kent

I've been using OVPN with port forwarding for a couple of years, it works great for my use cases.

I haven't used other providers, so I can't really compare to others though.

True. That requires a paid plan.

Damn their oily hides!!

It's in "Settings"->"Apps", select you app then, "App battery usage" - When enabled, you can press the text and choose between "Optimised" ('Optimise based on your usage. recommended for most apps.') and "Unrestricted" ('Allow battery usage in background without restrictions. May use more battery.') - At least that is how it's organized on the Pixel 8.

Ahh, yes - you're right, I was mistaken the "Allow background usage" with the "Unrestricted" background usage.

The Pixel settings are a bit 'funny': it's an on/off toggle for "Allow background usage", but when it's enabled you can actually click on the settings text itself, and go into a submenu, where you can choose between "Optimized" and "Unrestricted" ("Optimized" is the default for apps that are allowed background usage).

Thanks for all your help!

Thanks. I might just do that.

I was wondering if the system is doing some kind of app profiling, and if it automatically will remove the permission from the apps some time in the future? Like it does with other app permissions on unused apps...