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Future of “Portless” iPhones and VPNs

Apple is set to go portless with its 2021 iPhone line-up. However, not all iPhone models will come without the Lightning port and support wireless charging. Apple is rumored to be launching four iPhone models this year – iPhone, iPhone mini, iPhone Pro, iPhone Pro Max. The upcoming iPhone 13 will skip the USB-C port on one of its models. Meaning you won’t be able to connect your headphones or charge via the lightning port. Everything will need to be done wirelessly.

Portless iPhones are said to be more durable because no ports mean no seams and lesser opportunities for dust or water to get inside the phone. However, some users feel like Apple is killing the last remaining input point. This cutting-edge Apple technology will provide users a completely wireless and portless experience with its AirPods and MagSafe charger.

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it! But there is bad news for VPN users: VPN does not work with Wireless devices.

To be able to use the basic Apple functions like AirDrop, you need to disable the VPN on your device, especially if your VPN doesn’t support split tunneling. If you are using a full tunnel VPN, then it means all your mobile traffic goes through the VPN, and for using AirDrop, you would need to toggle the VPN off. Imagine the issues you will have to face using a VPN on a portless device!

With a portless iPhone, you can also expect to face the issue of latency, especially if you are from a region with slower networks. Wireless VPN connections are very slow, and getting connected to a VPN through your wireless device is a bit difficult for users. A lightning port is not just simply a hole in your phone: No, it includes a lot of components that are required for its normal functionality. If you ditch the port, you lose a function, like VPN support.

Without any physical access, you will face issues in order to bridge the networks for online privacy. Therefore, without ports, you would not be able to set up a VPN. Yes, a portless phone with the removal of its internal components will give you a slimmer device or a bigger battery, however, you will lose VPN support with a portless device.

You could manually configure the VPN to capture traffic from certain ports and apps and make it work for a wireless device. But, that is quite impossible, judging from the current status of the VPN industry.

Therefore, portless iPhones pose a real problem for VPN users as long as VPNs don’t become more configurable. However, looking at Apple’s history with the iPhone, one thing is certain: if they are removing the ports, they will offer solutions to problems that might arise because of it.

Back in the day when Apple removed the home button in iPhone 10, people had a really hard time getting around it, but we most certainly did. Similarly, getting rid of the headphone jack came with AirPods. But, as we move forward the question is what is Apple’s solution to removing the lightning port and creating a “portless” phone, especially for the VPN users?