SimpleX setup with dispvm

rzg · August 29, 2025, 10:26pm

Yep, you is right. I actived the SOCKS proxy

Use SOCKS proxy (Android only)

This option makes the app connect via a SOCKS proxy that should be provided by some other app running on your device.

The most typical use for this is to run Orbot app that provides a SOCKS proxy to connect via Tor network, but it can be some other app and it can proxy connections via some other overlay network.

Use .onion hosts

Android

Use .onion hosts option is only available when Use SOCKS proxy is enabled. You can choose:
(…)

required: always use .onion hosts. Choose this option if your SOCKS proxy connects via Tor network and you want to avoid connections without Tor. In this case, if the SMP relay address does not include .onion host, the connection will fail.

We need to follow this relevant topic about the use of .onion hosts option independently of the use SOCKS proxy:

github.com/simplex-chat/simplex-chat

Make possible using .onion hosts with SOCKS unset for Tor-routed setups

opened 01:47PM - 13 Oct 24 UTC

marcovelon

enhancement

I have noticed that the current app's behavior is to hide the option `Use .onion… hosts` in `Advanced network settings` when the `Use SOCKS proxy` option is disabled. `Use .onion hosts` option should be available and configurable independently of the `Use SOCKS proxy` option status. This should also apply to the app's operation in this regard, depending and following on what is set in the `Use .onion hosts` option. There are certain setups that allow to route the whole OS network traffic into Tor and having .onion hosts resolvable and usable system-wide. An example of such setups is Whonix Gateway (https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Whonix-Gateway) or very basic Linux configurations like this: https://andreafortuna.org/2019/06/19/tor-transparent-proxy-on-linux-a-simple-implementation/ Currently I am able to connect to any .onion host even using `netcat` from my Linux terminal without having to configure any proxies, because my default gateway is Whonix Gateway. Such setups can both be relevant for desktop and mobile users (i.e. a Linux-based WiFi AP that routes clients to Tor) in data-sensitive and mission-critical operations. Any app forcing to add a SOCKS proxy just to enable Tor network connections under such environments create unnecessary overhead for such users.

For while, we could use .onion hosts enabling “required” mode of SOCKS proxy in settings - SimpleX v 6.4.3.1 (117)

Reference

https://simplex.chat/docs/guide/app-settings.html#use-onion-hosts

The answear to my doubt about why it is more secure to connect to a .onion service whenever one is available, even if your system is configured to only use Tor is: the Rendezvous Point, a randomly selected node acts as a secure meeting point where no single node knows both ends.

To be short: the 6-hop rendezvous circuit with a blind middle point (the Rendezvous Point) makes it incredibly difficult for any single entity to link a client to a specific hidden service.

Reference

https://community.torproject.org/onion-services/overview/

I will continue working in the main topic later.