Here’s how to use a VPN on your iPhone, giving you extra protection and the ability to browse the web as if you were from any country.
These days, a VPN on your PC is practically essential for everyday work. Especially if you’re trying to access various sites that are geographically blocked, or just don’t want your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to know what you’re browsing.
The added security and freedom to access any content you like without fear of it being blocked or properly monitored is a blessing. All of this is also available on mobile devices, including the iPhone. Your subscriptions will be migrated, and there are even ways to make free VPNs work for those who tend to the free side of things.
While we recommend something like NordVPN, there are plenty of others, all with iPhone apps.
Most VPN applications will handle the setup for you without having to enter information. Those who want to use a free VPN or connect to a service that is not yet supported through the app will have to use their own iOS server settings.
Once you have selected a specific VPN, you can simply turn it on and follow any prompts that arise. Usually they just ask if you want your VPN to change the settings for you.
Choose a paid service
| VPN | PRICE |
|---|---|
| NordVPN | $13.99 |
| SurfShark | $12.99 |
| ProtonVPN | $9.99 |
| ExpressVPN | $9.99 |
How to Set up a free VPN on iPhone
If you want to set up a VPN service for which there is no app, or you have a specific setup for which it is required, follow these steps.
First drag the home screen down and find the VPN. A pop-up settings page should appear that will take you right there.
Then click the VPN button and you will be taken to a page where we can start setting up. Click “Add VPN Configuration” and you will be offered a variety of options.
The main thing we need is:
- The protocol you plan to use
- Description (it doesn’t have to match, it’s for the edification of the iPhone)
- Your server
- Usernames and passwords
As with OpenVPN, you have to be careful about which free VPNs you use. However, this configuration can also be used to log in to work or training services that require intranet access.
Using the VPNGate website, you can find many free international VPNs to use. For example, we used from Japan. Since they are free and hosted by other users, they may not be available at certain times.
All passwords and usernames for VPNGate are just “vpn”.
You need to find a protocol with the right protocol, for iPhone and iPad it’s L2TP or IPsec, and in the case of the one we used, it was L2TP. If you have configured it, but it does not work, you will need to delete the configuration and start over, since there is no way to switch between the installed protocols.
Yours should look like this, but you may need to use either the IP address or the server URL.
