Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Internet

How to connect to a VPN from your iPhone or iPad

How to connect to a VPN from your iPhone or iPad

– 👌

Newer iPhones and iPads have excellent VPN support. L2TP/IPSec and Cisco IPSec protocols are integrated. You can connect to OpenVPN networks and other types of VPNs with third-party applications.

Before iOS 8, iPhones would automatically disconnect from VPNs when they went into sleep mode. Now, iOS devices will stay connected to the VPN even when the screen is off. You won’t have to constantly reconnect.

Related: How to choose the best VPN service for your needs

The easy way: use a dedicated app

Fortunately, our favorite VPN services offer standalone iPhone apps to save you hassle – so you won’t need the instructions in this guide. StrongVPN is great for more advanced users, while ExpressVPN and TunnelBear are a bit simpler. ExpressVPN has better speeds, but TunnelBear has a free tier for those just getting started, which is great.

In the case of all three apps, you don’t have to mess around with your iOS VPN settings – just open the app, sign in, and connect to the country of your choice. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Connect to IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, and Cisco IPSec VPNs in iOS

Related: What is the best VPN protocol? PPTP vs. OpenVPN vs. L2TP/IPsec vs. SSTP

If the VPN you choose doesn’t offer an iOS app, you can set up the VPN using the settings built into iOS. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, tap the General category, then tap VPN near the bottom of the list. Click “Add VPN Configuration” to add the first VPN settings for your phone or tablet. If you need to configure multiple VPNs, you can add them from this screen as well.

Select the IKEv2, IPSec, or L2TP option depending on the type of VPN you want to connect to. Enter your VPN connection details on this screen to connect. If your VPN is provided by your workplace, it should provide you with these details.

If you have an OpenVPN server that you want to connect to, skip this entire section and scroll down to the last part of the article. OpenVPNs are handled differently.

Support for PPTP VPNs has been removed in iOS 10. PPTP is an outdated and insecure protocol and you should use a different VPN protocol, if possible.

If you need to use certificate files to connect to a VPN, you will have to import them before setting up the VPN. If you email certificate files, you can access them in the Mail app, click Certificate File Attachments, and import them. You can also locate them on a website in the Safari browser and click on them to import them.

iPhone and iPad devices support certificate files in PKCS#1 (.cer, .crt, .der) and PKCS#12 (.p12, .pfx) formats. If you need these certificate files to connect, the organization that provides you with the VPN server should give you these files and mention them in the instructions for setting up the VPN. If you want to remove the certificates you have installed, you will find them under Settings > General > Profiles.

Organizations that centrally manage their iOS devices can also use a mobile device management server to push certificates and related VPN settings to their devices.

Connect and disconnect from your VPN

Related: What is a VPN, and why would I need one?

After setting up the VPN, you can open the Settings window and toggle the VPN slider near the top of the screen to connect or disconnect from the VPN. When you are connected to a VPN, a “VPN” icon will appear at the top of the screen in the status bar.

If you’ve set up multiple VPNs on your iPhone or iPad, you can switch between them by heading to Settings > General > VPN – the same screen where you added these VPNs.

Connect to OpenVPN VPN

While Apple hasn’t added OpenVPN support to iOS directly, that’s fine. Like Android, iOS includes a way for third-party apps to implement and run as VPNs. This means that you can connect to absolutely any type of VPN from your iPhone or iPad, assuming there is a third-party app in the App Store that can connect to it.

In the case of OpenVPN, there is an official OpenVPN Connect app that you can install. Install, launch and use the app to connect to an OpenVPN VPN.

To configure your VPN server in the OpenVPN Connect app, you will have to import a profile – this is the .ovpn file. If you want to do it manually, you can connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer, open iTunes, and select the connected device. Under the Applications section, you will be able to copy the .ovpn file, certificate, and related key files to the OpenVPN application. You can then connect to the VPN from the app.

OpenVPN Connect and similar apps are not “just an app” that you use. They offer a system-wide VPN connection, so all the apps on your device will connect through the VPN – just like VPNs you connect to the normal way from the built-in Settings app.


That’s it for the home user. Large organizations that centrally manage iPhone or iPad deployments will want to avoid setting per device and selecting a VPN server via configuration profiles or a mobile device management server. Provide a configuration profile file with all VPN settings included in it, and users can download and install this configuration profile to instantly get the appropriate VPN settings configured on their device.

Image Credit: Karlis Dambrans on Flickr

[ad_1]
Don’t forget to share this post with friends !

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Internet

AnyConnect certificate-based authentication. Cisco community 👨‍💻 The information in this document is based on the following software and hardware versions: ASA 5510 running software...

Internet

Top 5 Free AV Packages – 👌 Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition best interface Positives Works on Windows 7 and 8.1 Very easy to use...

Internet

Download antivirus for free. Best antivirus protection 👨‍💻 Protecting your identity, banking information and privacy Cybercriminals want your credit card details, passwords and other...

Internet

Avira Free Security Review You need antivirus protection on all of your devices, whether you’ve budgeted for it or not. If ready cash is...