iPhone and iPad proxy setup, explained simply

In plain English: an iPhone or iPad lets you add a proxy (a go-between server that fetches pages on your behalf) to any Wi-Fi network you've joined. Apple's proxy screen includes a switch for a username and password, which Android's lacks, so a proxy that needs a login works straight from Settings with no extra app. The proxy applies to that one Wi-Fi network. Mobile data, and every other network, carry on as before.

Quick start in 3 steps

1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi and tap the info button next to the network you're on.
2. Scroll to the bottom, tap Configure Proxy, pick Manual, fill in the server, port and login, then tap Save.
3. Open Safari and load our What is my IP tool to see whether the address has changed.

Have these to hand

• Your proxy's server and port, plus your username and password. The server is sometimes labelled the host. All four are listed in your dashboard under your active order. Still deciding on a plan? Have a look at our range of proxy types first.
• Your iPhone or iPad on the Wi-Fi network you want the proxy to use.
• Some idea of the type you need. The "Which type should I pick?" list further down helps.

Step 1: open the network's info page

1. Open the Settings app, then Wi-Fi.
2. Look for the tick beside the network you want. The tick means you're connected to it.
3. Tap the info button to the right of the network's name: a small “i” in a circle.

Step 2: add the proxy

1. Scroll right down and tap Configure Proxy.
2. Choose Manual.
3. Enter the host in Server, for instance gateway.example.com. An IP address works there too.
4. Enter the number in Port, for instance 8000.
5. If your proxy uses a login, turn on Authentication, then fill in Username and Password.
6. Tap Save, top right.

Prefer not to keep a password on the phone? Whitelist your Wi-Fi's public IP address in the dashboard instead (the proxy then accepts that connection without a login) and leave Authentication off.

Check that it worked

In Safari, go to our What is my IP tool. The address and location should be the proxy's, not those of your broadband or mobile network. For a second opinion, the proxy checker confirms the proxy is replying, and the DNS leak test shows whether the phone's name look-ups still travel through your own provider. No change of address? Re-read the server and port for typing slips, then check the login.

What does "Automatic" do?

Beside Manual there's an Automatic option that asks for the web address of a PAC file, short for Proxy Auto-Config. A PAC file is a small script that decides which websites go through which proxy, and companies use it to manage lots of devices at once. For a single proxy from your dashboard, Manual is simpler and does exactly what you typed.

What the proxy covers

Safari and most everyday apps follow the proxy you've set. A handful of apps make their own connections and ignore it, and mobile data isn't touched at all, since this setting belongs to the Wi-Fi network. If what you really want is an address from a mobile network, a mobile proxy provides a carrier IP at the other end while your iPhone stays on Wi-Fi.

Won't connect? Test the login on a computer

If you have a laptop or desktop nearby, try your details there before blaming the phone. Open Terminal on a Mac or Command Prompt on Windows, replace the capitals with your own details, and run:

curl -x "http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT" https://api.ipify.org

A working proxy answers with its own IP address. When the computer gets that answer and the iPhone still won't connect, a typo in one of the phone's four boxes (Server, Port, Username or Password) is almost always the reason.

Which type should I pick?

• Quick tests while spending as little as possible: datacenter proxies respond quickly and cost less.
• Seeing websites the way someone living in another country does: residential proxies, whose addresses come from home internet connections.
• Checking a mobile site as phone-network users see it: mobile proxies.

What each one costs is listed on the pricing page.

Common mistakes

• Host and port squeezed into the Server box. The port goes in its own box underneath.
• Authentication left off. If your proxy needs a login and the switch is off, pages won't load. Turn it on and add the username and password.
• Setting up the wrong network. Check for the tick next to the network name before you start.
• Expecting the proxy outside the house. It belongs to one Wi-Fi network. On mobile data, or someone else's Wi-Fi, your iPhone connects directly.

Is this allowed?

For legitimate uses, yes, in most places. People put a proxy on an iPhone for privacy, to check how a site or an advert appears in another region, or to look after accounts they own. Whatever you do through it has to stay within the terms of the services you use. It isn't a tool for getting through sign-in protections, working around a ban on your account or ignoring an app's usage rules, and your local law still applies.

Switching it off

Go to Settings → Wi-Fi, tap the info button for the network, open Configure Proxy, choose Off and tap Save. Your other networks aren't affected, so you can keep the proxy on one network and connect directly everywhere else.

Beginner questions

Do these steps work on an iPad?

Yes. iPadOS uses the same Wi-Fi screens, so every tap is the same.

Is a proxy the same as a VPN?

Not quite. A VPN app usually covers everything the device sends, on Wi-Fi and mobile data alike. This proxy setting covers one Wi-Fi network and the apps that respect it.

Will my iPhone remember the login?

Yes. It's kept with that network until you edit it or switch the proxy off.