How to Install a VPN on Your iPhone

Key points

Install VPN apps only from the App Store.
iOS asks once to add the VPN configuration.
Turn on the app's kill switch; iOS has none of its own.

Checked 30 October 2026

Installing a VPN on an iPhone or iPad takes a few minutes. iOS allows VPN apps only through Apple’s App Store, and every VPN app has to ask your permission once before it can add its connection to your settings. These steps work on current versions of iOS and iPadOS.

1. Choose the VPN first

Pick the service before you search the store, so you do not install a look-alike. Our iPhone VPN guide lists the apps we checked and links straight to their App Store pages. Look for an independently audited no-logs policy, a kill switch in the iOS app, and a refund window.

2. Install the official app

Open the App Store and search for the VPN’s exact name, or use the link from the provider’s website.
Check the developer name under the app’s title (for example Proton AG, Nordvpn S.A. or SURFSHARK LTD).
Tap Get. All eleven VPN apps we compare are listed on the UAE App Store as of 30 October 2026.

3. Sign in or subscribe

Many providers let you buy inside the app; then Apple handles billing and refunds, and the provider’s own refund promise may not apply. Buying on the provider’s website keeps its own refund terms, such as a 30-day money-back guarantee.

4. Allow the VPN configuration

Open the app and tap Connect for the first time.
iOS shows “[App] Would Like to Add VPN Configurations”. Tap Allow.
Confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.

The connection now appears under Settings › General › VPN & Device Management, as Apple describes. While it is on, a VPN badge shows in the status bar or Control Centre.

5. Turn on the protections

Kill switch: in the app’s settings. iOS has no system-wide switch, so this one matters. What the kill switch does.
Auto-connect on untrusted Wi-Fi: most apps offer it.
Protocol: leave it on automatic unless a network blocks the default one.

6. Check that it works

With the VPN on, open a connection-check page in Safari, such as Mullvad’s. It should show the VPN server’s country and network, not e& or du. Our leak-test guide covers DNS and WebRTC as well.

Turning it off or removing it

Tap Disconnect in the app, or switch it off under Settings › General › VPN & Device Management. To remove it completely, delete the app; its VPN configuration goes with it.

A VPN on your iPhone is lawful for privacy and security; using it to commit or hide a crime is not. See what UAE law says.

Sources

Checked on 30 October 2026. Providers change their apps, servers and terms, so check the official page before you pay.