An important follow-up to yesterday’s item about Russia demanding Apple remove VPN apps from the Russian App Store: you can use a VPN on iOS without an app. It just requires some futzing in Settings and a VPN provider that supports it. Presumably, this technique remains available to iPhone users in Russia. Here are instructions from one such VPN provider, ForestVPN:

1. Access Settings:
   • Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
   • Tap on General and scroll to VPN & Device Management.
2. Add VPN Configuration:
   • Select Add VPN Configuration.
   • Choose your desired protocol, such as L2TP or IKEv2.
3. Enter VPN Details:
   • Fill in the necessary fields like Description, Server, Remote ID, and Local ID. These details can be found on the ForestVPN website.
4. Save and Connect:
   • Tap Done to save your configuration.
   • Enable the VPN by toggling the switch next to your newly created profile.

VPN apps remove complexity from this process, but it’s worth noting that VPN access doesn’t require an app.