One of the best VPN services on the market has just become one of the first to offer a VPN app compatible with next-generation Windows devices.
ExpressVPN has worked closely with Qualcomm (developers of the Snapdragon X Elite processor) and Microsoft to accelerate the delivery of a fully ARM-compatible Windows VPN app. The team ultimately found a revolutionary solution to avoid having to develop a native ARM app from scratch.
As of September 4, the ExpressVPN ARM app is now available in beta, with a full production release scheduled for mid-October.
A hybrid solution
While the new Snapdragon-powered Microsoft Copilot+ PCs may offer better battery life and super-fast performance, they have suffered from a worrying lack of VPN support. That's why most VPN apps aren't yet ready to support Qualcomm's high-performance ARM processor. This was something the ExpressVPN team knew they needed to fix.
“Snapdragon is one of the most exciting new additions to the Windows platform in recent times, and we saw it as an opportunity to showcase a high-performance VPN solution tailored to the capabilities of ARM,” said Peter Membrey, Director of Engineering at ExpressVPN.
The main problem with VPN support on Windows ARM machines was that emulation posed serious performance limitations that could affect the functionality of VPN apps. Now, ExpressVPN has found a way to get around this problem without the need to build a native ARM app from scratch.
As the vendor explains in a blog post, the release of Microsoft’s new Prism emulator with the Windows 11 24H2 update has made it possible for emulated apps to match the quality of a native build. The team decided to take advantage of this new opportunity and designed its Lightway VPN protocol, inspired by the in-house developed WireGuard.
“By leveraging Microsoft's enhanced emulation and Lightway's adaptive architecture, we were able to address initial limitations and deliver this build efficiently,” Membrey explains.
The provider promises that this hybrid approach can offer users “the best of both worlds” – the full security of a premium VPN service and accelerated development time.
As we mentioned earlier, at the time of writing, only a handful of the best VPN services are available for Windows ARM devices. Private Internet Access (PIA) launched its native ARM app about a month ago. Windscribe and Surfshark also have native VPN apps for Windows ARM, while companies like NordVPN and ProtonVPN are currently working on their versions.
ExpressVPN now sees its innovative approach to ARM support as marking an important milestone in VPN technology. This could help other providers accelerate their transition to ARM.
Membrey said: “We are proud to be one of the first major VPN providers to demonstrate our commitment to this platform, and we will continue to optimize Lightway and our software to ensure users can enjoy the best that Snapdragon, Microsoft, and ExpressVPN have to offer.”
We test and evaluate VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:
1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).
2. Protect your online security and strengthen your online privacy when you are abroad.
We do not support or condone illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Future Publishing does not endorse or approve the consumption of pirated content for which payment is required.
