mac4mac.co.uk

This one is for my brother. He has an iPad mini with iOS 11.2.6. He is mostly resident in the UK but spends weeks at a time in Italy. When he is there he would like to use BBC iPlayer. When he is here he'd like to use an Italian TV thing of the same ilk. Neither will allow this because of where he is. VPN, I hear you cry.

I know what a VPN does but as I have never had need of one, I don't know what is what in the App Store. I don't know how to set one up or what needs doing to swap between differing locations or turn it off when not required. Obviously he'd like it to be free but that may not be the solution.

If anyone knows about iOS VPNs then I'd appreciate App recommendations, experiences, ones to avoid and so on, to pass on.

Thanks.

I'm not much of an expert, but I used a trial of TunnelBear when I was in the States and was very happy to pay them some money to extend my usage.

The only advice I would give is to keep an eye on your data usage as you buy a certain number of megabytes. I didn't turn mine off when I didn't need it and burned through the data quicker than I would have liked.

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I've heard a few people on Twitter talk about TunnelBear. They all seemed satisfied with it.

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I'm never wrong, I'm just less right on occasions.

I use a VPN on a regular basis. I do, however, have no experience with free VPNs. They do exist, but I have never gone for one. They have usage and other limits.

Most (all?) paid-for VPNs come with the app for iOS included in the price. One buys the software for MacOS, and one gets the app for iOS for free.
I can recommend Windscribe. One can often find really cheap deals on Windscribe, and other VPNs, from the website StackSocial. There are many reputable VPNs available.

Instructions for setting up, swapping, and turning on and off are not needed to be given. Instructions come with the VPN, and are quite simple, in any regard.

Thanks both.

He only has the iPad, as per OP, so mac OS etc. of no interest in this case. Therefore must come from the iOS App Store. Someone else might find that useful, though. I have used StackSocial for software. I got a free DVD ripper just the other day.

If he searches the App Store, you can post what the available alternatives are. Am happy to give a thumb's up/down on anything he finds about which I have knowledge.
There are also sites that I have seen that compare and rate VPNs. But these have been focused on OS software.

You could purchase something from StackSocial and pass it along to him. The purchaser does not have to be the user.
They always have lifetime deals for $40 or so.

OK thanks. If he passes me a suggestion I'll mention it. I won't be looking for him. As for me, I don't want a VPN - I have no use for one at this time - so he is on his own.

Not your brother's (VPN) keeper, eh

Dear me no. Not in any sense

The following may be of interest, to your brother and to others.

It describes a new EU regulation which goes into effect in 3 days.
It needs to be read carefully, because there is a possible exception made for free services. That may affect your brother's situation. Also affecting your brother is the word ”temporary” in the text below. And then there is another fine point: Brexit.

Any subscriber of a service like Netflix will tell you that where you live can have a big impact on the content made available. Customers in the US enjoy large libraries while less populous countries are treated less well.
For many years and before Netflix largely closed the loophole, customers would bypass these restrictions, using VPNs to trick Netflix into thinking they were elsewhere. Some wouldn’t bother with the complication, choosing to pirate content instead.
But for citizens of the EU, things were even more complex. While the EU mandates free movement of people, the same can’t be said about licensing deals. While a viewer in the Netherlands could begin watching a movie at home, he could travel to France for a weekend break only to find that the content he paid for is not available, or only in French.
Last May, this problem was addressed by the European Parliament with an agreement to introduce new ‘Cross-border portability’ rules that will give citizens the freedom to enjoy their media wherever they are in the EU, without having to resort to piracy or VPNs – if they can find one that still works for any length of time with the service.
Now, almost 11 months on, the rules are about to come into force. From Sunday, content portability in the EU will become a reality.
“Citizens are at the core of all our digital initiatives. As of 1 April, wherever you are traveling to in the EU, you will no longer miss out on your favorite films, TV series, sports broadcasts, games or e-books, that you have digitally subscribed to at home,” European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip said in a statement.
“Removing the boundaries that prevented Europeans from traveling with digital media and content subscriptions is yet another success of the Digital Single Market for our citizens, following the effective abolition of roaming charges that consumers all over Europe have enjoyed since June 2017.”
This is how it will work. Consumers in the EU who buy or subscribe to films, sports broadcasts, music, e-books or games in their home Member States will now be able to access this content when they reside temporarily in another EU country.
So, if a person in the UK purchases Netflix to gain access to a TV show to watch in their home country, Netflix will have to add this content to the customer’s library so they can still access it wherever they travel in the EU, regardless of its general availability elsewhere.
“[P]roviders of paid-for online content services (such as online movie, TV or music streaming services) have to provide their subscribers with the same service wherever the subscriber is in the EU,” the Commission explains.
“The service needs to be provided in the same way in other Member States, as in the Member State of residence. So for Netflix for example, you will have access to the same selection (or catalog) anywhere in the EU, if you are temporarily abroad, just as if you were at home.”
The same should hold true for all other digital content. If it’s available at home, it must be made available elsewhere in Europe in order to comply with the regulations. In doing so, providers are allowed some freedom, provided it’s in the customer’s favor. If they want to give customers additional access to full home and overseas catalogs when they’re traveling, for example, that is fine.
There’s also a plus in there for content providers. While a company like Netflix will sometimes acquire rights on a per country basis, when a citizen travels abroad within the EU they will not be required to obtain licenses for those other territories where their subscribers stay temporarily.
There is, however, a question of what “temporarily” means since it’s not tightly defined in the regulations. The term will cover business trips and holidays, for example, but providers will be required to clearly inform their customers of their precise terms and conditions.
Providers will also need to determine a customer’s home country, something that will be established when a customer signs up or renews his contract. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including via payment details, a contract for an Internet or telephone connection, verifying a home address, or using a simple IP address check.
For providers of free online services, which are allowed to choose whether they want to be included in the new rules or not, there are special conditions in place.
“Once they opt-in and allow portability under the Regulation, all rules will apply to them in the same manner as for the paid services. This means that the subscribers will have to log-in to be able to access and use content when temporarily abroad, and service providers will have to verify the Member State of residence of the subscriber,” the Commission explains.
“If providers of free of charge online content services decide to make use of the new portability rules, they are required to inform their subscribers about this decision prior to providing the service. Such information could, for example, be announced on the providers’ websites.”
The good news for consumers is that providers will not be able to charge for offering content portability and if they don’t provide it as required, they’ll be in breach of EU rules. The EU believes that all providers are ready to meet the standard – the public will find out on Sunday.

Another endorsement for Tunnel Bear. If you download the App you get 500Mb free to use every calendar month which is enough to try out a ½ hour program. If you then wish to continue (and you only want to use it on an iPad) make sure you click on "for iOS only" the monthly subscription will be £4.99 or £29.99 annually. As far as I'm aware it is unlimited usage. Italy is included in the tunnel list.

I have also used Free VPN (from the App store). As the name would suggest it's free to use but there will be a time limit before it disconnects and you have to watch some adverts to earn more time.

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