diff --git a/mobile/src/main/java/com/github/shadowsocks/JniHelper.java b/mobile/src/main/java/com/github/shadowsocks/JniHelper.java
index 2c46bc48..c2299e58 100755
--- a/mobile/src/main/java/com/github/shadowsocks/JniHelper.java
+++ b/mobile/src/main/java/com/github/shadowsocks/JniHelper.java
@@ -54,14 +54,19 @@ public class JniHelper {
                 ? new ErrnoException("kill", errno) : new Exception("kill failed: " + errno);
     }
 
-    @Deprecated // Use Process.destroy() since API 24
-    public static int waitpidCompat(Process process) throws Exception {
+    @Deprecated // only implemented for before API 24
+    public static boolean waitForCompat(Process process, long millis) throws Exception {
         if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 24) throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Never call this method in OpenJDK!");
-        return waitpid(process);
+        final Object mutex = getExitValueMutex(process);
+        synchronized (mutex) {
+            if (getExitValue(process) == null) mutex.wait(millis);
+            return getExitValue(process) != null;
+        }
     }
 
     private static native int sigterm(Process process);
-    private static native int waitpid(Process process);
+    private static native Integer getExitValue(Process process);
+    private static native Object getExitValueMutex(Process process);
     public static native int sendFd(int fd, String path);
     public static native void close(int fd);
 }
diff --git a/mobile/src/main/jni/jni-helper.cpp b/mobile/src/main/jni/jni-helper.cpp
index c2596501..2920695e 100644
--- a/mobile/src/main/jni/jni-helper.cpp
+++ b/mobile/src/main/jni/jni-helper.cpp
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/socket.h>
-#include <sys/wait.h>
 #include <ancillary.h>
 
 #define LOGI(...) do { __android_log_print(ANDROID_LOG_INFO, LOG_TAG, __VA_ARGS__); } while(0)
@@ -23,7 +22,7 @@
 #define THROW(env, clazz, msg) do { env->ThrowNew(env->FindClass(clazz), msg); } while (0)
 
 static jclass ProcessImpl;
-static jfieldID ProcessImpl_pid;
+static jfieldID ProcessImpl_pid, ProcessImpl_exitValue, ProcessImpl_exitValueMutex;
 
 static int sdk_version() {
     char version[PROP_VALUE_MAX + 1];
@@ -42,15 +41,22 @@ jint Java_com_github_shadowsocks_jnihelper_sigterm(JNIEnv *env, jobject thiz, jo
     return kill(pid, SIGTERM) == -1 && errno != ESRCH ? errno : 0;
 }
 
-jint Java_com_github_shadowsocks_jnihelper_waitpid(JNIEnv *env, jobject thiz, jobject process) {
+jobject Java_com_github_shadowsocks_jnihelper_getExitValue(JNIEnv *env, jobject thiz, jobject process) {
     if (!env->IsInstanceOf(process, ProcessImpl)) {
         THROW(env, "java/lang/ClassCastException",
                    "Unsupported process object. Only java.lang.ProcessManager$ProcessImpl is accepted.");
-        return -1;
+        return NULL;
     }
-    jint pid = env->GetIntField(process, ProcessImpl_pid);
-    int status;
-    return waitpid(pid, &status, WNOHANG);
+    return env->GetObjectField(process, ProcessImpl_exitValue);
+}
+
+jobject Java_com_github_shadowsocks_jnihelper_getExitValueMutex(JNIEnv *env, jobject thiz, jobject process) {
+    if (!env->IsInstanceOf(process, ProcessImpl)) {
+        THROW(env, "java/lang/ClassCastException",
+                   "Unsupported process object. Only java.lang.ProcessManager$ProcessImpl is accepted.");
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    return env->GetObjectField(process, ProcessImpl_exitValueMutex);
 }
 
 void Java_com_github_shadowsocks_jnihelper_close(JNIEnv *env, jobject thiz, jint fd) {
@@ -97,8 +103,10 @@ static JNINativeMethod method_table[] = {
         (void*) Java_com_github_shadowsocks_jnihelper_sendfd },
     { "sigterm", "(Ljava/lang/Process;)I",
         (void*) Java_com_github_shadowsocks_jnihelper_sigterm },
-    { "waitpid", "(Ljava/lang/Process;)I",
-        (void*) Java_com_github_shadowsocks_jnihelper_waitpid }
+    { "getExitValue", "(Ljava/lang/Process;)Ljava/lang/Integer",
+        (void*) Java_com_github_shadowsocks_jnihelper_getExitValue },
+    { "getExitValueMutex", "(Ljava/lang/Process;)Ljava/lang/Object",
+        (void*) Java_com_github_shadowsocks_jnihelper_getExitValueMutex }
 };
 
 /*
@@ -173,6 +181,14 @@ jint JNI_OnLoad(JavaVM* vm, void* reserved) {
             THROW(env, "java/lang/RuntimeException", "ProcessManager$ProcessImpl.pid not found");
             goto bail;
         }
+        if (!(ProcessImpl_exitValue = env->GetFieldID(ProcessImpl, "exitValue", "Ljava/lang/Integer"))) {
+            THROW(env, "java/lang/RuntimeException", "ProcessManager$ProcessImpl.exitValue not found");
+            goto bail;
+        }
+        if (!(ProcessImpl_exitValueMutex = env->GetFieldID(ProcessImpl, "exitValueMutex", "Ljava/lang/Object"))) {
+            THROW(env, "java/lang/RuntimeException", "ProcessManager$ProcessImpl.exitValueMutex not found");
+            goto bail;
+        }
     }
 
     result = JNI_VERSION_1_6;
diff --git a/mobile/src/main/scala/com/github/shadowsocks/GuardedProcess.scala b/mobile/src/main/scala/com/github/shadowsocks/GuardedProcess.scala
index 8d78d679..bdd6cd7c 100644
--- a/mobile/src/main/scala/com/github/shadowsocks/GuardedProcess.scala
+++ b/mobile/src/main/scala/com/github/shadowsocks/GuardedProcess.scala
@@ -115,12 +115,7 @@ class GuardedProcess(cmd: String*) {
   private def destroyProcess() {
     if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < 24) {
       JniHelper.sigtermCompat(process)
-      var tries = 0
-      while (JniHelper.waitpidCompat(process) == 0 && tries < 3) {
-        Log.w(TAG, "still waiting for process " + Commandline.toString(cmd))
-        Thread.sleep(200)
-        tries += 1
-      }
+      JniHelper.waitForCompat(process, 500)
     }
     process.destroy()
   }