How to Setup a VPN on iPhone 11
Bernard Hastings | Last Updated:
Technical Writer
The iPhone 11 was launched in September 2019. With it came a number of enhancements including Apple’s first triple lens camera. The third lens brings in an ultra-wide angle that takes in a lot more of the surrounding scenery. The front camera has been bumped up from 7 to 12 megapixels. Low light capabilities have been significantly improved. Apart from the expected annual performance, battery and display tweaks, the iPhone also features the latest generation of Corning’s Gorilla Glass. This is the most durable glass currently available. In a quirky twist, the Apple iPhone 11 has apparently also produced a few rarities. A Twitter account, Internal Archive, claims that a tiny percentage of the handsets have a misaligned logo on the back. According to them, one of these was sold for $2,700.
But we are neither photographers nor art dealers. Let’s get back to more important matters. If you have just acquired an iPhone 11, the first thing you must do is to make it secure. To safeguard your identity and your data, you should install a VPN on your iPhone 11. A VPN encrypts all the data that flows to and from your iPhone. It also broadcasts the IP address of the server you are connected to rather than your service provider’s IP address. This makes your connection and your communication completely anonymous and secure.
QUICK START GUIDE: how to set up a vpn on your new iPhone 11 device
- Open an account with a trusted VPN. – we strongly recommend ExpressVPN for its best-in-class features.
- Select your subscription – Choose from a 1, 6 or 12 month subscription. The longer subscriptions are discounted. There is also a free trial period of at least 1 month and sometimes a special promotion of 3 months.
- Download the app – Find the app in the App Store and download it. Follow the installation prompts. The app is also available directly from the ExpressVPN website expressvpn.com/setup#apple.
- Log in – When you have completed the installation, log in with the username and password that you created at sign up.
- Connect to a server – When you have logged in, follow the configuration instructions to complete the setup. You can now connect to the suggested server or you can select a different server. As soon as the connection is confirmed you can browse securely.
There are several ‘good’ vpn service providers out there to choose from. By this, we mean those that have a good selection of security and privacy features. But it must be said that not everyone has the latest and greatest iPhone. With that in mind, you’ll want to be sure that your selected vpn plays well with your model of iPhone. We’ve run the ExpressVPN iOS app through its paces, and recommend it here because it does what it says: it provides excellent privacy and security features, in an easy to install and use package. Below you can learn a little bit more about their service, and why we like them:
#1. ExpressVPN – easy app setup and configuration for iPhone 11
ExpressVPN are one of the largest vpn service providers on the market. One of the benefits of beign the largest, is that they have the market dominance to be able to develop app for all of your devices that work seamlessly and are not buggy. This includes app support for both current and older mobile phone devices. We’ve found that most of their development effort has been put into their iOS app, which has been designed to be simple and straight-forward for f1st-time vpn users. For more advanced vpn users, there are a host of other features if you want to experiment. But for the vast majority of iPhone 11 users, the default out-of-the-box configuration will be perfect.
Here are a few other key features that we really liked about the ExpressVPN iOS app that we installed and tested on our iPhone 11 test device:
Server count and spread
A VPN network’s performance relies to a very large degree on its size. Simply put, more servers mean more capacity. And more locations mean more users have a server nearby. Billions of people have access to the internet nowadays. Around 60% of them are probably active at any given time. The amount of data that is being transmitted every second of the day is beyond comprehension.
ExpressVPN has more than 3,000 servers so it can cope without experiencing any bottlenecks. The servers are spread over more than 160 locations all over the world. Every user, except those in very remote locations therefore, is likely to have a server located nearby. These two factors contribute significantly to ExpressVPN being one of the fastest VPNs available.
Security features
Kill switch – You’re only protected by ExpresVPN as long as you are connected to an ExpressVPN server. If you lose your connection to the server, all your active internet connections will revert to your ISP’s defaults. This means your real IP address and your data will be exposed. Your ISP’s security protocols may not protect you adequately and you will become vulnerable. ExpressVPN has a kill switch that will immediately terminate all your open connections should you lose your connection to the server. This prevents any data escaping unprotected.
Best-in-class encryption – ExpressVPN uses AES 256-bit data encryption. This is currently the strongest level of encryption available. Encryption scrambles the data into a meaningless jumble of characters. Decryption is done with a 512-bit SHA algorithm. Both algorithms are initiated by a common key. This is a 4096-bit RSA key – again the strongest currently available. This combination of protocols is considered nearly impossible to crack with even the most powerful computers.
Streaming
There are billions of gigabytes of content on the web. And millions more get added every day. On Youtube alone several million hours of content is uploaded daily. This content is delivered across many different platforms. Some of the content is available exclusively on certain platforms or comes with various restrictions. Copyright and broadcast licensing laws may impose regional restrictions on content. The content available in different regions, even on the same platform, for example Netflix or Amazon Prime, is vastly different. Some platforms, like BBC iPlayer are totally restricted to a particular region.
Most VPNs are compatible with the core platforms like PC, Mac, iOS, Android or Tablet. However, on the various other platforms this is not the case. Most VPNs can only open a few of the streaming platforms. And then, sometimes only in some countries. ExpressVPN is able to unlock all of the top streaming apps. Users can access content all over the world thanks to location masking. ExpressVPN has servers in 94 countries. ExpressVPN can open the streaming apps in all of them. The app developers are constantly improving their algorithms to improve geo-locking. ExpressVPN tests all the apps on an ongoing basis to ensure that they can always be unlocked.
Devices Supported
When choosing a VPN, it is very important to look at the number of different devices and platforms that are supported. Nowadays it’s quite common for people to have several different devices. Most people have at least two; PC/Mac and Android/iOS. Many people have three or more and a household can have as many as seven. At least some of the devices will be synchronized. Common compatibility with the VPN is therefore quite important.
This is one area where ExpressVPN stands out. Apart from the core platforms and streaming apps referred to above, Express VPN is also compatible with torrenting and routers. Thanks to its proprietary MediaStreamer app, ExpressVPN is also compatible with smart televisions and gaming consoles like X Box, Nintendo and Play station.
Other features
ExpressVPN offers 24/7 live chat assistance.
The recorded uptime is 99.99% so you’re not likely to ever experience any interruption.
The subscription comes with 5 licences which should be enough for most users.
ExpressVPN Prices:
Below are the latest ExpressVPN subscription prices, current as at December 2024:
- 1 Month: $12.95
- 6 Months: $9.99
- 15 Months: $6.67 (Special Deal: 3 Months Free + Save 49%)
Note: All prices are in USD, and are Per Month.
What happens if I’m unhappy with the product?
No problem at all. ExpressVPN has a 30-day, no-quibble money back guarantee.
Will it work when I travel?
Yes. ExpressVPN works all over the world on all iPhone models. Even in censored regions like China and the Middle East.
How fast is ExpressVPN?
Very fast! Arguably one of the fastest, in fact. Test have shown that ExpressVPN loses as little as 8% speed compared to a direct ISP connection.
Will my bandwidth ever be limited?
No. ExpressVPN will never throttle your connection. Your connection to ExpressVPN bypasses your ISP so they cannot throttle it either.
Is there any record of my browsing history?
No logs are kept at all. Your iPhone connection with the server is entirely in RAM and when the connection ends the data is wiped.
PRIVACY ALERT: Websites you visit can see your current IP Address:
- Your IP Address: 43.250.140.30
- Your Location: Beaconsfield, AU
- Your Internet Provider: Synergy Wholesale PTY LTD
* Scammers, Governments, and Advertisers can use this information to track and target you.
Our recommended vpn service provider for general all-round internet security and online privacy is ExpressVPN. It offers an excellent selection of online security and internet privacy features, excellent speed, and the ability to unblock your favorite streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer).
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