iPhone and iPad guide
From adding your first Profile to changing routes, inspecting connections, and confirming a setting, this page covers only iPhone and iPad.
Manage Profiles
Open the Profile list
- iPhone: tap the current Profile name at the top of Home.
- iPad: at regular width, open Profiles from the sidebar; narrow split views use the same path as iPhone.
Choose Add Profile to start from a Profile URL, configuration file, pasted content, or a blank Profile. iPhone and iPad can also scan a QR code directly or read one from a photo.
Tap a row to switch, or use its info button to open details. The active Profile shows a checkmark, and Home updates to the new name when switching completes. Use details to update, rename, export, or remove a Profile.
Profiles may contain credentials
Profile URLs, configuration files, and backups can contain server credentials. When asking for help publicly, do not post real URLs, usernames, passwords, keys, or unredacted logs.
Choose an outbound mode
Choose from the Outbound Mode card on Home:
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rule | Uses the active Profile to decide whether each connection goes direct, uses a proxy, or is rejected |
| Global | Sends traffic to the global proxy group and its selected route |
| Direct | Connects without a proxy |
Rule is the usual everyday choice. Different connections can use different policy groups, so Rule mode has no single “current node” that represents all traffic. Direct does not use a proxy; an empty node screen in Direct is expected.
Choose a route
Open Proxies, find the policy group responsible for the traffic, and choose a node inside it. The selected card uses a highlighted background and leading accent line. Cards also report a latency value, failure, or timeout.
When connected, use Test All to compare response times on the current network. Lower latency can be useful, but it does not guarantee higher throughput on every network. iPad uses a multi-column grid at wider sizes.
Connect and use quick controls
Return to Home and connect. The first time, approve the system request to add a VPN configuration. Home then reports connection state, duration, and live traffic.
iPhone and iPad also provide common actions through Control Center and Shortcuts. Automatic connection behavior follows the on-demand conditions you choose.
Inspect active connections
- iPhone: Utilities →
Current Session→ Connections. - iPad: open Connections from the sidebar at regular width; narrow split views use the iPhone path.
Connections shows destinations, matched rules, outbound targets, proxy chains, and transferred bytes. Search, sort, inspect details, close one connection, or use Close All to end current active connections. The originating app may reconnect according to its own behavior.
Confirm a setting
Check these in order:
- The Profile checkmark and Home name have moved to the intended Profile.
- The Outbound Mode indicator is on the intended mode.
- The intended node is selected inside the intended policy group.
- Make sure the target app establishes a new connection, then inspect its matched rule and proxy chain in Connections.
A page refresh can still reuse HTTP/2, HTTP/3, or QUIC. When certainty matters, close the corresponding old connection in Connections before making the target app connect again.
The optional External IP card on Home provides another signal, but it proves only where that particular lookup went. In Rule mode, it cannot represent every destination.
What happens to existing connections?
- Switch Profile: a successful switch normally ends current active connections. Apps that still need network access use the new Profile when they establish new connections. The Tunnel can remain Connected.
- Switch between Rule and Direct: the mode change itself does not migrate or actively close old connections. New connections use the new mode; a later runtime-configuration refresh by the client can still end old connections.
- Switch to Global: active connections end only when the
GLOBALgroup must also change and the default Close connections on node switch setting is enabled. - Change a node manually: active connections end when Close connections on node switch is enabled. Disabling it leaves old connections in place.
- Stop and reconnect the Tunnel: all connections are interrupted; new ones use current settings.
Avoid changing a Profile, node, or the Tunnel during an important download, call, or game. To move traffic immediately, use Close All in Connections, then make the target app establish a new connection.