or temporarily turn off the VPN to compare how it behaves.
What not to do
Don’t install third-party apps or profiles that promise to “get around” your bank’s checks, and don’t download banking apps from unofficial sources. Advice like this often leads straight to scammers.
Don’t turn off your bank’s security features, and don’t share confirmation codes with people who offer to help with your VPN. Bank employees and VPN support staff never ask for these codes.
FAQ
FAQ
Why won’t Sberbank or another bank open with a VPN?
The bank sees the VPN server’s foreign IP address and may treat the sign-in as suspicious. Exclude the banking app from the VPN with split tunneling, or turn off the VPN for the duration of the transaction.
Can I use Gosuslugi with a VPN on?
Sometimes, but access from foreign addresses is restricted from time to time. It’s more reliable to send gosuslugi.ru and other Russian websites directly using routing rules.
Is it safe to let Russian websites bypass the VPN?
These sites will see your regular IP address, just as they would without a VPN. Your connection to them is still protected by HTTPS. The rest of your traffic keeps going through the VPN.
Why can’t I exclude my banking app on iPhone?
iOS lets you choose which apps use a VPN only on devices that an organization manages through MDM. Regular VPN clients can route traffic by website and IP address instead.
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