iOS VPN Connection Troubleshooting

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It's good to know that the VPN connection on your device works the same way, regardless of the Internet connection you're using. Are you using cellular data, home Wi-Fi, the connection at your local coffee shop, or maybe a mobile hotspot? Yep, they all work the same way, regardless of how you're connected to the Internet. If the VPN works on one connection, it will work on all of them - unless that network has a unique barrier preventing the VPN from working. 

As an example, if your connection works on your cellular data plan but not while using your home Wi-Fi, we now know a few important things. Namely, we now know that your device, the VPN, and the A2U app are all configured and working properly. That's great! We'll now focus our troubleshooting attention on that specific connection to allow it to work as well.

Isolating the problem

These steps won't fix the problem, but they're vitally important in isolating the root issue and fixing the problem. Try these steps and take note of what you observe:

  1. If your device has a cellular data plan, disable the Wi-Fi on your device and restart. Does the VPN work while using mobile data? Do you have a strong signal and data connectivity?
  2. Place your device in airplane mode, and then enable Wi-Fi on your device. Does the VPN work while using only the Wi-Fi? 
  3. Try other Wi-Fi networks, if possible. Does it work well at home, but not the office? Does it work well standing next to the Wi-Fi router, but works poorly while in the living room? 

Fixing the issue

  • Wi-Fi only issues 

    • Confirm the setup is complete

    1. Open the Accountable2You app on your device. 
    2. Do you see any red warning text or icons regarding the VPN or configuration profile? If so, tap the prompts to complete the setup. You can learn more about the various VPN-related prompts here.

    Forget your Wi-Fi connection and re-connect:  

    1. Make sure you have the Wi-Fi password at hand before proceeding. 
    2. On your iOS device, tap the Settings app > Wi-Fi
    3. If you're not already connected, connect to the Wi-Fi network. 
    4. Next, tap the Wi-Fi network you connected to from the list and select Forget this network > Forget
    5. Reconnect to the Wi-Fi network again, and when prompted, type the Wi-Fi password. 
    6. Restart your iOS device. 
    7. Does it work consistently now? If no, try the suggestions below. 

    Disable Wi-Fi Assist and location-based connectivity

    1. On your iOS device, tap the Settings app > Cellular (Don't see an option for Cellular? Skip to step 3.)  
    2. Disable Wi-Fi Assist (usually third from the bottom)
    3. In the Settings app, tap Privacy > Location Services > System Services and then disable the option for Wi-Fi Networking & Bluetooth. 
    4. Restart your iOS device. 
    5. Does it work consistently now? If no, try the suggestions below. 

    Reboot your Wi-Fi

    1. If you're using Wi-Fi you can administrate (e.g., at home), reboot your Wi-Fi and router
    2. Next, reboot your iOS device.
    3. Does it work consistently now? If no, try the suggestions below. 

    Add network and firewall exclusions to allow VPN traffic

    If your network is using a firewall, a usage agreement page, or another means of traffic and usage filtering, you may need to add network exclusions to allow the VPN to connect. This situation is especially common with office, school, and shared public networks (e.g., - coffee shops, hotels, hotspots, libraries, in-flight Wi-Fi, etc.). Note that the network administrator must perform the steps below.

    Exclusions to add: 

    • vpnpool.accountable2you.com
    • UDP Ports 500 and 4500 (IPsec VPN)
    • If you're not able to add the address-based exclusions, you can manually add the following IP addresses:
      • 3.237.74.115
      • 3.239.14.218
      • 3.85.234.98
      • 54.89.144.121
      • 54.163.220.119
      • 54.221.115.242

  • LTE-only issues

    • If the problem only occurs while on a cellular data connection, it indicates a problem with the service provider. Some carriers prohibit (or slow) VPN traffic from mobile devices. In most cases, this restriction can be removed by contacting your mobile service provider. 

  • VPN connection issues on both wifi and LTE

    • First, we recommend trying the steps found here - even if you're not seeing the exact same errors. 
    • If that doesn't work, we'd recommend uninstalling Accountable2You, the VPN profile certificate, and then reinstalling A2U. To uninstall the app, follow the steps listed in this article. To find and delete the VPN certificate, go to Settings > General > Profile > ca.accountable2you.com, and tap Remove Profile.

For more information regarding in-app VPN connectivity error messages, please also review our help article here.

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