HMA also logs “application events,” which basically means how you use the app such as using a new feature, uninstalling, and so on. This information is not tied to user data. Changing a Wi-Fi network from private to public or vice versa is as simple as tapping a slider next to each network’s name.įrom the VPN clients, HMA logs connection events such as a connection, disconnection, failed connection, and so on. By default HMA won’t try to connect, or even ask to connect, when you’re on a private network such as your home network. Under Settings > Connection HMA has a very easy-to-use way to manage your PC’s saved Wi-Fi networks. What’s nice is that a number of features aren’t activated by default, giving users the option to turn them on, such as the internet kill switch, an app-specific kill switch, and auto-connect. This opens a second window with a number of pretty standard options. To get into the settings, click the cog icon in the upper-left corner. This area doesn’t appear to be customizable, though you can dismiss boxes that aren’t useful. On the rightmost panel are a number of smaller boxes that can either display information or provide quick links to take actions such as opening preferences, activating auto-connect, or watching your current bandwidth usage. Sometimes those disguises are amusing, while other time he looks like a total jack… well, you know. When you activate the VPN, Jack puts on a variety of disguises to indicate you’re on the VPN.
This default view has an animated version of the HMA donkey mascot, Jack. On the left is something a little more smartphone-like with a large on/off slider, a big tile at the bottom with your selected VPN location, and in between those two elements, your home IP-when you connect, it also adds your VPN server’s IP address. When you first open HMA it has two primary columns. The new look is quite different from that smartphone-style app that we looked at in 2019, and overall it’s a pretty good new design. Since last we looked, the well-known Avast-owned VPN service released a new version of its app, and it’s time to kick it around a bit and see what’s new. If there’s one thing you can say about HMA (Hide My Ass), it doesn’t sit still very often.
Privacy policy is still less than ideal.