diff --git a/src/frontends/android/app/build.gradle b/src/frontends/android/app/build.gradle
index 99eb26177..91278898f 100644
--- a/src/frontends/android/app/build.gradle
+++ b/src/frontends/android/app/build.gradle
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@ android {
         minSdk = 24
         targetSdk = 36
 
-        versionCode 174
-        versionName "2.19.6"
+        versionCode 175
+        versionName "2.19.7"
 
         /* Base URL of the update storage, trailing slash included */
         buildConfigField "String", "UPDATE_BASE_URL", "\"${updateBaseUrl}\""
diff --git a/src/frontends/android/app/src/main/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/CharonVpnService.java b/src/frontends/android/app/src/main/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/CharonVpnService.java
index 1c3d3f1f8..cf1ef2874 100644
--- a/src/frontends/android/app/src/main/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/CharonVpnService.java
+++ b/src/frontends/android/app/src/main/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/CharonVpnService.java
@@ -1191,6 +1191,11 @@ public class CharonVpnService extends VpnService implements Runnable, VpnStateSe
 			&& vpnCaps.hasCapability(NetworkCapabilities.NET_CAPABILITY_VALIDATED))
 			+ ", dns=" + (lp != null ? lp.getDnsServers() : "?")
 			+ ", routes=" + (lp != null ? lp.getRoutes().size() : "?"));
+		if (lp != null && Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.P)
+		{	/* whether Android validated the strict private DNS server over the tunnel */
+			DiagLog.i(TAG, "dns diag: vpn privateDns active=" + lp.isPrivateDnsActive()
+				+ ", name=" + lp.getPrivateDnsServerName());
+		}
 		if (underlying != null)
 		{
 			NetworkCapabilities uCaps = cm.getNetworkCapabilities(underlying);
diff --git a/src/frontends/android/app/src/main/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/protection/SecureDns.kt b/src/frontends/android/app/src/main/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/protection/SecureDns.kt
index c5bfb3a65..03df8640e 100644
--- a/src/frontends/android/app/src/main/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/protection/SecureDns.kt
+++ b/src/frontends/android/app/src/main/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/protection/SecureDns.kt
@@ -143,15 +143,31 @@ object SecureDnsCodec
 	fun readFrame(input: InputStream): ByteArray
 	{
 		val data = DataInputStream(input)
-		val len = data.readUnsignedShort()
-		val msg = ByteArray(len)
-		data.readFully(msg)
-		return msg
+		try
+		{
+			val len = data.readUnsignedShort()
+			val msg = ByteArray(len)
+			data.readFully(msg)
+			return msg
+		}
+		catch (e: java.io.EOFException)
+		{	/* some servers drop names they refuse to answer by closing the connection */
+			throw IOException("connection closed without a reply")
+		}
 	}
 
 	/** Same transaction id: a reply that belongs to the query. */
 	@JvmStatic
 	fun sameId(a: ByteArray, b: ByteArray): Boolean = a.size >= 2 && b.size >= 2 && a[0] == b[0] && a[1] == b[1]
+
+	/** Throws unless [reply] is a DNS response (header, QR bit) to [query]. */
+	@JvmStatic
+	fun checkReply(query: ByteArray, reply: ByteArray)
+	{
+		if (reply.isEmpty()) throw IOException("empty reply")
+		if (reply.size < 12 || (reply[2].toInt() and 0x80) == 0) throw IOException("not a DNS reply")
+		if (!sameId(query, reply)) throw IOException("reply id mismatch")
+	}
 }
 
 /**
@@ -177,6 +193,7 @@ object SecureDns
 
 	private const val TIMEOUT_MS = 3000
 	private const val PROBE_TTL_MS = 10 * 60 * 1000L
+	private const val PROBE_FAIL_TTL_MS = 60 * 1000L
 	private const val SUMMARY_EVERY_MS = 15 * 60 * 1000L
 	private const val WORKERS = 4
 
@@ -202,41 +219,62 @@ object SecureDns
 		val ok: Boolean get() = error == null
 	}
 
-	/** One query for a fixed name; for the connect decision and the «Save» check. */
+	/**
+	 * Names for the probe; any well-formed reply (any rcode) means the server
+	 * speaks DoH/DoT.  Not example.com: some servers silently drop it.
+	 */
+	private val PROBE_NAMES = arrayOf("one.one.one.one", "ya.ru")
+
+	/** One query (a second name if the first gets no reply); for the connect decision and the «Save» check. */
 	@JvmStatic
 	fun probe(config: SecureDnsConfig): Probe
 	{
 		val start = SystemClock.elapsedRealtime()
-		return try
+		var error: String? = null
+		for (name in PROBE_NAMES)
 		{
-			val q = SecureDnsCodec.query((start and 0xffff).toInt(), "example.com", 1)
-			val reply = resolve(config, q)
-			if (!SecureDnsCodec.sameId(q, reply)) throw IOException("reply id mismatch")
-			Probe(SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() - start, null)
-		}
-		catch (e: Exception)
-		{
-			Probe(SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() - start, describe(e))
+			try
+			{
+				val q = SecureDnsCodec.query((SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() and 0xffff).toInt(), name, 1)
+				SecureDnsCodec.checkReply(q, resolve(config, q))
+				error = null
+				break
+			}
+			catch (e: Exception)
+			{
+				error = describe(e)
+				if (e is java.net.SocketTimeoutException) break  /* a dead server: no point waiting twice */
+			}
 		}
+		val result = Probe(SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() - start, error)
+		remember(config, result.ok)
+		return result
+	}
+
+	@Synchronized
+	private fun remember(config: SecureDnsConfig, ok: Boolean)
+	{
+		probedConfig = config
+		probedAt = SystemClock.elapsedRealtime()
+		probeOk = ok
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Whether [config] works right now (probe result cached for 10 min, so
-	 * a reconnect does not wait again).  Logs the decision.
+	 * Whether [config] works right now.  The result of the last probe (also
+	 * the one from «Save») is reused: a success for 10 min, a failure for
+	 * 1 min, so one connect does not probe (and wait) several times.  Logs
+	 * the decision when it probes.
 	 */
 	@JvmStatic
 	@Synchronized
 	fun ensureReady(config: SecureDnsConfig): Boolean
 	{
-		val now = SystemClock.elapsedRealtime()
-		if (config == probedConfig && probeOk && now - probedAt < PROBE_TTL_MS)
+		val age = SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() - probedAt
+		if (config == probedConfig && age < if (probeOk) PROBE_TTL_MS else PROBE_FAIL_TTL_MS)
 		{
-			return true
+			return probeOk
 		}
 		val result = probe(config)
-		probedConfig = config
-		probedAt = now
-		probeOk = result.ok
 		DiagLog.i(TAG, if (result.ok) "probe ${config.label} ok in ${result.ms} ms"
 			else "probe ${config.label} failed after ${result.ms} ms: ${result.error}; falling back to plain DNS")
 		return result.ok
@@ -312,7 +350,7 @@ object SecureDns
 		val reply = try
 		{
 			resolve(config, query).also {
-				if (!SecureDnsCodec.sameId(query, it)) throw IOException("reply id mismatch")
+				SecureDnsCodec.checkReply(query, it)
 				totalMs.addAndGet(SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() - start)
 				if (failing)
 				{
@@ -427,7 +465,7 @@ object SecureDns
 			conn.out.write(SecureDnsCodec.frame(query))
 			conn.out.flush()
 			val reply = SecureDnsCodec.readFrame(conn.input)
-			if (!SecureDnsCodec.sameId(query, reply)) throw IOException("reply id mismatch")
+			SecureDnsCodec.checkReply(query, reply)
 			return reply
 		}
 		catch (e: IOException)
diff --git a/src/frontends/android/app/src/test/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/protection/SecureDnsTest.kt b/src/frontends/android/app/src/test/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/protection/SecureDnsTest.kt
index f0e026710..1bb56a6fe 100644
--- a/src/frontends/android/app/src/test/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/protection/SecureDnsTest.kt
+++ b/src/frontends/android/app/src/test/java/org/strongswan/android/logic/protection/SecureDnsTest.kt
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 package org.strongswan.android.logic.protection
 
 import org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat
+import org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy
 import org.junit.Test
 import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream
 
@@ -98,6 +99,25 @@ class SecureDnsTest
 		assertThat(SecureDnsCodec.servfail(ByteArray(12))!!.size).isEqualTo(12)
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	fun checkReplyRejectsEmptyAndForeign()
+	{
+		val q = SecureDnsCodec.query(0x1234, "ya.ru", 1)
+		assertThatThrownBy { SecureDnsCodec.checkReply(q, ByteArray(0)) }.hasMessage("empty reply")
+		/* the query itself has no QR bit */
+		assertThatThrownBy { SecureDnsCodec.checkReply(q, q) }.hasMessage("not a DNS reply")
+		val other = SecureDnsCodec.servfail(SecureDnsCodec.query(0x4321, "ya.ru", 1))!!
+		assertThatThrownBy { SecureDnsCodec.checkReply(q, other) }.hasMessage("reply id mismatch")
+		SecureDnsCodec.checkReply(q, SecureDnsCodec.servfail(q)!!)  /* any rcode is a reply */
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	fun dotClosedConnectionIsReported()
+	{
+		assertThatThrownBy { SecureDnsCodec.readFrame(ByteArrayInputStream(ByteArray(0))) }
+			.hasMessage("connection closed without a reply")
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	fun dotFramingRoundTrip()
 	{
diff --git a/src/frontends/android/docs/README.md b/src/frontends/android/docs/README.md
index d9ebea711..1555d8983 100644
--- a/src/frontends/android/docs/README.md
+++ b/src/frontends/android/docs/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # SHX VPN для Android
 
-Форк Android-клиента strongSwan (IKEv2/IPsec), пакет `one.shx.strongswan.ext`. Текущая версия — **2.19.6 (versionCode 174)**.
+Форк Android-клиента strongSwan (IKEv2/IPsec), пакет `one.shx.strongswan.ext`. Текущая версия — **2.19.7 (versionCode 175)**.
 Распространяется вне Google Play: APK и манифест обновлений лежат в приватном бакете S3, приложение обновляется само.
 
 - Дизайн: [design/README.md](design/README.md) — макет «Финал 2026» и соответствие артбордов коду.