There will be very few arguments against iOS being one of the smoothest mobile operating systems. iPhones and iPads are among the most used mobile devices. While using mobile devices, you have the constant need to be online. With the need comes the problem of using Internet from sources which you wouldn’t always trust. Maybe the wifi at the coffee shop, or the wifi at a hotel, you might think that they cannot be very harmful, but there are too many things which can go wrong with a bad Internet connection. And that’s the reason why you would have to consider the use of Virtual Private Networks. VPN services give you reliable connections, and bevy of other benefits like anonymity etc. In this tutorial, we shall discuss, how one can setup OpenVPN connection with iOS. So, this will work for iPhones, iPads and iPods. The overall process, would be very smooth.
Step 1: Download the required file
There is an .ovpn file which can be downloaded for iOS from your VPN service provider’s site. This will have the configurations required for the OpenVPN client. That’s the best part about OpenVPN connections, you don’t have to do the heavy lifting.
Step 2: Download the app
There is an app in the App store, called OpenVPN Connect. This app will be your client from your Apple device.
Step 3: Transfer .ovpn file to the device
Use iTunes to transfer the .ovpn file from your computer to the device. You can do this, by going to ‘Library’ of iTunes, and then clicking the name of the device which has been connected to the computer, say iPhone. Then in the page that appears, click the ‘Apps’ option. In the list, you would have to scroll down to the bottom, to find the file sharing area.
Step 4: Add the .ovpn file
Click ‘Add’ and in the dialogue box that opens up, select the .ovpn file which you had downloaded earlier. After it is successfully transferred, disconnect the device.
Step 5: Start the OpenVPN client
Launch the OpenVPN client in your iOS device. Click the + button to start a new profile for connection. You would be asked the username and password at some time. Enter these and you are done!
Setting up OpenVPN in iOS is actually simplest of all the platforms. So, use the VPN service as much as you can. There are settings in the app which can be activated to make all the network traffic, go through the VPN service. Use the VPN services as much as you can. Not only there are security issues that VPN takes care of, there’s some added perks of getting an IP from whichever country you want.
