A VPN through phone settings: why the section is empty and how to connect
Android and iPhone settings have a VPN section, but there's nothing to switch on. What it's for, why built-in protocols don't work in Russia, and how to connect properly.
Quick fix. The VPN section fills in when you install a VPN app. Get Surok in Telegram: 3 days free.
The VPN section stores connections and stays empty until you add one manually or via an app. Manual setups use IKEv2, IPsec or L2TP, which are detected and blocked in Russia. VLESS Reality and XHTTP, which look like HTTPS, work only through apps — see which protocol is best.
Connect properly: install an app, sign in, tap Connect, allow the VPN configuration. Useful Android options: Always-on VPN and "Block connections without VPN" (a kill switch); remove stale profiles.
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