The Web Protection feature in Malwarebytes for iOS relies on functionality provided by iOS called VPN on Demand. For Web Protection to work properly, there are a few things keep in mind when using this feature.
Conflicts with other VPNs
Your iOS device can only connect to one VPN at a time. If you’ve connected your device to a VPN and turned on Web Protection, you may encounter the following:
- Web Protection becomes disabled
- VPN connectivity issues, one or the other VPN works and the other doesn’t
- General network connectivity issues
If you regularly use a different VPN to stay safe on public networks, Malwarebytes’ advice is to continue to use that VPN when you are connected to an untrusted network, and turn off Malwarebytes’ Web Protection feature. When you are on a trusted network, turn off your other VPN and turn on Web Protection to allow Malwarebytes to protect you against malicious websites.
Malwarebytes VPN will not connect
This is normal. Malwarebytes’ Web Protection is designed to connect as needed and does not stay connected. You will not see the iOS VPN icon indicating the device is connected to a VPN while using the Web Protection feature.
Note: Do not toggle off the Connect On Demand setting under Settings > General > VPN > Malwarebytes.
Turning off Connect On Demand impacts Malwarebytes’ ability to protect you from malicious websites.
How does the VPN work?
VPN on Demand is used to force all DNS lookups, for all apps, to go to a Malwarebytes DNS server. Malicious sites are blocked, with a Malwarebytes page explaining the blockage showing. None of your other network traffic goes through Malwarebytes servers as part of the Web Protection feature, which means that your network speed remains consistent and we are not handling your data. It also means that your traffic is not being sent through an encrypted tunnel as with a traditional VPN.