Option to remove the VPN-icon in the iPhone-status-bar while AdGuard Pro is active

[Tanith]

I really love the opportunity to start a real VPN-connection while the virtual local VPN-connection of Adguard Pro is still running.
I also love that the virtual local VPN-connection of Adguard Pro is still active after a restart of the iPhone.

But since the virtual VPN-connection is always active, I would like to have an option to hide the VPN-icon in the iPhone-status-bar so that a real VPN-connection can be displayed while it is running in addition to the virtual VPN-connection.

Are there any plans for such a feature? Some competitors already have that feature available in their apps. So it should be not a problem and easy to implement.

I would be really great to have that option in Adguard Pro because your ad-blocker belongs to the best ones out there.

 

[vasily_bagirov]

@Tanith it is indeed possible in theory, but mostly through bugs, there's still no documented feature to do so. So, no plans to do it, at least in the near future.

 

[Tanith]

@vasily_bagirov: That's a pity. It would be a really helpful feature even if it isn't documented yet. It's confusing if you use Adguard Pro together with a real VPN-connection because Adguard Pro isn't a real VPN-connection. So you might consider implementing that feature.

Another idea of solving that problem would be, if Adguard Pro would support the Proxy Auto Configuration (PAC) as an optional filter method. So the blocking of ads is done by a virtual proxy server instead a virtual VPN-connection. Could this be a solution?

 

[Bruno]

@Tanith
I also facing the same concern. In order to be sure your VPN is activated I will suggest you check the Kill Switch and the Auto reconnect features.
The Kill Switch makes sure no app connects to the internet till the VPN is activated

 

[Tanith]

@Bruno
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately non of my VPN does support the Kill Switch. Some of them are not even support Auto reconnect features. The confusion about the virtual VPN-connection of Adguard Pro remains.

 

[Bruno]

Yep but because it is a fake VPN there is nothing, I guess, they can do about it.

Get a new VPN! They have a list of compatible VPN or choose NordVPN

 

[Tanith]

Get a new VPN! They have a list of compatible VPN or choose NordVPN

Yep, but this won't solve the problem for situations where I don't want to use any real VPN server. Unfortunately it is still confusing.

Yep but because it is a fake VPN there is nothing, I guess, they can do about it.

As @vasily_bagirov already confirmed, there are indeed possibilities to hide the VPN icon and other ad-blocking-apps are already taking advantage of that possibilities, even if it is no documented feature yet.

It might be a bad solution, but stopping to use Adguard and change to another ad-blocker would also be a solution until Adguard get's that feature so time.

 

[Bruno]

I don't get it.
Either you are using a VPN and having a Kill will make sure your VPN is always active and then no worries with the icon.
Either you do not want to use a VPN and then who cares about the icon.
Doesn't it make sense?

 

[Tanith]

Either you do not want to use a VPN and then who cares about the icon.

No, you're wrong. I don't want to see that icon if I don't use a VPN. It's confusing and in some way annoying. I am using an Apple device and don't want to have a permanent icon in the status bar that not even fullfill it's intended purpose.
I know the icon is just cosmetics, but the fact that it doesn't has to be there and that there are an opportunity to remove it is enough so that I would like to have it removed.

 

[max2]

Why not jailbreak to do this ?

 

[Tanith]

Why not jailbreak to do this ?

Thanks max2 for your suggestion. I did jailbreak my iPhone until iOS 5. Wit the time it became a bit uncomfortable to jailbreak the devices with every new iOS version again and today the benefits of a jailbreak are limited now because Apple has implemented so many things that previously where only available after a jailbreak.
For now, I don't what to jailbreak my iPhone again and take the additional security risks only for removing the VPN icon in the status bar. But just to be curious: Are there a Cydia-app that can remove the VPN icon for an individual app? I guess you only can remove the VPN icon completely. Otherwise it has to be implemented into the Adguard app which unfortunately isn't.

 

[max2]

Thanks max2 for your suggestion. I did jailbreak my iPhone until iOS 5. Wit the time it became a bit uncomfortable to jailbreak the devices with every new iOS version again and today the benefits of a jailbreak are limited now because Apple has implemented so many things that previously where only available after a jailbreak.
For now, I don't what to jailbreak my iPhone again and take the additional security risks only for removing the VPN icon in the status bar. But just to be curious: Are there a Cydia-app that can remove the VPN icon for an individual app? I guess you only can remove the VPN icon completely. Otherwise it has to be implemented into the Adguard app which unfortunately isn't.

Nope unfortunately not.

 

[Boo Berry]

Honestly, this requests and issue are a non-issue now, since Apple is cracking down on VPN-based ad blockers.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/07/14/apple-ad-blocking-app-crackdown/

 

[Tanith]

Honestly, this requests and issue are a non-issue now, since Apple is cracking down on VPN-based ad blockers.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/07/14/apple-ad-blocking-app-crackdown/

Thanks @Boo Berry for the link. I already read the bad news and had to think of Adguard's VPN-based ad-blocking feature immediately. The issue with the VPN icon has indeed resolved itself. It's a pity. But it is good to know that the Adguard DNS server feature cannot be refused by Apple.