I started using NordVPN for home desktop and android a few weeks ago and realized nearly all Brave ad alerts on both devices have stopped. I have since read that Brave isn’t compatible with most of the VPN services due to location specific ads.
I think the Brave team has to figure out a better way to send ads to users. Safety on the internet is incredibly important in this day and age. With so many people using VPN services today, it’s apparent that the Brave browser team isn’t focusing enough on tomorrow, than they were the past.
What good does it do anyone if you have someone who has been using the Brave browser long before BAT rewards were even brought out, who was/is willing to view ads, only to shut them out of the service Brave is supposed to provide?
@fedup1,
You are making excellent points and we feel the same way. User’s should absolutely be able to use their VPN and/or other privacy features to stay private and anonymous when browsing, while not having to sacrifice viewing/earning Brave ads.
The issue is fairly complex and has been brought up internally previously. While I do not have specifics on when/how we plan on addressing this, I can confirm that we are working on solutions for this particular issue presently.
I know this isn’t a super satisfying answer and I apologize for that. I’ve reached out to some higher-ups to see if they can shed some additional insight/details on this. Hopefully it helps knowing that this is absolutely on our minds and there are team members actively working on a solution.
I use NordVPN, as well. The issue is that the VPN blocks the automatic refilling of the ads catalog each day. The Brave team are working on a fix, but there is a workaround. Once per day, you need to perform the following steps:
Close Brave
Turn off your VPN
Reopen Brave
Wait until you start seeing notification ads (approximately 5-15 minutes)
Turn your VPN back on
I know it’s a hassle to do this every day (the catalog holds only about a day’s worth of ads), but it’s the best that can be done until the devs find a way to make Brave Rewards work with VPNs.
I appreciate the reply, but from my end, safety is more important to me than using the Brave browser. Hopefully the Brave team can make changes sooner rather than later.
Hopefully the Brave team is working on something like this, but the fact they haven’t come up with something after all this time, leads me to believe this isn’t high on their agenda.
I went ahead and tried as you suggested. I even waited much longer than 1 hour, maybe 1.5 hrs and didn’t receive 1 Brave ad. I also clicked on the a browser ad, which in the past would make a clickable ad appear a short time after. Nothing.
There is no other reason. It’s the NordVPN as I stated above. It’s happening on my android and desktop. I have been using Brave long before Brave was giving out BAT rewards.
Only if you are using VPN servers outside your actual, physical location/region (which I do not). As a matter of fact, the procedure I outlined was actually given to me by a Brave staff member after he and I spent some time on a Zoom call troubleshooting why I had stopped getting Brave ads.