Microsoft Stops VPNs from Supporting Snapdragon

If you’ve been following the latest laptop launches, you’ve probably noticed that ARM’s new Snapdragon machines are breaking new ground in terms of performance and battery life. But one area we’re concerned about is privacy.

That’s because, at the moment, only a handful of the best VPNs work on Windows laptops with a Snapdragon X Elite processor, like the excellent new Dell XPS 13. But why is that?

Dell XPS 13 (2024) — (Photo source: Tom’s Guide)

Emulation Frustration

So why don’t most VPNs work? Well, almost all applications on ARM laptops have to be either specifically developed for the x86_64 architecture of ARM machines, or emulated from traditional formats. Unfortunately, due to the nature of VPNs, emulation “by eye” is not an option.

Peter Membrey, Chief Engineering Officer at ExpressVPN explains: “Emulation doesn’t work well when the software is specialized or deeply integrated with the operating system. And that software tends to use not only the VPN software itself, but also custom drivers.”

So since emulation is unavailable, vendors have to create their own ARM-specific applications, and they are working on it. But many vendors have told us they have the same problem…

Searching for signatures

If I said that the signature is what stops users from using the best VPNs, you would probably think I was making it up, but that’s the truth.

Some providers like Surfshark and Windscribe got ahead of the curve by offering fully-featured ARM apps, but after reaching out to the providers, we learned that both NordVPN and Private Internet Access (PIA) were waiting for Microsoft approval to launch their compatible apps.

Himmat Bains, head of product at PIA, explained, “We have been working on the PIA ARM-native app for some time now. We were temporarily held up by the delay in Microsoft signing the driver certificate, but now it has been granted,” adding that “we will have a beta ready for PIA users in the coming weeks.”

As for our current #1 VPN pick, the wait may be similar. In a statement, NordVPN said, “Our NordVPN app for ARM is in the final stages of development and we’re working to launch it as soon as possible. We’re currently working closely with Microsoft to obtain the necessary driver signing certificate, which is a key step in ensuring the app’s security and compatibility with Windows on ARM-based devices.”

For now, it looks like we’ll have to wait, but if you own one of these laptops, you can always try one out with one of the best VPN routers to keep every device on your network protected.