Based on raving online reviews I tried Mullvad on my iPhone for a month. Although I like the onboarding process and simple interface, the downsides are just too plenty: some apps straight up stop working properly (e.g. Classpass, Spotify, HBO Max) and internet speeds seems to slow down significantly.
I’m fairly new to using VPN, but I did notice more of these issues with Mullvad than e.g. ExpressVPN - also tried that for month. The latter is too expensive for my taste however, so not sure what my next best option would be.
Do you guys experience these issues, and perhaps have potential solutions?
In relation to Classpass, Spotify and HBO Max, it may not be a problem with Mullvad as such. A lot of streaming services and some other sites will block VPNs. They do this by blocking connections from known VPN servers. One way to get around it is to use a different server, but it doesn’t always solve the problem. Does the iPhone app support split-tunneling (switching the VPN off for specific apps), because that’s a potential solution if it does.
With the speed issues, it might be worth trying servers in different countries to see if that makes a difference. There are some countries that I avoid from my real location because the connections can be unstable or slow. If you’re in Europe, Switzerland is usually a good option. If the iPhone app has this feature, you could try changing the tunnel protocol (WireGuard or OpenVPN) and see if that makes any difference.
I know you said you are new to using a VPN, so just keep in mind that any VPN connection is likely to be slower than when you’re not using one because it has to go through at least one extra server. Personally I use it in multihop mode (going through two servers) and can watch 4K video and play multiplayer games without lag issues, but I might just be lucky with my experience.
Mullvad doesn’t support streaming, so there’s no guarantee that any of the popular streaming platforms like HBO, Netflix and so on will work with mullvad. You may stumble onto a server that works but that’s a matter of luck.
If you need streaming support and live in an area where streaming is not available, you should get a VPN that specifically advertises streaming support like Proton. However streaming VPNs are more expensive unless you buy a multi-year subscription right off the bat.
Spotify does work fine with mullvad however, at least on Dekstop.
internet speeds seems to slow down significantly
Speeds being lower is expected with any VPN. Although how much speed you’ll lose will depend on a bunch of things and your normal internet connection speed e.g. on a 100mbit connection you may only lose 1-2% of speed while on a 1gbit connection you may lose half of your speed.
Try servers in cities/countries that are geographically close to you.
You might want to try out the soon-to-be-released iOS app which has a long list of improvements over the stable one on App Store. You need to join their public TestFlight program for this, but it’s open: Join the Mullvad VPN beta - TestFlight - Apple
Thanks for the insights, I’m learning that iOS is (unexpectedly) restrictive in VPN split-tunneling. I’m going to play around with the servers a bit more to see what impact that has.
Thanks for the reply, and good to learn that streaming isn’t supported by default by VPN.
I was naively hoping that using a VPN would not impact the usability of internet/apps by much, but unfortunately it does. I need to do some soul searching now around what is more important to me: privacy or frictionless iPhone usage
I think it depends what server you are using for Mullvad. Try change of location, some servers don’t work at all for me! I use American ones all the time as they get better content on streaming services and I’m in the uk
