Ever find yourself asking "is my VPN on?" whenever you go to use your iPhone. Super annoying! Especially when you're in a rush and trying to get things done. Ever since Apple introduced the highly controversial notch to iPhone X (ancient history now, we know!), the og. VPN status indicator has been hidden away - out of sight and out of mind. What this means for you? No quick and easy way to check your VPN status.
Throwback: Older iPhone models displayed a VPN indicator in the status bar
Did you know there's an easy way to monitor live VPN status on iPhone? Here's a simple trick you can use to check your VPN right from your iPhone Lock Screen.
How to check your VPN status on iPhone
Here's how you can get a quick and easy VPN status overview on your iPhone and connect to VPN in just one tap.
Discover VPN Widgets
We're all familiar with Widgets - an easy way to access important information from your iPhone or iPad apps without having to launch them. However, did you know you can also view your VPN status using iOS Widgets?
VPN Tracker's VPN Widget options give you an instant live status overview of your essential VPN connections, as well as a way to quickly toggle them on and off.
Connection status on Lock Screen and Home Screen
iOS 16 introduced Lock Screen Widgets to iPhone. This is super handy, as you can now pick up your phone and see immediately whether your VPN is connected and which connection is active.
Setting up Focus modes? You can add a specific VPN Widget in Work Focus to give you easy access to your office VPN from your Lock Screen.
Toggle your VPN connection via your iPhone Lock Screen
You can also add VPN Widgets to your iPhone and iPad Home Screen to get a practical connection overview when switching apps:
Access your favorite connection on your Home Screen (e.g. home office)
Check multiple connections at once
Not only can you see whether or not your VPN is up & running, you can also easily check which connection is on, as VPN Tracker VPN Widgets support up to 6 VPN connections in your Home Screen or up to 3 on your Lock Screen.
This is an especially good tip for consultants, admins or anyone who needs to switch between connections quickly.
Choose your top 6 connections - great for consultants or power users
Add multiple connections to the Widget bar on your Lock Screen for a complete VPN overview:
VPN access on your Lock Screen
How to access VPN Widgets
Follow these 3 simple steps to get VPN Widgets on your iPhone or iPad:
- Get VPN Tracker (Tip: The free trial gives you full functionality for 7 days)
- Set up your connection - major protocols such as IPsec, OpenVPN, WireGuard®, SSTP and SonicWALL SSL are supported for 300+ leading gateways
- Add the Widget to your Lock Screen (from iOS 16) or Home Screen for instant access
