How to Access Tor on a Smartphone: VPN Setup, Browser Choices and iOS Traffic Leaks
Summary
A guide to accessing Tor on Android and iOS covers VPN safeguards, recommended browser apps, and iOS traffic that may bypass Tor, including media requests, WebRTC, and OCSP checks.
Key points
- The guide recommends using Linux, such as Tails or Whonix, rather than a smartphone for stronger security.
- It advises enabling an always-on VPN and, on Android, blocking connections that bypass the VPN; on iOS, it suggests a VPN app kill switch.
- For Android, the article recommends downloading Tor Browser through an app store; manually installed APKs require signature verification and may need manual updates.
- For iOS, it recommends Onion Browser, noting that Tor Browser is unavailable on the platform.
- The article warns that iOS may route media requests, WebRTC, and OCSP checks outside Tor; it says leaked requests will use the VPN if one is enabled.
- It suggests checking the apparent IP location and running a DNS leak test to verify VPN behavior.
- The guide says iOS Strict mode can disable JavaScript and embedded media, reducing some traffic leaks.
Article Details
- Topic
- Accessing the Tor network on Android and iOS phones while limiting traffic leaks
Vendors
Products
AndroidBut if protection from law enforcement and hackers is not a priority, a regular Android/iOS smartphone will suffice.iOSBut if protection from law enforcement and hackers is not a priority, a regular Android/iOS smartphone will suffice.Onion BrowserInstead, Tor Project recommends Onion Browser by the Guardian Project.Tor BrowserThere is an official Tor browser for Android from the Tor Project.