How to Take a VPN Off Your iPhone

Since its launch, Apple’s iPhone has been hailed as a masterpiece, redefining what it means to make a phone call and consume content on the run. Its sleek, clean design and ease of use have struck a chord with users around the world, and it’s sold more than 500 million units as of March 2021.

While the device has undoubtedly changed our phones and tablets forever, it has one major flaw that keeps it from being truly secure and private on the go – the fact that it connects to WiFi networks, even if they’re secured, when you’re on the move.

To be clear, this isn’t a problem with the platform or the service itself – it’s a limitation of Apple’s iPhone hardware that prevents it from being as secure as it could be. With a VPN app, you can easily switch off WiFi networking on your iPhone to ensure your personal data and the content you carry around with you is always kept private.

Install the VPN App

If you’ve even considered securing your phone with a VPN app, you’ll know that the choice is overwhelming. There are tons of apps to choose from, all promising to keep your personal data safe and secure when you browse the web or use public WiFis.

If you have an iPhone, you can download the OpenVPN app from the iOS App Store. It’s arguably one of the most popular VPN apps, boasting more than 80 million downloads to date. This is largely thanks to its ultra-simple setup that makes it ideal for even the tech-inexperienced to use.

One of the unique selling points of the OpenVPN app is that it’s free – as in, free as in “speech”. This is in stark contrast to most other VPN apps, which usually come with a free trial and then charge you monthly fees for their service. In most cases, you’ll find that the trial period is actually quite restrictive, locking you into the service for 30 or 60 days. After that, you’ll be bombarded with popup notifications demanding that you pay up or continue to be locked out of the app.

While this may be the case with some other VPN apps, the OpenVPN team has ensured that this won’t be an issue for you by sticking with the paid-for model. Once you’ve purchased the app, connected to a WiFi network, and logged in, you’ll be able to use it for as long as you want without worrying about running out of credit.

Turn Off WiFi on Your iPhone

Another feature that can make a difference in increasing your phone’s security is turning off WiFi. It’s a great way to prevent your personal data from being collected and sent to other parties, such as advertisers, as part of a data-driven business model designed to increase conversion and collect as much user information as possible.

This won’t prevent your phone from being vulnerable to attacks from malware, viruses, or hackers, of course, but it can help. If you have an iPhone, you can head over to the Settings app and toggle off WiFi networking. A lot of apps will also let you toggle this setting on the fly, so you can be sure that you’re always using a secure connection when needed.

This is one of the things that make the OpenVPN app so attractive. Not only can you enable the always-on-VPN feature and forget about worrying about securing your phone while on the move, but you also don’t have to think about turning the WiFi setting back on when you return to your home network – the VPN app will handle all of this for you.

Choose a Strong Password

A strong password is essential when it comes to securing your data. You wouldn’t put your Facebook or Gmail username and password into a random word generator, so why would you put your phone’s WiFi password into a password generator?

We all know what happens when passwords are weak – it’s one of the biggest problems when it comes to user accounts being hacked. You’d be surprised how many people put their phone’s WiFi password into a password generator and end up with something extremely easy to guess or discover. Even worse, there are cases where hackers have used the WiFi password of one user to gain access to other vulnerable services associated with that phone number.

The OpenVPN app makes choosing a strong password simpler than ever before. When you first open the app and connect to a WiFi network, you’ll be presented with a little padlock icon, indicating that the connection is encrypted and secure. This means that only you and the person you’re sharing your connection with will be able to read and write data – even your phone’s network service provider won’t be able to see your traffic unless they hack into your account.

This level of security comes at a price. The OpenVPN app will require you to enter a strong password on every login. This isn’t a bad thing, though. We all need to remember our passwords anyway, so having something on our phones that makes remembering these passwords easier is a good idea. One of the things that make the OpenVPN app so useful is that your password will never be stored or sent in the clear. Instead, it’ll be hashed and stored securely on the device itself.

Use a VPN to Browse the Web without Risk

You wouldn’t put your PayPal or bank account information into a random email generator, so why would you put your phone’s WiFi password into one?

This brings us to one of the major issues with browsing the web on the go – being vulnerable to fraud and data theft. Most websites and services that you visit while on the go will never be as protected as those that you visit at home. If you put a bit of paranoia into your surfing, you can avoid a lot of risk by connecting to a VPN while on the move.

This is where having a VPN app on your phone really pays off. Imagine how many times you’d have to enter your password if you had to log in to every service you use at home while on the go – it’d be a pain. With a VPN app, all you need to do is connect to the service and your personal data will be protected wherever you go. This could mean the difference between having a safe and enjoyable experience on the web and worrying about your data being compromised – or even losing your data altogether. Think of all the things that could go wrong if you don’t have a reliable WiFi network or connection when you need one, especially if you’re traveling or living abroad.

If you’re worried about the safety of your personal data when using public WiFis, it’s worth considering whether or not you should be. The truth is, even if you use the right security settings and put in the right password, you can’t be sure that your data won’t be intercepted by other users on the network. You could always choose to use a VPN app to keep your personal data secure no matter where you are or what device you’re using.

Choosing a VPN to browse the web privately and securely isn’t easy – there are tons of companies harvesting your personal data as we speak, so you really have to choose carefully. Do your research and make sure that your VPN provider is a reputable company, using strong encryption protocols and not selling your data to third parties. If you have an iPhone, you can find a list of the best VPN providers here.