About the Freedom Profile (VPN)
The Freedom Profile (VPN) is an optional blocking tool that can be installed on iOS. The Freedom Profile will block websites in all browsers and will block apps from connecting to the Internet, thereby blocking their ability to update. The Freedom VPN is different from a traditional VPN in that it doesn’t send your traffic off the phone, it simply acts as a local VPN and blocks content directly on your phone.
It’s no longer necessary to install the Freedom Profile (VPN) to use Freedom (on iOS 16.0 and up), but it is useful in some cases. Below, we explain the effects of the VPN Profile on your sessions, and how to use Freedom without it.
Do I need to use the Freedom Profile?
For users on iOS versions 15.0 and below, the Freedom Profile is needed to block content in apps. More information on how to block apps with this method can be found here: How to Block Apps with Older Versions of Freedom
On iOS versions 16.0 and above, Freedom blocks apps with our Screen Time app-blocking method. Instructions for that can be found here: How to Block Apps on iOS 16+
Because of this, the Profile is no longer necessary in iOS 16, except in a few cases we’ll describe in this document.
Can I use another VPN alongside the Freedom Profile?
Apple’s iOS generally allows only one active VPN connection at a time, meaning that if the Freedom VPN is turned on, any other VPN will typically be disconnected, and vice versa. This is because iOS is designed to route all network traffic through a single VPN tunnel by default. This means that using a separate 3rd party VPN while using Freedom could impact blocking capabilities, and is not recommended. See How to use Freedom without installing the Freedom Profile (VPN)
What does the Freedom Profile (VPN) do?
In addition to blocking websites in all browsers, the Freedom Profile (VPN) will also prevent apps from connecting to the Internet, depending on which domains and filters you’ve added to your blocklist. The Freedom Profile (VPN) is generally required to be installed on iOS if you want to block websites in mobile browsers, or if you are using Freedom’s suggested filters, such as “Social,” “News,” “Shopping," etc.
For example, having the Amazon filter toggled on on your blocklist will:
Block amazon.com in all browsers on your device
Stop the Amazon app from connecting to the Internet or loading content, making it unusable. It will do the same for any other apps that load content from Amazon.com (e.g. the Kindle app).
The Freedom Profile (VPN) will show up as ‘Freedom Profile’ on the settings tab of your Freedom iOS app:
If you are running sessions that include blocklists with filters, you will see this notification on the ‘Today’ screen of your Freedom iOS app:
How to use Freedom without installing the Freedom Profile (VPN)
It’s possible to use Freedom without installing the Profile/VPN. You may choose to do this if you are experiencing uncommon connectivity issues, or if you would like to use a separate 3rd party VPN while also using Freedom.
To block apps and websites without the VPN, you will need to ensure you are using Freedom’s Screen Time based app blocking functionality described here: How to Block Apps on iOS 16+
To use Freedom without installing the VPN Profile, follow these steps:
If the VPN is already installed, remove it by going to iOS Settings > General > VPN > Tap on Freedom VPN > Tap “Delete VPN”
Follow the instructions in How to Block Apps on iOS 16+ to make sure you have added iOS apps to your blocklist
When selecting apps to block, you’ll also see the ability to block commonly visited websites/domains that are suggested by Screen Time.
Make sure the Safari Content Blocker is installed. This will ensure websites on your blocklist are blocked in Safari. Instructions for this are here: How to Install Freedom for iPhone or iPad
If you are using any non-Safari browsers on your device (e.g. Chrome), be sure to add these browser apps to your list of blocked iOS apps if you want to prevent yourself from accessing those during your sessions.
Please note that if you are seeing a prompt to install the Freedom Profile/VPN on the Today screen tab, it is because you are using some of Freedom’s suggested filters on your blocklist. (i.e News, Social, Time Wasters etc…) Removing suggested filters from your blocklist will prevent this from showing up.
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