iOS 10.3.2 Brings Full Third-party VPN Support, Why it is Critical to Internet Privacy

iOS 10.3.2 full third-party VPN support

When iOS 10.3.2 is released to the public, which we hope will be very soon, it will offer full support for third-party VPNs. Most consumers think that they don’t need a VPN service, but things are changing in the United States with regards to user privacy. This is something that you, as a user of the Internet and its bounty, need to be aware of.

Privacy has rapidly escalated into a white-hot topic as U.S. laws governing Internet usage evolve, the most recent example being Donald Trump signing into law Senate Joint Resolution 34, which “nullifies the Federal Communications Commission’s rule on privacy of customers of broadband and other telecommunications services.”

Basically, what that means is that the FCC’s regulations about Internet Service Providers tracking user habits and using that information to push more relevant ads no longer apply. What that implies is that ISPs are now free to sell usage habit data to third-party advertisers looking to target their customers.

Comcast, one of the largest ISPs in the United States, did issue a statement clarifying their position on selling sensitive data, such as banking, children’s and health information unless they receive consent, but that doesn’t really address every Internet user’s privacy needs.

My question: why does Comcast get to decide what’s “sensitive” and what’s not? My IP address, my browsing habits, the sites I visit, the media I download – all of that is sensitive to me, even if it’s generic data to my ISP.

That’s one of the reasons why Virtual Private Network services have emerged as an ideal solution to privacy concerns. Service providers like IPVanish allow users to remain anonymous while browsing the web.

Apple is big on privacy, which is why third-party VPN support is an important feature of the upcoming iOS 10.3.2. Now that the new iOS version fully supports these services, users can be confident that whatever VPN service they sign up to will work the way they should on iOS 10.3.2 iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch devices.

Since iOS 10.3.2 is yet to be released to the public, you can apply to Apple’s Beta Software Program to get iOS 10.3.2 Beta 5 that’s currently available. Once that’s done, you can sign up to a service like IPVanish and install their app, which will allow you to browse the web in total anonymity.

When choosing a VPN service, there are a few things you need to check out:

  • Do they maintain any sort of logs for web traffic moving through their systems?

  • Do they use third-party vendors or contractors upstream (app development) or downstream (customer support) to their core product?

  • Are their server networks managed in-house, or are they outsourced?

  • Does it support Voice Over IP and Peer to Peer connections?

  • Does it offer simultaneous multiple-device connectivity?

  • Does it allow access to censored websites and apps?

  • Does it use the AES-256 encryption cipher?

For users of iOS 10.3.2 (current beta or upcoming public release), it means a much greater level of privacy online than ever before. A solid VPN service can allow you to do a lot of things – stream content, download torrent media, access censored sites and much more. If you’re using media center software like Kodi or a utility like Popcorn Time, it is is very important that you have a really good VPN subscription in place. It will save you a ton of headaches down the road.

To be clear, this is NOT the same as Private or Incognito browsing. This is a much higher level of privacy that keeps even your ISP’s prying eyes from tracking your browsing habits.


OVP 234X60 (set 2)


Another important point is that VPNs not only provide privacy, but also a measure of security, because the web traffic to and from your device is encrypted. The greater the key length (for example, 256-bit keys vs 128-bit keys), the more secure your transmitted data will be. That means you can confidently access online banking, e-commerce portals and other secure websites knowing that you have a high level of protection.

That said, you should also know that no privacy or security system is 100% infallible. A lot of it depends on the user’s Internet practices, such as password strength and uniqueness, entering person information in non-HTTPS websites, clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown persons, and so on.

At the end of the day, a VPN such as IPVanish can give you a very high level of privacy and security, but it is equally your responsibility to make sure that nothing you do leads to your data or sensitive information being compromised.

Thanks for visiting! Would you do us a favor? If you think it’s worth a few seconds, please like our Facebook page and follow us on TwitterIt would mean a lot to us. Thank you.