Setting Up Alpaca on Android
Last updated: 2026-10-31
Setting up Alpaca takes a couple of minutes. This guide follows the screens in the order you'll see them, so you can keep it open next to the phone or tablet you're setting up.
Create your account
Install Alpaca from Google Play
Download Alpaca from Google Play and open it.
Sign in or create your account
Already have an Alpaca account? On Welcome back, enter your email and password and tap Sign in, or tap Sign in with passkey if you've set one up. If you've forgotten your password, tap Forgot password?.
New to Alpaca? Go to Create your account and enter your email address and a password of at least 8 characters. Alpaca fills in your Region for you.
Check your inbox
We email you a 6-digit code. Type it in on the Check your inbox screen to confirm your email address.
Set up a passkey (optional)
On Set up a passkey, tap Create a passkey to sign in next time without typing your password, or tap Maybe later to skip this for now.
Choose your interface
On Choose Your Interface, pick Basic for a few simple switches, or Expert to see every category and the ready-made presets. Tap Continue. Not sure? Start with Basic. Basic and Expert mode explains the difference.
Turn on protection
You're now on the Alpaca home screen.
If the home screen shows No plan on this account, tap Get protected to start your 7-day free trial or choose a plan. See Subscription for details.
Tap Turn On
On the home screen, tap Turn On. The first time, Alpaca shows an Almost Done! screen that explains what happens next. Tap Enable Protection.
Allow the connection request
Android shows a Connection request message saying that Alpaca wants to set up a VPN connection. Tap OK.
This can sound alarming, but it's simply the name Android gives the permission Alpaca needs. Alpaca uses it as a small, local connection that stays on the device and is used only to filter. Your browsing doesn't go through us, your IP address doesn't change, and it isn't a proxy. Learn more.
Allow notifications
On Android 13 and later, Alpaca asks next whether it may show notifications. We recommend Allow, so you can see at a glance whether protection is on. If you choose not to, protection still works, but you won't see the status notification.
Wait a moment while Alpaca gets ready
The first time, Alpaca shows Preparing Protection while it downloads its filter list. When it's done, the home screen shows Family Protected.
Stuck on any of these screens? Tap Having Trouble? on the Almost Done! screen to contact our support team, or see Troubleshooting.
How to tell protection is on
- The Alpaca home screen says Family Protected.
- A small key icon shows in the status bar at the top of the screen. That's how Android shows that Alpaca's filtering connection is active.
- If you allowed notifications, an Alpaca notification shows the current status: Protected, Connecting…, Reconnecting…, Couldn't connect or Protection off. You can turn this notification on or off in Alpaca's Settings › General › Connection Notifications.
After you restart the device, protection comes back on by itself once you unlock it for the first time.
Next steps
- Using Alpaca: choose what to filter, pause protection, and add the home-screen widget
- What Alpaca can filter