Flare VPN: A Family-First VPN With Five Protocols
How we built Flare VPN, a one-tap iPhone and iPad VPN with five connection protocols, built-in ad and malware blocking, and parental controls: Kid Safe Mode, PIN lock and an internet timer.
5
Connection protocols
15
App languages
4
Server regions
1
Taps to connect
The challenge
Most VPNs are built for technical users: protocol menus, server lists, settings few people understand. Families need something different: protection that's on by default, blocks what shouldn't reach a child, and can't be switched off by a curious kid.
What we built
- One-tap protection: connect from the app, Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Control Center, a Live Activity or Siri.
- Five protocols: WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN, V2Ray/Xray and Hysteria2. "Auto" chooses the best one for streaming, gaming, privacy or speed.
- Filtering on every network: ad, tracker and malware blocking is on by default; the Family filter adds adult-content blocking and enforced Safe Search.
- Parental controls: Kid Safe Mode keeps the VPN always on, Parental Lock protects settings with a PIN, and Kid Timer limits daily internet time, enforced inside the VPN tunnel itself.
How we engineered it
Each protocol runs as its own Network Extension on iOS. Our engineers designed the connection logic so the app picks the right protocol automatically, and switches when a filter requires it. The analytics layer is built to exclude browsing, traffic and DNS data entirely.
Results
Flare VPN launched on iPhone and iPad in 2026. It ships in 15 languages and connects through servers across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. An Android version is on the roadmap.