VPN mode keeps getting stuck on "Ad-blocker VPN starting"

[flemur]

I recently switched from rooted mode to VPN mode due to a few apps that hate root. It mostly works fine, but having a recurring issue where when the phone goes to deep sleep (I think this is the trigger), when it wakes back up, AdAway shows as "Ad-blocker VPN starting"...forever. All buttons in the UI stop working, so I can't pause it and resume it. The only way to fix it is to reboot or force-close the app and restart it.

Troubleshooting info:

• AdAway 5.5.1
• No root available
• Battery optimization is disabled for AdAway
• Pixel 3, Android 11 (April 5th update)
• Issue believed to be triggered by deep sleep every 1-2 days, but could have something to do with wifi switching as well
• App completely freezes when this occurs. Pause button does not work, nor does menu.