Help us test the new Connection Assist in Tor Browser Alpha

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(Please refer to Volunteer as an alpha tester for more information on the new and upcoming features in Tor Browser and how to test them!)

What is Connection Assist?

Connection Assist is a new feature designed to detect and circumvent censorship of the Tor Network automatically.

Connection Assist informs you about the state of your Internet connection and connection to the Tor network. If Tor is blocked in your region, Connection Assist can choose a pluggable transport for you using your location.

How to test

  1. Download the latest Tor Browser Alpha available for your platform and install it.

  2. Launch the browser.

Connection Assist from torconnect

  1. Click on ‘Connect’.

    3.1 If your connection to the Tor network is not censored you should be able to connect to the Tor network without any further configuration. (In that case, please see step 4 and 5.)

    3.2 If Tor is blocked in your location, trying a pluggable transport may help. Connection Assist can choose one for you using your location. Click on ‘Try a Bridge’

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If Connection Assist is unable to determine your location you can select your region from the dropdown menu and then click on ‘Try a Bridge’.

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Connection Assist from Connection Settings.

  1. Click on the hamburger menu and select ‘Settings’. Then navigate to ‘Connection’ (about:preferences#connection)

  2. The Connection Assist informs you about the state of your Internet connection if you click on ‘Test’.

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Check your Internet Connection if it reads ‘Offline’.

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See step 6. if your connection to the Tor Network is ‘Potentially Blocked’

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  1. Scroll down to ‘Bridges’. Let Connection Assist choose a pluggable transport for you by clicking on ‘Choose a Bridge for Me…’

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If Connection Assist is unable to determine your location you can select your region from the dropdown menu and then click on ‘Choose a Bridge for Me…’.

For users who are based in countries in which the Tor Network is blocked (such as Belarus, China, Russia and Turkmenistan) your feedback is invaluable in helping us test Connection Assist.

It’s also important to understand that Tor Browser Alpha is an unstable version of Tor Browser and should not be used for activities that could put you at risk. Instead, please limit your use of alpha to preview new features, test their performance and provide feedback before their release.

How to Report Bugs?

When sending us feedback or reporting a bug, please include as much information possible:

  • Operating System you are using
  • Tor Browser Alpha version
  • Tor Browser Security Level
  • A screenshot of the problem
  • Console logs (can be opened by Ctrl+Shift+J on Windows/Linux and Cmd+Shift+J on macOS)
  • Tor logs (Settings > Connection > Advanced > View the Tor logs)
  • Region you’re connecting from.
  • Region selected from Connection Assist
  • Is Tor censored in your region?
  • If Tor did connect, how much time did it take to bootstrap? Any effects on browsing speed?

  1. Comment on this post. Or report it to the Tor Browser Alpha Feedback category on the Tor Forum.

  2. Send us an email to frontdesk@torproject.org.

  3. Contact @TorProjectSupportBot on Telegram.

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turkmenistan needs bridges with ports 443 or from (1-1000)

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Hi @SSTP!
Assuming you’re connecting from Turkmenistan, can you tell us what you saw while using the Connection Assist? Was it able to auto-select some pluggable transport for you? Any error messages? Anything in the logs?
(And yes, the censorship situation in Turkmenistan is under active investigation, so if there’s some information that can help us in that regard I’d highly encourage you to post on the ticket. Thanks! )

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in turkmenistan it works even without Connection Assist, you just need to find a working bridges. and without the bridge does not work!

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@SSTP :wave:, there is a new update about the Tor blocking in Turkmenistan (thanks to @ValdikSS!)
https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/censorship-analysis/-/issues/40029#note_2821671

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