- PrivadoVPN’s PhantomMode has launched on iOS devices, previously exclusive to Android
- The tool prevents apps from sending data to third-party trackers and filters ads.
- Alongside PhantomMode, PrivadoVPN also improved its login experience for people facing ISP restrictions, although how they’ve done this is unclear so far
PrivadoVPN has quietly released a major update to its iPhone and iPad app, bringing its “PhantomMode” privacy feature to iOS for the first time.
Previously exclusive to Android users, the tool is designed to block hidden trackers and ads at the system level.
While the best VPNs are essential for encrypting your internet traffic and hiding your IP address, they usually stop protecting you the moment you hit “disconnect”.
PrivadoVPN claims that PhantomMode addresses this gap by acting as an “always-on” background filter. According to the release notes accompanying the update, “the feature prevents personal information from being sent to third parties by filtering out trackers, blocking ads, and stopping app-specific network activity.”
For the average iPhone user, this means your device can stop bleeding data to marketing companies, even when you’re not routing your traffic through a secure server in another country.
By cutting off these requests at the source, the feature could also theoretically save mobile data and improve battery life by reducing background activity.
Alongside PhantomMode, PrivadoVPN has also “optimized the login process for users facing ISP network restrictions”. But at the time of writing it is unclear what steps the provider has taken to activate this.
Privacy beyond the tunnel
Apple’s operating system has historically been more restrictive than Android regarding background processes and app interference. Most VPN ad blockers, such as NordVPN’s Threat Protection or Surfshark’s CleanWeb, typically rely on the active VPN tunnel to filter DNS requests.
PrivadoVPN’s approach with PhantomMode stands out because it provides granular control over which apps can access the internet. The feature allows users to “stop app-specific network activity,” effectively acting as a firewall.
This is especially useful for preventing certain apps from “calling home” or consuming data in the background without your permission.
How well will PhantomMode work?
While this update brings parity between PrivadoVPN’s Android and iOS offerings, it will be interesting to see how the feature fares in Apple’s “walled garden.”
Apple’s strict sandboxing rules often make it difficult for one app to monitor or block the network activity of another without using a local dummy VPN profile, a common solution for blocking content on the device.
We haven’t yet been able to put PhantomMode through its paces on iOS, although this will be on our radar in the near future. For now, iPhone users can test the feature for themselves by updating their PrivadoVPN app to the latest version via the App Store. Once it’s updated, simply:
- Load PrivadoVPN
- Tap the ‘Preferences’ sidebar menu
- Change your preferred settings in the PhantomMode section
From here, your chosen settings will run in the background on your device. So you don’t need to do anything else to see the results.
What other features would you like PrivadoVPN (or other VPNs) to bring to iOS? Leave a comment below
