HideMyAss for iOS

HideMyAss is a leading VPN service provider for iOS devices. HideMyAss boasts some of the fastest and most secure connections in the world. With over 1,000 servers spread over 22 countries, HideMyass has you covered on any device at any time. HMA offers premium users unlimited bandwidth and streaming capabilities for one low price.

HideMyAss’s iOS app is a simple VPN (Virtual Private Network) that has been around for quite some time. It was designed to be used through your iPhone or iPad browser, with the goal of making it as quick and easy as possible. The company also offers extensions for Chrome and Safari but they have yet to arrive in the App Store.

Features

HideMyAss’s iOS app doesn’t have a kill switch, but it does offer automatic connection retry after an unsuccessful attempt at connecting to the VPN server (which is what you want).

The app also has some extras such as the ability to view country-based IP addresses and domain name servers when accessing websites that require these details. HideMyAss’s iOS app is similar to the Android version. The only difference is that HideMyAss doesn’t offer servers in Hong Kong, and it offers no VPN service for IPTV or P2P streaming.

HideMyAss doesn’t provide any obfuscation options or port forwarding as well. In other words, you can only choose the interface’s VPN mode (OpenVPN) when connecting to a server in Hong Kong. The app just shows you all servers based on their location along with some connection information that suggests they are not secure enough to use for P2P connections or torrents without getting caught.

Although HideMyAss’s iOS app doesn’t have a kill switch, it does offer automatic connection retry after an unsuccessful attempt at connecting to the VPN server (which is what you want). The app also has some extras such as the ability to view country-based IP addresses and domain name servers when accessing websites that require these details.

Interface

The app is easy to use, with a few settings. There’s a setup screen which lets you choose whether or not to allow VPN access and what level of security you want the app to have. You can also toggle between “fast” and “secure”. The default setting seems secure enough for me (as in slower speeds but more reasonable prices). If you are willing to pay there may be faster options available though.

Once you’ve chosen your settings, there’s an option to “set up” an account. This will take you through a few screens where they ask for basic information and confirm that this is not malware.

Once logged in, there’s a couple of options: click “browse” to go through HideMyAss’s list of servers; click “VPN” for access to their VPN service; or click on the “log out” option which will log you out immediately (if logged into any other sites). There are also some buttons at the top of every page which let you “clear cache” and a button for “add your location”.

You can get to this settings page by going to: Settings > Connections > VPN. You’ll see the list of servers HideMyAss has available in different countries coming out top, with each server showing its distance from your location and speed. The fastest option will be at the top. If it’s not there, then it means that HideMyAss doesn’t have that option in the country you’re in.

You can pick any one of them and click “connect”. Your iPhone will automatically go through your connection process for VPN on this page, with HideMyAss taking care of all the details. It might take a few seconds to load when you first launch it; after that though it should be fine (and once you’ve chosen a server, the next time you try to connect it will go back to that server automatically).

The connection process is pretty fast. I was somewhere in South America (a few minutes of latency) within seconds of clicking the “connect” button. That’s not bad since my last VPN provider had me waiting 45+ seconds for some servers. The best part about HideMyAss though, beyond their price and speed, is how easy it is to use. You can get a VPN connection going in a couple of seconds, and you can do it from anywhere on your iPhone.

When you first launch HideMyAss, you’ll be presented with a list of countries to choose from. If you have an iPhone or iPad running iOS 7 or later (or your OS is supported by their Chrome extension), then you can simply tap on one and start connecting immediately. On any other device, however, Macs included in the list above for the Chrome extension, you’ll have to enter a proxy address as well. You can also choose not to use one of their servers at all if you wish.

Once connected, the app will let you configure it up on your device (or rather hide your connections). On iOS 7 or later devices you can only connect with HTTP/SOCKS proxies and so if that’s what your trying to do then HideMyAss is probably not for you.

Pros

• Easy to use
• No additional setup required for most people
• Best variety of locations to select from

Cons

• I suspect the VPN servers are not as fast as some of their competitors’ speeds, though that’s difficult to test since my previous provider was slow too.

Bottom Line

If you are an iOS user, I highly recommend that you subscribe to HideMyAss’s service. As shown above, HMA is a very fast and reliable VPN with great support. It far outstrips other VPNs in terms of speed and usability on my iPhone 6 Plus running iOS 9.

The premium subscription is worth the cost. I highly recommend that anyone with an iOS device get HMA and use it to secure their privacy on public Wi-Fi networks.  In addition, the HMA’s Android app works well and I highly recommend that anyone with an android device consider subscribing to HideMyAss. In summary, if you are using an iOS device (iPhone or iPad), get HMA  and secure your privacy on public Wi-Fi networks.