Cloudflare launches WARP VPN for iOS and Android
The 1.1.1.1 app by Cloudflare has been updated with a plug-n-play VPN that automatically secures mobile traffic on smartphones. It’s currently available in Google Play and the App Store.
Cloudflare announced that they were adding a VPN to its 1.1.1.1 secure DNS app in April 2019. Soon after the announcement, they were plagued with technical difficulties that significantly delayed the release of their VPN service, WARP.
Matthew Prince, Co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, stated that it turned out that building a next generation service to secure consumer mobile connections without slowing them down or burning battery was… harder than we originally thought.
Prince highlighted some of the problems they encountered that kept them from rolling out WARP until now.
- Changes in iOS 12.2 significantly changed how their software worked, forcing them to create workarounds.
- They encountered performance issues related to various mobile carriers, mobile operating systems, and mobile device models around the world.
- Adjusting VPN connections to constantly changing mobile networks proved more complicated than they expected.
Cloudflare spent more than five months fixing WARP’s problems. They are now ready for the world to use it, and they’ve made their 1.1.1.1 app, which comes with WARP built-in, available from the App Store and Google Play.
WARP and WARP+ details
WARP isn’t a typical VPN. For example, it doesn’t allow access to geo-restricted content, and it won’t hide your IP address. To do that you’ll need to use a VPN service like Encrypt.me or Tor. Instead, WARP was made for the average internet user. It’s designed to:
- ensure that your data is secured while it’s in transit.
- keep networks between you and the sites you visit from spying on you.
- help protect you from hackers sniffing your data while you’re on a public Wi-Fi connection.
- keep your internet service provider from recording browser data and selling it to advertisers.
1.1.1.1 and WARP are free services from Cloudflare. They are both secure and fast, but users can increase the speed of the sites they visit by up to 30% by paying for WARP+. WARP+ utilizes Cloudflare’s Argo Smart Routing. It’s designed to detect real-time congestion and route web traffic across the fastest and most reliable network paths.
The monthly subscription fee for WARP+ is $4.99/mo for unlimited usage.
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Jon is the founder and Managing Editor of Coywolf. He has over 25 years of experience in web development, SaaS, internet strategy, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship. Follow @henshaw