From a potential TikTok ban to blocked content, it has never been more important to take back control of the web with Surfshark VPN for Mac and iPhone to unblock websites.
There are a lot of laws going into effect that could limit your ability to access the websites you love. Whether there’s a TikTok ban in the United States or you’re visiting a country that’s blocked access to a news resource, a virtual private network (VPN) can help.
Surfshark VPN goes above and beyond standard VPN features by giving users control over their identity and personal information online. However, we’re going to focus on why Surfshark can help you bypass blocked websites.
The freedom to access the web and its information is crucial for everyone regardless of where they live. Of course, it is important to know if a VPN is illegal in your region before using one to unblock a website.
Why unblock websites in the first place
Sometimes websites are unavailable in a region due to an abundance of caution. Even if the website itself isn’t breaking any local laws, the site owners might remove access for a given country or region to avoid possible issues.
Use a VPN to bypass restrictions and bans. Image source: Surfshark
Users can access blocked websites using a VPN thanks to its ability to tunnel the user’s web access through an encrypted channel and make them appear as if they are in a different country. The ISP, website, and other tracking entities see the traffic as if it were a normal connection, so users can browse freely without issue.
Users may have to take a similar approach if the proposed TikTok ban goes into effect. It seems that TikTok isn’t the only Chinese-owned entity the US government may block, as shopping apps Temu and Shein could also be banned.
As of this publication, the TikTok ban will be upheld, though a delay on enforcement is likely. What this means is that while you may be able to access the app and service for now, eventually a VPN will be needed if something doesn’t change and the ban begins being enforced.
Note that the TikTok ban prevents the service from operating in the United States. However, the situation is still developing at time of publication and the ban and its enforcement may change.
How to unblock websites on iOS with Surfshark VPN
First, it is important to understand that laws may render apps unusable, like in the instance of TikTok, and a VPN won’t help with that. However, many web services work in the browser, so keep that in mind.
Select a country that isn’t banning your desired service
Take control of your internet connection, make it private and encrypted, and unblock websites by installing Surfshark VPN on your iPhone or Mac.
- Open Surfshark VPN and log into an account with an active subscription.
- Select a country under “Locations” that allows access to the website or service you want to unblock.
- Connect to that VPN and allow the VPN to work if a prompt appears.
- Open Safari and navigate to the website or, if applicable, the associated up-to-date app.
- Log in and browse normally. Note that when using some websites in Safari on iPhone, users may need to request the desktop version.
Since the TikTok ban in particular requires Apple and Google to stop distributing the app, it will no longer be updated. There will be a point in time, if not right away, that the TikTok app won’t work even with a VPN.
As noted previously, users can access websites like TikTok through the browser. If requesting the desktop version doesn’t work for some reason, then try logging in from an iPad, Mac, or other desktop-class browser.
When subscribing to Surfshark VPN, users get access via an unlimited number of simultaneous connections across devices. So, install Surfshark and unblock sites from any of your devices.
Get Surfshark VPN
Surfshark VPN has some of the best VPN deals among competing VPN service providers. It is a premium VPN that protects all your devices across the entire network.
Surfshark VPN works to keep your connection private and secure
The Surfshark VPN subscription Starter tier is $59.13 for two years and includes an ad blocker, personal detail generator, and masked email generator. The Surfshark One tier builds on that with fraud alerts, private search, and antivirus for $72.63 for two years.
The most premium Surfshark One+ tier adds data deletion requests. Users can request data removal from company and people search sites.
The virtual private network app can be downloaded for all your devices at Surfshark.com. No matter which tier you choose, they can all work to unblock websites and restore users’ ability to access content.
This story originally appeared on Appleinsider
