Tor on iPhone and Android: what works and what doesn’t

As of November 2026, there’s no Tor Browser for iPhone. Instead, the Tor Project recommends Onion Browser, an open-source app that routes through Tor, and Orbot for sending other apps through Tor.^[1][2] On Android, you can install the official Tor Browser from Google Play, F-Droid or the Tor Project’s website.^[1]

Here’s what each option does, how to set it up safely and what Tor on a phone can’t do. Underneath, every Tor app works like Tor Browser: it passes your traffic through three volunteer-run relays, encrypted at each step.^[2] What differs between phones is the app around it.

Is it possible to use Tor on iPhone?

Yes, but not with Tor Browser. The Tor Project’s help pages say plainly that there is no Tor Browser for iOS, and point iPhone users to Onion Browser, which is developed by someone who works closely with the Tor Project.^[1] To route other apps through Tor, the Tor Project suggests Orbot, a free app from the Guardian Project.^[2][3]

Will Tor Browser come to iPhone?

Possibly. Since iOS 17.4, Apple has let browser apps in the European Union use engines other than its own WebKit, if they’re distributed only in the EU and meet Apple’s security requirements.^[4] No Tor Browser has taken that route yet.^[1]

In November 2026, the Guardian Project, which builds Orbot and helps build Onion Browser, announced a plan to bring a Tor Browser based on Firefox’s engine to iOS. Its one-year roadmap aims for a first test version in 2027, and leaves open whether the app will go through Apple’s EU and Japan programmes or be installed by sideloading.^[5] It’s a plan, not a product, so ignore any app that claims to be Tor Browser for iPhone until the Tor Project or the Guardian Project announces it.

How do I get Tor Browser on Android?

Tor Browser for Android is the Tor Project’s own app. It’s built on Firefox for Android and runs on Android 8.0 or newer. You can get it from Google Play, from F-Droid (through the Guardian Project’s official repository, which you add in F-Droid’s settings), as a file from the Tor Project’s website, or through the Tor Project’s GetTor service. If you don’t know which type of processor your phone has, the Tor Project advises installing from Google Play or F-Droid rather than downloading the file yourself.^[1]

What do Orbot and Tor VPN do?

Tor Browser only protects what you do inside it. To send other apps through Tor, Android has two options. Orbot, made by the Guardian Project and listed by the Tor Project among community-built Tor apps, routes app traffic through Tor.^[6][3] Tor VPN is the Tor Project’s own app for the same job, and it can cover all or just some of your apps. It’s still in beta, and the Tor Project warns that beta releases may leak information and shouldn’t be used for anything sensitive.^[2]

Neither is a browser. The Tor Project’s own comparison shows that Tor VPN doesn’t block trackers or resist fingerprinting (recognising a device from its browser and settings), two protections that Tor Browser adds.^[6] So for browsing, use Tor Browser itself.

Why is Tor different on iPhone?

It comes down to the browser engine, the part that loads and runs web pages. Apple requires iPhone browsers to use its own engine, WebKit (apart from the EU exception above), and the Tor Project says this prevents Onion Browser from having the same privacy protections as Tor Browser.^[1]

Onion Browser’s developers explain the gap. Tor Browser is built on Firefox’s engine, which gives more control over routing traffic and blocking tracking, while WebKit offers app makers few ways to change how it behaves. So Onion Browser’s approach to fingerprinting is to make you look like any other iPhone user.^[7]

Onion Browser can connect in two ways: with its built-in Tor, or through Orbot, which routes the whole phone’s traffic through Tor.^[8] Its FAQ calls Orbot the safer choice. With the built-in Tor, websites can learn your real IP address through WebRTC, a feature used for calls, and audio and video can’t go through Tor. The built-in option is more stable, though: Apple caps the memory that apps like Orbot may use, so Orbot can drop out and restart.^[7]

Is using Tor on iPhone safe?

For many privacy needs, EFF’s Surveillance Self-Defense guide considers Onion Browser, on its own or with Orbot, a workable choice.^[8] But it isn’t as strong as Tor Browser, for the reasons above, and 2026 showed why that matters.

In August 2026, researchers reported a flaw in WebKit that could reveal a user’s real IP address, including in Onion Browser.^[8] Onion Browser’s 3.4.1 update fixed one of the resulting leaks that month. Its developers say the others are mitigated by Lockdown Mode, an iOS protection the app turns on at its Silver and Gold security levels.^[9]

How do I use Tor on my iPhone?

1. Install Onion Browser from the App Store, using the link on the Tor Project’s help page or onionbrowser.com, so you get the real app.^[1]
2. Open it and choose how to connect: the built-in Tor, or Orbot if you don’t mind setting up a second app and the occasional reconnect.^[8][7]
3. Tap the shield icon and pick a security level. EFF suggests Gold when possible: it turns off JavaScript, the code that makes pages interactive, though some sites will break.^[8] At minimum, choose Silver: Onion Browser’s developers say the Silver and Gold levels include Lockdown Mode, which mitigates the remaining leaks.^[9]
4. If Tor is blocked where you are, open the bridge settings from the onion icon and try auto-configuration.^[8] Bridges are Tor relays that help get around blocking.^[7]
5. Keep iOS and Onion Browser updated.

How do I set up Tor Browser safely on Android?

1. Install it from Google Play, F-Droid or torproject.org.^[1] If you’re unsure which listing is real, start at the Tor Project’s download page and follow its link.^[8]
2. Open the app and tap Connect. If Tor is blocked, set up a bridge in Settings (look for “Config Bridge”).^[8]
3. In Settings, find Security Level. Standard is the default; Safest switches off many site features that can be used against you, though some sites will stop working.^[8]
4. Don’t install extra add-ons, which can undo Tor Browser’s protections, and keep the app updated.^[8]

What does Tor on a phone protect, and what doesn’t it?

Used properly, Tor keeps the sites you visit from seeing where you’re connecting from, and makes it harder for your mobile network or Wi-Fi provider to see what you do online. It can also get you past some blocks and open .onion sites, which exist only on the Tor network.^[8] It doesn’t protect:

• Other apps. A Tor browser covers only what you do inside it. Other apps use your normal connection unless you route them through Orbot or Tor VPN.^[8]
• Logins. If you sign in or fill in a form with your details, that site knows who you are, and may see that you use Tor.^[8]
• Your phone’s own data. Orbot’s makers warn that apps can still read your location, photos, phone number or carrier details if you let them.^[3]
• Downloads. A document you download and then open in another app can fetch content outside Tor and reveal your IP address.^[8]
• Scripts, on lower settings. Sites can use JavaScript to try to find your IP address. Onion Browser’s Gold level turns JavaScript off, and Tor Browser’s Safest level switches off site features that can be used against you.^[8]
• The fact that you use Tor. Anyone who can watch your network traffic can see that you’re connecting to Tor.^[8]

How do I avoid fake Tor apps?

EFF warns that searching for “Tor Browser” in Google Play or the App Store brings up dozens of results, mostly for-profit apps that the Tor Project may not endorse and that may come bundled with unvetted VPNs.^[8] To get the real thing:

• Start from torproject.org, onionbrowser.com or orbot.app, and follow their links to the store.^[8]
• Check the publisher. The Tor Project’s “Which app is best for me?” page lists who publishes each app; make sure the store listing matches.^[6]
• Don’t pay. The apps EFF recommends are free, and the Tor Project says Tor VPN will always be free.^[8][2]
• Treat any “Tor Browser for iPhone” as fake: as of November 2026, it doesn’t exist.^[1]

Is Tor legal in the US?

Yes. Using Tor is legal in the US. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital-rights group whose legal FAQ the Tor Project hosts, goes further: it believes even running a Tor relay, which carries other people’s traffic, is legal under US law.^[10] Many other countries allow it too, but some governments block Tor, which is one reason bridges exist.^[8] Laws differ and change, so check whether Tor is legal where you live. And using Tor never makes an illegal act legal.

Will Mantis have a Tor browser?

Mantis, the privacy app we’re building, plans to include a built-in browser that routes through Tor and is walled off from its chats and wallet. It hasn’t been built or leak-tested yet, so we make no claims about how well it will protect you.