Orchid Help

Welcome to Orchid

Product support Getting started Orchid Accounts

Product Support

For details about how Orchid works and for troubleshooting, visit the Orchid help docs.

If you still need help or have general feedback, email contact@orchid.com to open a support ticket and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

Getting started

What is Orchid?

Orchid connects you to a VPN marketplace with multiple VPN providers offering service to you. Each time you connect, you are assigned a provider randomly from the network. If at any time you dislike your service, you can turn Orchid off and on again to recycle the connection and get reassigned to a provider. Once you connect and are using the VPN, you pay for service by the byte, sending nanopayments for service.

To pay the VPN providers for service, the app will need access to at least one Orchid account. The Orchid account will also have to have the correct deposit and balance in order to function.

How do I turn Orchid on?

Once you have at least one account funded and active, either by adding credits or funding an Orchid Account through the DApp, hit connect on the home screen to turn Orchid on and see the status of your connection.

You will need to authorize VPN permissions the first time you turn Orchid on. Each time you turn Orchid on, you randomly connect to a provider on the network. Turning Orchid off and then on using the button will recycle your connection and randomly connect you again.

How does Manage Accounts work?

Manage Accounts is where you can see details about Orchid Addresses and all their associated accounts. You can use an Orchid Address to both buy an account with credits and create an account with your own cryptocurrency funds in the Orchid DApp.

Below your currently selected Orchid Address, you will see all accounts associated with it. You will need to choose an active account to use for making VPN payments to providers on the Orchid network.

See more about buying and creating Orchid accounts below.

What is the traffic monitor?

The Traffic Monitor is a network protocol analyzer that allows you to see information about your phone's network connections. You can access it from the home screen by clicking the menu icon at the top left and then choosing Traffic Monitor.

You can enable the traffic monitor without setting up any hops by going to Settings and enabling Allow No Hop VPN (Traffic monitoring only).

How do I access multi-hop, OpenVPN and WireGuard?

For now to be able to use multi-hop, OpenVPN and WireGuard you will need to switch back to the old interface. It’s available under Settings -> Enable Multi-hop UI.

Currently, you can only buy Orchid credit accounts in the new interface.

Orchid Address and Accounts

How do I purchase an Orchid account?

The easiest way to get Orchid set up is to purchase an Orchid account in the app. From the home screen, go to Manage Accounts and then click Add Credit.

From there, you can see the options that are available to purchase. Once the purchase completes, you will be taken back to Manage Accounts and your account should appear with a balance and deposit visible. Once you make an account active you can connect to Orchid.

Can I create an Orchid Account using Crypto?

Yes! The Orchid ecosystem has a dApp (decentralized application) where users can connect a wallet and put crypto funds into an Orchid account.

Orchid accounts can be created by funding the Orchid address created in the app. You will need to copy the Orchid address from the app to the Orchid dApp, connect a wallet and then pay for the account to be created.

To copy the Orchid address, tap the number below where it says Orchid Address on the Manage Accounts screen.

For more help, see our join instructions or read the help documentation.

How do I import an existing Orchid Account?

Once an account is created from within the app or elsewhere, it can be exported and shared. To import an existing account, go to Manage Accounts and tap on the cog icon next to Orchid Address, then go to Import. You can then scan or paste the Orchid account, which will then be added under a new Orchid Address.

Once it has been added you should see the balance and deposit associated with the account.