Orbot not connecting

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Orbot not connecting

Hello,

Using a VPN or the TOR network is one of the best methods to keep ISPs from knowing your browsing history and to prevent MIM attacks as well as iOS calling home and Apple potentially recording geo-IPs of their devices (which would be none of their business).

So I have been using Orbot. But since recently it struggles to connect and if it does, the connection never lasts very long.

Other VPNs (like Winddescribe etc.) are still working but they also drop out at times leaving you unprotected (whilst Orbot blocks all traffic if it cannot connect, which is much more secure).

There was one contribution already a while ago, although this may have been a different issue (Orbot vpn - Apple Community) and the answer was obviously not considering any reasons why anyone would want to protect himself at all...

According to a developer discussion on Github, one reason is that iOS doesnt allow more than 50MB swap space to apps like Orbot (https://github.com/OnionBrowser/OnionBrowser/issues/433).

Here is another case with screenshots that illustrates the problem (it also illustrates how useful Orbot is for people in Russia and other restictive countries- just in case I get replies like "then don't use Orbot or VPNs".): https://tor.stackexchange.com/questions/23772/why-does-orbot-on-ipados-keep-failing-to-connect-to-tor

Is there a workaround or will there be a solution in a coming update? Obviously I cannot see any reason why Apple would throw such stones in the way of useful apps like Orbot, so I would think there is or will be a solution.

Does anyone know more?

iPad mini 4

Posted on Nov 5, 2023 10:17 AM

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Answer 1

Nov 5, 2023 11:37 AM in response to cook04

We are not Apple. We are other users like you, and some here are third-party developers. We are not privy to Apple plans.

Apple and all other vendors must operate within the legal frameworks of those countries and regions where they do business.

The Apple solution here is TLS, and with iCloud+ ODoH and Private Relay, where that is legally permitted.

Add-on first-few-hops VPN apps are too often over-hyped privacy-sucking hot garbage, with little or no benefit over ubiquitous TLS, and all of these services inherently with the opportunity for personally-identified metadata collection. Yes, Orbot and Tor might be exceptions to this particular assumption. Might.

If you are subject to miscreant-in-the-middle attacks or to ISP DNS interception and if your trust in the public certificate chain is lacking, consider running TLS or another VPN, your own Algo server, and your own ODoH server, and route your traffic through that. Or use TLS, and the Apple-provided iCloud+ ODoH and Private Relay.

If you’re in a region where the benefits of Tor might be more interesting to you, you might want to consider alternatives and potentially avoid use of Tor, as use of Tor might potentially make your network traffic interesting and potentially more obvious. Repressive regimes are well aware of Tor, and can have ubiquitous network access within their purview, of course. As are those entities with ubiquitous network access, or with control of enough Tor exit nodes. And mistakes made in these particular cases are expensive. “Use Tor, Use Signal” might not be a safe choice.

Tor has always been somewhat flaky, and—as you’re undoubtedly aware—all sorts of “games” can be happening within the Tor network. “Games”? Some entity was reportedly tagging Windows executables transiting Tor with malware a while back, though use of TLS avoided that particular mess. And efforts toward identifying Tor clients and hidden services are ongoing, too.

US CISA writes on the uses and misuses of Tor: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/AA20-183A_Defending_Against_Malicious_Cyber_Activity_Originating_from_Tor_S508C.pdf

If the Orbot developers has API-related issues or requests for Apple, they can certainly discuss those directly with Apple Developer Support.

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Orbot not connecting

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