iOS App Configuration

The iOS VPN app is a native Swift / SwiftUI application that connects to the StartMyVPN backend over the same REST API used by the web frontend. It supports WireGuard and OpenVPN and ships with Apple Sign-In, reCAPTCHA v3 protection, a guest-mode flow, in-app purchases (StoreKit), and a Network Extension tunnel provider.

This app is a client for the StartMyVPN SaaS platform and will not function without it. You must have the StartMyVPN backend installed and running on your own server before this app can be used:StartMyVPN — WireGuard & OpenVPN SaaS Platform

Prerequisites

macOS with Xcode 15+ installed
An Apple Developer Program membership (required to sign a Network Extension)
A deployed copy of the StartMyVPN backend reachable over HTTPS
A Google reCAPTCHA v3 site key registered for your domain
The iOS app source code (from your purchase)

Step 1 — Open the Project

Open VPN.xcodeproj in Xcode. The project contains two targets:

Target	Purpose
VPN	The main iOS application
VPNExtension	The Network Extension that runs the WireGuard / OpenVPN tunnel

Step 2 — Set Bundle Identifiers

Select the VPN target → General tab → Identity:

com.YOURTEAM.VPN

Select the VPNExtension target → General tab → Identity:

com.YOURTEAM.VPN.VPNExtension

The extension bundle ID must be a sub-identifier of the main app (i.e. it must start with the main app’s bundle ID followed by a dot).

Step 3 — Configure Signing & Capabilities

For both targets, open Signing & Capabilities:

Set Team to your Apple Developer account.
Enable Network Extensions → check Packet Tunnel.
Enable App Groups → add group.com.YOURTEAM.VPN (the same value in both targets).

For the VPN target only, also enable:

Sign in with Apple (if you want Apple Sign-In — see Step 8).
Associated Domains → add applinks:YOURDOMAIN.com (for password-reset universal links).

Step 4 — Configure `Configuration.swift`

Open VPN/Utils/Configuration.swift and fill in:

struct Configuration {
    static let baseURL = "https://vpn.yourdomain.com"
    static let upgradeURL = "https://vpn.yourdomain.com/pricing"
    static let recaptchaSiteKey = "6Lc..."          // your v3 site key
    static let recaptchaDomain = "https://vpn.yourdomain.com"
}

Key	Description
`baseURL`	Root URL of your VPN backend. No trailing slash.
`upgradeURL`	Shown as an “Upgrade” link when the user has no active plan.
`recaptchaSiteKey`	Google reCAPTCHA v3 site key. Register at google.com/recaptcha/admin.
`recaptchaDomain`	Must match the domain registered in the reCAPTCHA console. Usually the same as `baseURL`.

Step 5 — Update Hardcoded Identifiers

Several Swift files contain identifiers that must match your bundle ID. Search for YOURTEAM and replace:

Extension bundle ID (2 files)

VPN/Services/WireGuardAdapter.swift
VPN/Services/OpenVPNAdapter.swift

proto.providerBundleIdentifier = "com.YOURTEAM.VPN.VPNExtension"

Change this to your VPNExtension bundle ID from Step 2.

App Group identifier (3 files)

VPN/Services/KeychainHelper.swift → private let service = "com.YOURTEAM.vpn"
VPN/Views/MyAccountView.swift → let appGroupIdentifier = "group.com.YOURTEAM.VPN"
VPNExtension/PacketTunnelProvider.swift → let appGroupIdentifier = "group.com.YOURTEAM.VPN"

Step 6 — Update Entitlements

VPN/VPN.entitlements

<key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key>
<array>
    <string>group.com.YOURTEAM.VPN</string>
</array>
<key>com.apple.developer.associated-domains</key>
<array>
    <string>applinks:YOURDOMAIN.com</string>
</array>

VPNExtension/VPNExtension.entitlements

<key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key>
<array>
    <string>group.com.YOURTEAM.VPN</string>
</array>

Both files are XML plists — you can edit them directly in Xcode via the Signing & Capabilities pane or in any text editor.

Step 7 — Add Your App Logo & Icon

Splash screen logo

Prepare a square PNG at 1024×1024 px (transparent background recommended).

Name it AppLogo.png and place it in:

VPN/Assets.xcassets/AppLogo.imageset/AppLogo.png

The Contents.json in that folder already references this filename.

App Icon

Replace the images inside VPN/Assets.xcassets/AppIcon.appiconset/ with your own icons at the required sizes. Use appicon.co or similar to generate all sizes from a 1024×1024 master.

Step 8 — App Name & Tagline

Open VPN/Views/SplashView.swift and update:

Text("Your VPN App")          // change to your app name
Text("Private. Secure. Free.") // change to your tagline

You should also update the Display Name in Xcode:

Select the VPN target → General → Display Name.

Apple Sign-In is controlled server-side. Your backend’s /api/v1/app-config endpoint returns:

{ "apple_login_enabled": true }

Set this to false on the backend to hide the button without any code changes. If you do not want to offer Apple Sign-In at all, remove the com.apple.developer.applesignin entitlement from VPN/VPN.entitlements and remove the capability from Xcode.

Step 10 — Universal Links (Password Reset)

The app handles password-reset deep links sent by the backend in the form:

https://YOURDOMAIN.com/reset-password/{token}?email=user@example.com

For these to open the app automatically, your web server must serve the Apple App Site Association file at:

https://YOURDOMAIN.com/.well-known/apple-app-site-association

The Laravel backend serves this file automatically. Ensure the applinks: value in VPN.entitlements matches your domain exactly.

Step 11 — Build & Archive

Select a real device or Any iOS Device (arm64) as the build target.
Product → Archive.
In the Organizer, click Distribute App → App Store Connect (or Ad Hoc for testing).
Follow the prompts to upload to App Store Connect.

Quick Checklist

Bundle IDs

Set unique bundle IDs for both targets in Xcode.

Signing

Set your Team and enable required capabilities (Network Extension, App Groups).

Configuration.swift

Fill in baseURL, upgradeURL, recaptchaSiteKey, and recaptchaDomain.

Hardcoded identifiers

Update extension bundle ID in WireGuardAdapter.swift and OpenVPNAdapter.swift.

App group

Update group.com.YOURTEAM.VPN in KeychainHelper.swift, MyAccountView.swift, and PacketTunnelProvider.swift.

Entitlements

Update app group and associated domain in both .entitlements files.

Logo & icon

Add your AppLogo.png and replace App Icon assets.

App name

Update display name in Xcode and the Text("Your VPN App") line in SplashView.swift.

Archive & submit

Build for a device, archive, and upload to App Store Connect.

​Prerequisites

​Step 1 — Open the Project

​Step 2 — Set Bundle Identifiers

​Step 3 — Configure Signing & Capabilities

​Step 4 — Configure Configuration.swift

​Step 5 — Update Hardcoded Identifiers

​Extension bundle ID (2 files)

​App Group identifier (3 files)

​Step 6 — Update Entitlements

​VPN/VPN.entitlements

​VPNExtension/VPNExtension.entitlements

​Step 7 — Add Your App Logo & Icon

​Splash screen logo

​App Icon

​Step 8 — App Name & Tagline

​Step 9 — Apple Sign-In (optional)

​Step 10 — Universal Links (Password Reset)

​Step 11 — Build & Archive

​Quick Checklist

Prerequisites

Step 1 — Open the Project

Step 2 — Set Bundle Identifiers

Step 3 — Configure Signing & Capabilities

Step 4 — Configure `Configuration.swift`

Step 5 — Update Hardcoded Identifiers

Extension bundle ID (2 files)

App Group identifier (3 files)

Step 6 — Update Entitlements

VPN/VPN.entitlements

VPNExtension/VPNExtension.entitlements

Step 7 — Add Your App Logo & Icon

Splash screen logo

App Icon

Step 8 — App Name & Tagline

Step 9 — Apple Sign-In (optional)

Step 10 — Universal Links (Password Reset)

Step 11 — Build & Archive

Quick Checklist