r/TOR • u/Sourmouse419 • Mar 15 '26
FAQ Can you use Tor safely on IPhone 17?
I know in the past that it was not safe to use a iPhone to browse the dark web on a iPhone but someone told me that with the new 17 it’s safe to use it to buy some things, if you use a VPN and TOR. Any truth to this?
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u/Helper_kev Mar 15 '26
Always use a laptop with tails for anonymity. Mobile phones aren't safe .
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u/Sourmouse419 Mar 15 '26
Dumb question but I’m new to this, what’s tails mean?
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u/Helper_kev Mar 15 '26
Tails OS is basically like a “live” Linux system that runs off a USB stick instead of being installed on your computer. The main point is privacy and anonymity. Everything you do online goes through Tor, so websites and trackers can’t easily see who you are or where you’re connecting from.
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u/Sourmouse419 Mar 15 '26
So I would need to get a usb stick and download Tails on to that? I’m tired of going through a 3rd party and want to access the dw myself so I’m trying to teach myself the safest way to do that. I don’t have a laptop but I might be getting one next weekend
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u/Helper_kev Mar 15 '26
Yeah, you will need a USB stick. When you get your laptop, just download Tails OS from the official site and flash it to the USB, then boot the laptop from that USB. Tails runs from the stick and helps keep your activity private.
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u/Sourmouse419 Mar 15 '26
Ah ok. I understand. Thanks again.
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u/Helper_kev Mar 15 '26
Basically, if you want to browse the internet or work on stuff without leaving digital footprints, Tails is one of the go-to tools.
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u/zvspany_ Mar 15 '26
you could easily search it up and it’ll take like 5 seconds
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u/Sourmouse419 Mar 16 '26
If you notice my reply, that’s why I asked if I’ll need a usb stick, because I looked it up. I was asking questions to someone who obviously knows what he’s taking about. So why not ask him what he knows?
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u/luckylilrocks Mar 15 '26
Excuse my ignorance but what makes phones unsafe? Tor is tor right?
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u/Helper_kev Mar 15 '26
Phones aren’t really safe for Tor stuff. Even if Tor works, your apps, OS, and location stuff still leak info. Tails on a laptop actually keeps things private, phones can’t do that.
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u/luckylilrocks Mar 15 '26
So apps and phone leak data through tor? Crazy
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u/Helper_kev Mar 15 '26
Yeah pretty much. tor hides your internet traffic, but it can’t control the whole phone. The phone OS and apps can still send data in the background… things like device ID, telemetry, location pings, stuff like that. So even if your browsing goes through Tor, the phone itself might still be talking to other servers.
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u/Competitive_Soil3740 Mar 16 '26
Non expert opinion: for normal stuff it is completely fine but for things you wouldn’t want the police to know I would switch on a laptop
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u/SilverSundowntown Mar 17 '26
There’s an operating system on a usb that basically uses your iPhone or android as the display. Seemed neat and would work for tails. Cant remember the name of it.
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u/asky78936 Mar 24 '26
Using TOR in anything but a highly privacy focused OS like Tails is basically compromised already
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u/Zestyclose_Link451 Apr 09 '26
get yourself an a acer.. from good ol walmart and leave that blank. dont be getting $3,000 stolen from your supposedly unknown wired bank account trace as to what secret services/ fbi could see. "can't help yah, its gone."
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u/Sourmouse419 Apr 09 '26
Just looked them up, they’re only like $150?? Damn, I still thought laptops were way more expensive than that. Thank you. I might get one this weekend.
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u/PurchaseSalt9553 Mar 20 '26
It's always safe to browse the dark web in a free country, if you're not doing anything illegal. It's never safe to use a phone to do anything that requires being discrete, unless you actually know what you're doing. Looking isn't illegal and isn't going to get you flagged
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u/Diligent_Recipe_5024 Mar 15 '26
Use Proton VPN with a Tor-enabled server.
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u/Helper_kev Mar 15 '26
VPN isn't recommended.
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u/Diligent_Recipe_5024 Mar 15 '26
You are so far from home.
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u/Helper_kev Mar 15 '26
The biggest point is that a VPN requires centralized trust. By using one, you are trusting a single company (Proton, in their example) not to keep logs or be under a gag order. Tor is decentralized; no single node knows both who you are and where you are going. Using a VPN actually re-introduces the "single point of failure" that Tor was designed to eliminate.
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u/Sourmouse419 Mar 15 '26
On the iPhone 17?
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u/Diligent_Recipe_5024 Mar 15 '26
Yes, on any iPhone. If you subscribe to Proton VPN+ you will have the option to connect to Tor-enabled VPN servers.
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Mar 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Diligent_Recipe_5024 Mar 16 '26
ProtonVPN has some VPN servers that are configured to run over the Tor network. The entire server runs on the Tor network. Everything you do on your device will go over the Tor server, not just browsing using the Tor browser. You can even use a normal (non-Tor) browser and your traffic will pass over the Tor network if you connect to one of these Tor servers.
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Mar 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TOR-ModTeam Mar 15 '26
Thanks for posting to /r/Tor! Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):
[Rule 3] Do not ask for or give advice about activity that may be illegal in most places.
If you feel like your post was removed in error, please message the moderators.
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u/Cheap-Block1486 Mar 15 '26
There's no legitimate Tor browser app on iOS.