Your VPN may keep turning on your iPhone because the VPN app is outdated, there is a change in the cellular network, and you have set the VPN app to connect on Demand, among other reasons. Luckily, you can solve the issue in various ways, but the most recommendable is uninstalling the VPN app and reinstalling it.
Many people that use VPNs on their iPhones are noticing that the VPN is turning on without them even touching it. This can be quite frustrating.
Fortunately, there are a few reasons why this could happen, and we will discuss them in depth below.
Why Does VPN Keep Turning On My iPhone?
There are various reasons this happens:
Changes in cellular networks
This is the simplest and most common explanation. VPNs are used to encrypt data when it is sent, meaning that the information has no readable value if intercepted by a third party.
This is because of how we use cellular networks: our devices automatically connect to them even though we may not want to.
For instance, your phone connects whenever you’re in range of a cellular network. Sometimes this happens in areas where you don’t have a signal or your data is turned off, meaning that VPNs are connected when they shouldn’t be.
So your phone may be in sleep mode, but when the VPN turns on, the notification will appear.
Forgetful/faulty VPN apps
If you have a forgetful or faulty VPN app, it might turn on your VPN when you don’t want it to. For example, you may have set the app to automatically connect after a certain amount of time but forgot about this setting which could be causing the issue.
Another reason why an app’s settings can cause issues is that they are too complicated and difficult for most users to understand or follow. If you have a complex VPN app, it can become frustrating and lead to the settings being ignored or forgotten about, which could result in your iPhone turning on VPNs when it shouldn’t.
We recommend PureVPN as the app is very well made and won’t cause your iPhone to turn on randomly.
iPhone issues
Some users report that their iPhones are simply experiencing problems with switching off cellular data automatically, so they turn it back on by themselves. This can happen if your phone is set too high for the amount of data you’re using and can be solved by setting a lower limit.
However, one issue that many users have reported with this problem is that turning off cellular data will only work temporarily as iPhones are programmed to turn it back on again after some time – often out-of-sync with when you want it to.
iPhone software updates or jailbreaking/rooting iOS devices could be the issue, too, because they can affect VPN settings, causing them to turn on automatically whenever your iPhone connects to cellular data – whether this is wanted or not.
This might happen even if you haven’t updated iOS recently, but one of your apps has – which can happen if you have a buggy app.
You have set the VPN to connect On Demand
This especially happens when you have recently installed the VPN app. The app may try to connect automatically whenever it detects a cellular connection.
However, this can be turned off in the main settings section of most apps and needs to be disabled if you want your iPhone’s VPNs not turned on without your permission.
VPN Turning iPhone On: How to Solve the Problem
Update your VPN app
Updating your VPN app will solve any issues that are caused by buggy or old versions of the software.
If you have an iOS device, check if there’s a new version available for download and update it to resolve this issue instantly. If your iPhone is jailbroken/rooted, then updating could cause problems with how your phone works, so make sure to back up all your data before updating.
Reset network settings
This is another solution to your VPNs turning on without being told to by the user.
Resetting network settings will turn off any cellular data connections you have so that they don’t switch back on again after a certain period of time unless you want them to. This is because resetting them resets all app usage, and it also turns off automatic downloads, meaning that your iPhone won’t download any updates.
This will make sure that the VPN is only connected when you want it to be and not automatically switching on after a certain amount of time. It’s also good for making sure apps don’t use up unnecessary data, such as cellular connection or Bluetooth, unless they need them too – which can help save battery life.
Resetting network settings is done the same way on all iOS devices, regardless of whether they are jailbroken or not.
Disable On Demand feature of VPN app (if it has one)
If you have an iPhone and your VPN automatically turns back on again after some time, you can disable the On-Demand feature in its settings if it has one.
This will stop the VPN from switching on again after a certain amount of time and should stop your iPhone from turning them back on without being told to do so by the user.
Restart your iPhone
You might be able to solve the issue by restarting your iPhone. This will not only temporarily disable all cellular data connections, but it is also a common fix to many issues, such as this one, and others like Wi-Fi connectivity problems.
It is worth noting that turning off and on cellular data manually will not fix this issue, as it can only be done by resetting network settings.
Restarting the device instead temporarily disables all connections, fixing your VPNs from continuously switching back on – until they are switched back on again anyway after a certain amount of time unless you disable the “On Demand” feature in your VPN app.
Delete and Reinstall the App
Deleting and reinstalling the app might be another way to fix your VPNs turning on automatically.
The main reason for this is that you will be starting with a clean installation of the software, which means it won’t have any old data left in its system – including any buggy code or settings that may cause apps to misbehave and turn on automatically.
iPhone VPN Won’t Turn On
If you’ve ever had the experience of trying to use your iPhone and finding that your VPN won’t turn on, then you know how frustrating it can be. It’s a common problem for many iPhone users, but fortunately, there are some steps you can take to try and fix the issue.
First of all, make sure that your VPN is actually enabled on your device. To do this, go into Settings > General > VPN and check if it is turned on or not. If it isn’t turned on, then simply toggle the switch to enable it. If this doesn’t work then try restarting both your device as well as the app itself by double-tapping its icon in order to close out any background processes which may be interfering with its operation.
Another potential cause could be an outdated version of iOS running on your phone; if so, then updating should resolve any issues related to compatibility between different versions of software or hardware components within the device itself.
Additionally, ensure that all other apps have been updated too, since they may also contain bugs that could interfere with normal operations, such as turning a VPN connection ON/OFF correctly from within their respective settings menus – these updates should always come through automatically via Apple’s App Store but occasionally manual intervention might be needed in order for them install properly (e..g manually downloading & installing).
Finally, check whether there are any restrictions set up by either yourself or someone else (such as parental controls) that might prevent access to certain features like enabling/disabling a virtual private network connection – these will usually appear under ‘Restrictions’ when viewing general settings menu options inside Settings app so make sure nothing has been disabled here before proceeding further down troubleshooting path!
If none of these solutions help solve why my iPhone keeps turning off my VPN issue, then contact the customer service team at the provider who supplied the original setup instructions – they’ll likely have more detailed advice specific to their own product range & services available than what we’ve outlined above!
FAQs
Why does VPN keep turning on my iPhone?
This could be because of a number of reasons, including outdated VPN apps, VPNs set to connect On Demand and more.
What is the best way to fix this issue?
The best way would be to uninstall the VPN app and delete its settings before reinstalling it. This will ensure that the program is up to date and won’t turn on again after a certain amount of time without permission, which would waste any cellular data you have set aside for other apps.
What is the On-Demand feature?
The On-Demand option allows the VPN to switch on automatically whenever you need it.
This means that if your iPhone needs a VPN connection, for example, while at work, then it will be connected when needed without having to manually find and turn on the VPN each time instead of automatically connecting one after some time unless manually turned off again.
Final Thoughts
Your VPN may keep turning on your iPhone for various reasons, some of which we have discussed above. Consider all the solutions we have listed and see if they fix the issue.
If you run into any further problems, you may want to contact your VPN service provider or consult Apple. If you are looking for an amazing VPN that will not cause this issue check out our recommended VPN – Pure VPN.
