Over 35 VPNs have reportedly been removed from the Brazilian iOS App Store
- NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN, VyprVPN and more are no longer available in Brazil through the local iOS app store.
- Apple is most likely complying with a Brazilian order to remove certain VPN apps.
- Internet users in Brazil still have some excellent options when it comes to reputable VPNs, but that situation could change overnight.
Social media giant X (formerly Twitter) has officially suspended its operations in Brazil following a months-long legal battle with the country’s authorities. The social network was accused of not doing enough to combat disinformation after being asked to block certain accounts accused of spreading fake news and hate speech.
Although X has ceased operations, the app is still available in Brazil. However, this latest development has caused quite a stir among internet users, who are now turning to VPN providers en masse. As noted by Proton VPN, this free provider has seen a 580% increase in signups in the last few days.
However, reports are circulating that acquiring a VPN in Brazil has become a problem. More specifically, some of the top-rated VPN services can no longer be downloaded from the Brazilian iOS App Store. These apps are marked as “purchased” when attempting to install them, without users having the option to download them to their iOS/iPadOS devices.
The most popular VPNs affected by this change are Proton VPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Kaspersky VPN, TunnelBear, VyprVPN, and more. Security researchers at Top10VPN have created a table of nearly 40 VPN apps that are now allegedly censored.
The good news is that some VPNs continue to work fine in Brazil. These include CyberGhost VPN, Private Internet Access, Windscribe, PureVPN, IPVanish, and others.
While it’s not common for Apple to remove VPNs to comply with censorship, as happened recently in Russia, there is no official confirmation of the recent events in Brazil. Some speculate that technical issues are preventing the Brazilian App Store from functioning, while others are sure that Apple is responding to Brazilian orders.
