diff --git a/Android/app/build.gradle.kts b/Android/app/build.gradle.kts
index b3a56fb4..2b011839 100644
--- a/Android/app/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/Android/app/build.gradle.kts
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ android {
         applicationId = "com.archipelago.app"
         minSdk = 26
         targetSdk = 35
-        versionCode = 21
-        versionName = "0.5.1"
+        versionCode = 22
+        versionName = "0.5.2"
 
         vectorDrawables {
             useSupportLibrary = true
diff --git a/Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/fips/ArchyVpnService.kt b/Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/fips/ArchyVpnService.kt
index 46811691..36714e05 100644
--- a/Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/fips/ArchyVpnService.kt
+++ b/Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/fips/ArchyVpnService.kt
@@ -61,6 +61,13 @@ class ArchyVpnService : VpnService() {
                 .setMtu(1280)
                 .addAddress(identity.address, 128)
                 .addRoute("fd00::", 8)
+                // The TUN is IPv6-only. Android blocks every address family
+                // the VPN has no address for — without this, bringing the
+                // mesh up cut ALL of the phone's IPv4 internet.
+                .allowFamily(android.system.OsConstants.AF_INET)
+                // And let apps that bind their own network skip the TUN
+                // entirely — this is mesh reachability, not a privacy VPN.
+                .allowBypass()
                 .establish()
         } catch (e: Exception) {
             Log.e(TAG, "VPN establish failed", e)
diff --git a/Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/ui/screens/ServerConnectScreen.kt b/Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/ui/screens/ServerConnectScreen.kt
index d04f4104..4944fdda 100644
--- a/Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/ui/screens/ServerConnectScreen.kt
+++ b/Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/ui/screens/ServerConnectScreen.kt
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ import com.archipelago.app.ui.theme.TextMuted
 import com.archipelago.app.ui.theme.TextPrimary
 import com.archipelago.app.ui.theme.TextSecondary
 import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers
+import kotlinx.coroutines.delay
 import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
 import kotlinx.coroutines.withContext
 import java.net.HttpURLConnection
@@ -171,10 +172,29 @@ fun ServerConnectScreen(
         errorMessage = null
 
         scope.launch {
-            val result = testConnection(server)
+            var reachable = testConnection(server)
+
+            // LAN address didn't answer — phone off-LAN (5G) or DHCP moved the
+            // node. The scanned IP was only ever a dial hint; the node's real
+            // identity is its npub and its ULA is reachable from anywhere over
+            // the mesh. Bring the tunnel up and probe the ULA before failing.
+            if (!reachable && server.meshIp.isNotBlank()) {
+                FipsManager.autoStartIfReady(context)
+                val meshServer = server.copy(
+                    address = server.meshIp,
+                    useHttps = false,
+                    port = "",
+                )
+                // The tunnel + mesh route need a moment on cold start.
+                for (attempt in 0 until 4) {
+                    if (attempt > 0) delay(2000)
+                    reachable = testConnection(meshServer)
+                    if (reachable) break
+                }
+            }
             isConnecting = false
 
-            if (result) {
+            if (reachable) {
                 prefs.setActiveServer(server)
                 onConnected(server.toUrl())
             } else {
diff --git a/docs/HANDOFF-2026-07-23-companion-apk-deploy.md b/docs/HANDOFF-2026-07-23-companion-apk-deploy.md
index 5920bbcf..d521f263 100644
--- a/docs/HANDOFF-2026-07-23-companion-apk-deploy.md
+++ b/docs/HANDOFF-2026-07-23-companion-apk-deploy.md
@@ -18,7 +18,14 @@ user's hands.
   support; web scan modal hands live scanning to it.
 - npub-keyed saved servers (pairing contract item 1, PR #106).
 - Served APK refreshed: `neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk`
-  is now **0.5.1 / versionCode 21** (this commit).
+  is now **0.5.2 / versionCode 22**, which additionally fixes the two field
+  failures from the user's 5G test (screenshots, 21:54):
+  - **Mesh VPN no longer kills the phone's internet** — the IPv6-only TUN
+    never called `allowFamily(AF_INET)`, so Android blocked all IPv4 while
+    the mesh was up. Now allowed (+ `allowBypass`).
+  - **Off-LAN connect works** — `connect()` no longer hard-fails when the
+    scanned LAN IP doesn't answer; it brings the mesh up and probes the
+    node's ULA (`meshIp`) with retries before reporting failure.
 
 ## What to do
 
diff --git a/neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk b/neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk
index 83c4a299..b4331df4 100644
Binary files a/neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk and b/neode-ui/public/packages/archipelago-companion.apk differ