VPN for iPhone and iPad: install in 4 steps, plus two methods for Russia
Install NvoVPN from the App Store, sign in, allow the VPN and press the shield. If you are in Russia and the app is not in the App Store, there are two official methods: TestFlight and an Apple ID from another country.
A VPN for iPhone from NvoVPN is an ordinary app: install it, sign in, press the shield. The whole thing takes two to three minutes, and there is nothing to configure. If you are in Russia and cannot see the app in the App Store, there is a separate block below with two working methods, both official and free.
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Install NvoVPN from the App Store
Tap Download for iPhone — the app's page opens. Tap "Get". The app is free — there is nothing to pay in the store.
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Sign in
The same way as on the website: with Apple, with Google, or email and password. No password? Tap "I have a login code" and enter the six digits from your account, Connection tab.
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Allow the VPN
Your iPhone asks once: "NvoVPN Would Like to Add VPN Configurations". Tap "Allow" and confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. This is the standard question iOS asks for any VPN.
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Press the shield
Just once. The shield turns green, and a VPN icon appears in the status bar — protection is on. A server is chosen for you. Press the shield again to disconnect.
Are you in Russia? How to install a VPN on an iPhone when it is not in the App Store
Since 2024, Apple has been removing VPN apps from the Russian App Store at Roskomnadzor's request — NvoVPN does not show up there either. That is not a ban on using it: you can install the app two official ways, without jailbreaking and without changing your phone's region.
Option 1 — TestFlight, the simplest
TestFlight is Apple's app for installing apps by invitation, and it is available in the Russian App Store. Tap the button below: if TestFlight is not installed yet, your iPhone will offer to download it. Inside, tap "Install" next to NvoVPN — then follow steps 2–4 as usual. Updates will arrive there too.
Open NvoVPN in TestFlightOption 2 — an Apple ID from another country
Create a second Apple ID with a country where VPNs are not blocked (Kazakhstan or Turkey, for example): during sign-up, choose "None" for the payment method. In the App Store, tap your icon at the top → "Sign Out" → sign in with the new Apple ID and download NvoVPN. Then switch back to your own account — the app stays installed and keeps working.
AmneziaVPN, v2RayTun and other VPN clients have also disappeared from the Russian App Store
AmneziaVPN was removed in October 2024, and v2RayTun, Streisand and V2Box in March 2026. If they are already on your phone, they keep working but will not get updates. For a new phone, the methods that work are TestFlight or an Apple ID from another country.
What you need
- An iPhone or iPad on iOS 15 / iPadOS 15 or later.
- An NvoVPN account — the same one you use on the website. Do not have one? Sign up: you only need an email address, no card required.
- Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode: iOS will ask you to confirm adding the VPN once.
A few useful things on iPhone
- Where the configuration lives. "Settings" → "General" → "VPN & Device Management" → VPN. You can also remove it there if you decide to delete the app: the NvoVPN profile → "Delete VPN".
- Low Data Mode ("Settings" → "Cellular" → data options) limits background activity and can stop the VPN from holding the connection. If the tunnel drops on mobile data, turn it off.
- iCloud Private Relay conflicts with any VPN — Apple advises keeping only one on. Turn it off under "Settings" → your name → "iCloud" → "Private Relay".
- Switching between Wi-Fi and LTE. When the network changes, the app reconnects by itself within a few seconds. If the VPN icon disappears and does not come back, press the shield again.
- Is the network throttling VPN traffic? The app notices on its own that no data is flowing and switches to stealth mode, which disguises the connection as an ordinary website. There is nothing to turn on. How this works is in "Why VPNs stop working and how stealth mode works".
A backup method: a configuration file from your account
This suits you if you use a different client or want to set up a VPN on an iPad without our app. In your account → "Connection" → "Manual", choose a server, name the device ("iPhone") and click "Create" — a QR code and a file appear. Any AmneziaWG client understands it; in Russia you specifically need the AmneziaWG version, since plain WireGuard is throttled there. How to pick a client and what to do with the file is in "AmneziaWG vs WireGuard: what is the difference".
FAQ
Why do VPN apps disappear from the Russian App Store? Since July 2024, Apple has been removing them at Roskomnadzor's request; over a thousand apps were removed in 2025 alone. If NvoVPN does not show up in your store, use the methods from the "Are you in Russia?" block above.
Is TestFlight safe? Yes. It is an official Apple app, you do not need to change your region or Apple ID, and there is nothing to pay. The version in TestFlight is the same as in the App Store, just installed by invitation.
The iPhone has a built-in VPN — why not use that? "Add VPN Configuration" in iOS settings only supports IKEv2, IPsec and L2TP. These protocols are easy to detect and block, and you cannot set up AmneziaWG or stealth mode through them.
Can I use the same subscription on an iPad and a Mac? Yes — up to five devices at once. There is a separate guide for Mac: VPN on macOS.
The VPN is connected, but sites will not load? Press the shield twice (disconnect and reconnect), choose another server, and check "Private Relay" and Low Data Mode. The full breakdown is in "What to do if the VPN will not connect".
Related guides: Why VPNs stop working and how stealth mode works · Kill Switch: what it is and how to turn it on · VPN for China: what works in 2026
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