diff --git a/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index 63a2f4abb..5cb8db1d9 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -10,20 +10,16 @@
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" android:maxSdkVersion="18" />
   <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="8" android:targetSdkVersion="32"/>
   
-  <application android:icon="@mipmap/ccicon" 
-               android:label="ClassiCube" 
-               android:usesCleartextTraffic="true">
+  <application android:icon="@mipmap/ccicon" android:label="ClassiCube">
     <provider
         android:name="com.classicube.CCFileProvider"
         android:authorities="com.classicube.android.client.provider"
-        android:exported="true"
+        android:exported="false"
         android:grantUriPermissions="true" >
     </provider>
 
-    <activity android:name="com.classicube.MainActivity" 
-              android:label="ClassiCube"
-              android:configChanges="orientation|screenSize|keyboard|keyboardHidden"
-              android:exported="true">
+    <activity android:name="com.classicube.MainActivity" android:label="ClassiCube"
+              android:configChanges="orientation|screenSize|keyboard|keyboardHidden">
 
       <intent-filter>
         <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
@@ -33,4 +29,4 @@
   </application>
 
 </manifest>
-<!-- END_INCLUDE(manifest) -->
+<!-- END_INCLUDE(manifest) -->
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/android/app/src/main/java/com/classicube/MainActivity.java b/android/app/src/main/java/com/classicube/MainActivity.java
index c0432b348..65bd28511 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/java/com/classicube/MainActivity.java
+++ b/android/app/src/main/java/com/classicube/MainActivity.java
@@ -912,7 +912,12 @@ public class MainActivity extends Activity
 	static InputStream src;
 	static byte[] readCache = new byte[8192];
 
-	public static int httpInit(String url, String method) {
+	public static int httpInit(String url, String method) {	    
+		// newer android versions block cleartext traffic by default
+		if (android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 26) {
+			url = url.replace("http://", "https://");
+		}
+
 		try {
 			conn = (HttpURLConnection)new URL(url).openConnection();
 			conn.setDoInput(true);