Internet problems after installing iso 17.4.1 on my iPad

First, you don’t need VPN, and it actually REDUCES your security because it adds a middleman who has no incentive to be trustworthy (the VPN provider, who sees all of you connections).

VPN frequently creates more problems than it solves. But one important fact is that when you install VPN it configures itself to the specific hardware, iOS version and network that the phone uses. If any of those change it can break the VPN. So any time you change any of these you may need to delete the VPN app and profile, restart your phone then add them back (if you still want to use VPN) so it can configure itself to the new environment.

Here's Apple's advice on VPN→

Check VPN (Virtual Private Network) and third-party software to help resolve network connectivity issues - Apple Support

Something to think about→Don't use VPN - GITHUB

There are two legitimate purposes for using VPN:

• To allow access to a private network such as a school or business when you are not on site. 
• To allow access outside of a country with a repressive government that has restricted Internet access. (This has suddenly become more important)

Any other use is risky, and can lead to problems like the one discussed in this thread. VPN disguises your location by making you appear to be somewhere else in the world. But you usually can’t control that “somewhere else”, and if it is in a location that an app isn’t approved for the app won’t work. Plus the fact that the provider of the VPN knows everything about you and your location, as well as what sites you access through the VPN. So you are totally dependent on the VPN provider’s honesty. As a start, if the VPN is free, DON’T USE IT. The provider has to make money somehow, and if you aren’t paying them then they are selling your private data to make money. 

But even those that charge can’t necessarily be trusted. For example, a few years ago Avast was caught selling user browsing data. They claim they have stopped doing so, however, they lied 🤥→ FTC Order Will Ban Avast from Selling Browsing Data for Advertising Purposes

You don’t really need VPN when using public Wi-Fi, because all communications between your device and the servers it accesses are end-to-end encrypted.

If you want VPN for privacy about the sites you visit, that’s not a good choice as discussed; instead you should download and use the TOR browser.

The other use for VPN is to “steal” content that is not available in your area. I leave this question to your personal ethics.

With iOS 15.2 and later for iOS/iPadOS and MacOS Monterey 12.2 and later Apple now has iCloud+ Private Relay, which is not VPN, but provides a safer browsing environment than VPN, and it doesn't spy on you→About iCloud Private Relay - Apple Support

Sakyagirl wrote:

Connectivity issues after 17.4.1 install

I had to delete the VPN on my iPad in order to get the internet, YouTube, Facebook and other apps to connect to the internet. No other advice worked such as Turing off the router or the Transfer or Reset IPad. I would not have loaded the 17.4.1 update if this issue was identified.

The ISSUE is with your VPN, not the iOS version. VPN frequently creates more problems than it solves. But one important fact is that when you install VPN it configures itself to the specific hardware, iOS version and network that the phone uses. If any of those change it can break the VPN. So any time you change any of these you may need to delete the VPN app and profile, restart your phone then add them back (if you still want to use VPN) so it can configure itself to the new environment.

Here's Apple's advice on VPN→

Check VPN (Virtual Private Network) and third-party software to help resolve network connectivity issues - Apple Support

Something to think about→Don't use VPN - GITHUB

There are two legitimate purposes for using VPN:

• To allow access to a private network such as a school or business when you are not on site. 
• To allow access outside of a country with a repressive government that has restricted Internet access. (This has suddenly become more important)

Any other use is risky, and can lead to problems like the one discussed in this thread. VPN disguises your location by making you appear to be somewhere else in the world. But you usually can’t control that “somewhere else”, and if it is in a location that an app isn’t approved for the app won’t work. Plus the fact that the provider of the VPN knows everything about you and your location, as well as what sites you access through the VPN. So you are totally dependent on the VPN provider’s honesty. As a start, if the VPN is free, DON’T USE IT. The provider has to make money somehow, and if you aren’t paying them then they are selling your private data to make money. 

But even those that charge can’t necessarily be trusted. For example, a few years ago Avast was caught selling user browsing data. They claim they have stopped doing so, however, they lied 🤥→ FTC Order Will Ban Avast from Selling Browsing Data for Advertising Purposes

You don’t really need VPN when using public Wi-Fi, because all communications between your device and the servers it accesses are end-to-end encrypted.

If you want VPN for privacy about the sites you visit, that’s not a good choice as discussed; instead you should download and use the TOR browser.

The other use for VPN is to “steal” content that is not available in your area. I leave this question to your personal ethics.

With iOS 15.2 and later for iOS/iPadOS and MacOS Monterey 12.2 and later Apple now has iCloud+ Private Relay, which is not VPN, but provides a safer browsing environment than VPN, and it doesn't spy on you→About iCloud Private Relay - Apple Support

The issue that you may have experienced is not a fault with the iPadOS 17.4.1 update itself.

While avoiding detailed discussion as to the complexities of how the iPad's network stack works - perhaps suffice to say that a VPN [or other security] App can disrupt the network connection when the OS is updated. This phenomenon is not limited to iOS/iPadOS, but can similarly affect other Operating Systems - such as macOS, MS Windows, linux and others.

If you experience a network connection issue after updating iPadOS, the remedy is usually straightforward. Simply remove the VPN and/or associated security App from the iPad, restart the iPad - and then reinstall the App if required - exactly as you have done.

Reinstalling the App after performing a restart will rebuild the network stack elements - including the local network proxy employed by some VPN/Security Apps - in the correct order.

With a VPN App or profile installed, this can sometimes interfere with anticipated connection to services and websites. Typical issues are some Apps or services seemingly having no connection to the internet - while others continue to work normally.

Without delving into the complexities of the network stack and interaction with an installed VPN and similar Security Apps, perhaps suffice to say that to resolve an unexpected connection issue, it is sometimes necessary to remove and reinstall the associated VPN/Security App. Simply removing the VPN and performing a restart of your iPad, prior to reinstalling the offending App, may be all that is required to restore normal function.

As for the relative merits of using a VPN, perhaps some background and context would be worthwhile...

A VPN connection can only protect traffic between the VPN Client and the VPN Gateway. If you are running your own Gateway, while the VPN is active (and a no-split-tunnel traffic policy is applied) all traffic to your Gateway will have protection of the VPN tunnel between these two endpoints. Similarly, when connecting to an Enterprise (such as your employers business network) a correctly configured VPN connection can provide robust network security for this type of connection.

If instead you are connecting to a commercial VPN Service, your VPN traffic will be protected as far as your VPN Provider's Gateway - where it will be delivered to (and traverse) the internet without benefit of the VPN. As such, when connecting to an untrusted public WiFi, all of your network traffic will be protected over the least-trustworthy public WiFi connection - but receive no additional protection from where your traffic exits the VPN at the Gateway.

It is when using untrusted WiFi networks that Commercial VPN Apps may have some useful utility - but you must consider that your unencrypted data remains visible to the VPN Provider. Choose your Provider with care - as not all are themselves trustworthy.

Also consider that much of your network traffic is already encrypted by default using TLS/SSL. That said, there are some network protocols (such as DNS) that do not have benefit of encryption - and this traffic can be intercepted or maliciously manipulated. This risk can be mitigated using DoH, DoT or ODoH protocols.

In more detail...

Part #1

Much of the hype and negative comment that you will observe throughout the Apple Support Communities are derived from a bias against, or a fundamental misunderstanding of, VPN technologies and their uses/benefits - in addition to misguided faith in Apple products being immune to cyber-threat. In many cases, negative viewpoint will be based upon consumption of misinformed commentary of others; such commentary often reinforces preconceived faith in both invulnerability and perceived immutable truth.

It is impossible to provide an in-depth discussion of Information Security and IP networking with the limited space that this forum allows. The following is intended to provide brief overview and insight - from which you are free to ask additional questions, draw conclusions as to efficacy, and/or make informed decision as to potential benefit in securing your internet communications.

Enterprise applications may use VPN technologies to securely connect remote users to corporate systems - security benefit being derived through the entire path being protected. Commercial VPNs, as used by private individuals, do not offer protection over the entire path as the encrypted tunnel terminates at the VPN Gateway from which your traffic is routed over the internet to its destination(s). Properly configured commercial VPN services do, however, provide useful mitigation against very specific threats. In using these services, It is important to understand the risks against which a commercial VPN can provide useful protection - and those that it can not. A commercial VPN cannot provide total protection against all monitoring of your internet traffic - as the end-to-end path is not protected by the VPN in its entirety.

A high proportion of your traffic (such as browser traffic) already benefits from encryption (e.g., SSL/TLS) without use of a VPN - but some protocols (such as DNS) are entirely “in-clear” and can be intercepted and manipulated. Header and routing information are also unencrypted - and is available to anyone that is able to monitor your local network connection. Where utilised, VPN encapsulation ensures that all your traffic, including unencrypted data, is contained within the VPN tunnel away from prying eyes and threat actors.

Part #2

One of the arguments against the use of commercial VPN is that all your traffic is routed via the VPN provider”s VPN Gateway. This of course is completely true - however, in many cases presents no greater risk to you, or your privacy, than routing all your internet traffic via your ISP or mobile phone operator.

Reputable “paid” commercial VPN services have no vested interest in your internet traffic beyond statutory obligations imposed by the authorities in whose territory in which they operate. Again, from a regulatory a technical perspective, this is no different to your ISP or mobile phone operator. Reputable commercial VPN services are fully and profitably monetised by service subscriptions.

Free or “low cost” VPN operators are funded differently. Clearly, these VPN operators have cost overheads that must be fully funded; such services are often funded through commercial advertising served via the VPN connection, or traffic analysis and data mining - this data being sold-on to other interested parties. Dishonest VPN operators may attract business with express intention of misusing your data - or to facilitate criminal activity.

Looking now at areas where a commercial VPN provides useful threat mitigation…

Assuming that your home wired/WiFi network is secure - and that other network devices using the network are trusted - use of a VPN within your local network offers little if any tangible benefit. By contrast, public WIFi networks (such as Airports and Hotels) are high risk; other users of these networks can access and manipulate your network traffic - and it is here that a commercial VPN provides useful protection. Here, when using a VPN, all your traffic is fully protected from actors over the high-risk elements of the network path - between your client device and the VPN Gateway.

Remember, the local WiFi connection is likely to be the least-trustworthy network segment.

LotusPilot wrote:

Reputable “paid” commercial VPN services have no vested interest in your internet traffic beyond statutory obligations imposed by the authorities in whose territory in which they operate. Again, from a regulatory a technical perspective, this is no different to your ISP or mobile phone operator. Reputable commercial VPN services are fully and profitably monetised by service subscriptions.

“Reputable” is no guarantee. The Reputable AVAST provider was just fined $16.5 million for selling user surfing data to a data consolidator/distributor. This was their second fine, they were also fined 3 years ago for the same practices. Google was also fined $5 billion recently for lying, saying that the Chrome incognito mode browsing was not tracked by Google and used for sales targeting. They didn’t change the practice; instead, they added a disclaimer saying that they DID track incognito mode. There is no guarantee that ANY provider is “reputable”.

Apple’s Private Relay covers the risks of using public Wi-Fi better than VPN.

I make no judgment here as to which Commercial VPN Operators are reputable or trustworthy - although there are many that I wouldn't touch with a hot cattle-prod.

As for Apple's Private Relay, while a useful measure that employs ODoH, where available this is not a silver bullet solution. Private Relay is a feature only available to iCloud+ subscribers.

Many public WiFi networks actively block Private Relay connections - at which time, Apple devices will simply fall-back to an unprotected connection. The user might notice a notification to this effect, but may otherwise be oblivious to the [now] disabled feature.

VPN and Private Relay are fully independent of each other - each having benefits, limitations and security target. Both can be used individually, or in tandem.

Connectivity issues after 17.4.1 install

I had to delete the VPN on my iPad in order to get the internet, YouTube, Facebook and other apps to connect to the internet. No other advice worked such as Turing off the router or the Transfer or Reset IPad. I would not have loaded the 17.4.1 update if this issue was identified.

Delete the VPN profile in Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN. Turning it off is not sufficient.