None declared
None declared
On the label it is low-risk: PrivateVPN collects some data but says none of it is linked to you or used for tracking. None of it falls in Apple's most sensitive categories (health, financial, location, contacts or your own content). In total the label lists 2 data types; 32% of private browsers we checked declare tracking.
PrivateVPN privacy in one look
- 1Collects nothing
- 2Not linked
- 3Linked
- 4Tracks you
Built only from the developer's App Store label. It describes disclosure, not tested behaviour.
PrivateVPN collects some data but says none of it is linked to your identity, and none is used for tracking.
Did PrivateVPN ask for something?
Pick the permission prompt you saw. We compare it with what PrivateVPN's developer declared.
Location is not on PrivateVPN's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
User Content is not on PrivateVPN's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
Contacts is not on PrivateVPN's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
PrivateVPN declares no tracking, so a tracking prompt would contradict its label. Decline it, and consider reporting the mismatch to Apple.
Health & Fitness is not on PrivateVPN's label. That can be fine: data used only on your iPhone does not have to be declared. If the data would need to leave the phone for the feature to work, ask why it is missing.
A permission is what the app can reach on your iPhone; the label is what the developer says leaves it. They answer different questions.
What PrivateVPN collects, explained
| Data type | What it covers | Where to limit it |
|---|---|---|
| Contact InfoNot linked to you | Your name, email address, phone number or postal address. | Use Sign in with Apple with Hide My Email where offered, and check the app's account and marketing preferences. |
| DiagnosticsNot linked to you | Crash logs, launch times, hang rates and energy use. | Settings › Privacy & Security › Analytics & Improvements › Share With App Developers controls what Apple passes on; the app's own crash reporting is separate. |
What PrivateVPN's label means for you
PrivateVPN's label has 2 types under “Data Not Linked to You”. A data type can appear in more than one section when it is used for different purposes — for example, identifiers used for both analytics and advertising.
Every type on PrivateVPN's label is in the “not linked” section, so the developer says the data is stripped of anything that identifies you before it is used. That is typical of anonymous analytics and crash reporting. Not linked is still collected: the data leaves your phone.
None of the data types fall into the categories most people consider sensitive: health, financial information, precise location, contacts, browsing history or the content you create.
A private browser should collect less than the sites it visits. Browsing History or Identifiers on its label are worth a second look. Check the default search engine, whether history syncs to an account, and whether tracker blocking is on by default.
Among the 160 private browsers in our snapshot with a label, 32% declare tracking, 39% collect data linked to you and 31% say they collect nothing. PrivateVPN lists 2 data types, about the same as the average of 2.1 for this group.
Utilities range from calculators to VPNs, so their labels vary more than any other category. A simple tool that collects identifiers and usage data for tracking is a sign of advertising SDKs.
Settings to check for PrivateVPN
- 1
Sign-in
When creating an account, Sign in with Apple can give the app a relay address from Hide My Email instead of your real one.
- 2
Lock the app
On iOS 18 and later, touch and hold the icon and choose Require Face ID. Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone then needs your face, fingerprint or passcode to open it.
- 3
Notifications
Settings › Notifications › PrivateVPN › Show Previews: When Unlocked keeps message and account details off the Lock Screen.
Does PrivateVPN track you?
There is no “Data Used to Track You” section on PrivateVPN's label.
Lock PrivateVPN behind Face ID
- Find PrivateVPN on your Home Screen or in App Library.
- Touch and hold the icon until the quick-actions menu opens.
- Tap Require Face ID (or Require Touch ID / Require Passcode, depending on your iPhone).
- Tap Require Face ID again to confirm. PrivateVPN now asks for authentication every time it opens.
The lock is an iPhone feature, so it works whether or not PrivateVPN has a passcode of its own. It does not change what the app sends to its developer.
About PrivateVPN
| Developer | PrivateVPN Global AB |
| App Store category | Utilities |
| Latest version | 3.14.0, released October 2026 |
| First released | October 2016 |
| Requires | iOS 18.0 or later |
| Size | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ |
| Languages | 1 (EN) |
| Bundle ID | com.pvpn.privatevpn |
The current version shipped in October 2026, so the app is actively maintained and its label is likely current. Labels are updated by developers when practices change.
What the label cannot tell you
- A label is self-reported. Apple publishes the developer's answers and can reject apps that misrepresent them, but it does not independently verify what PrivateVPN sends.
- It does not say where data is stored, how long it is kept, whether it is encrypted, or which companies receive it. The privacy policy covers those points.
- Optional data counts: if a feature lets you add something (a profile photo, a phone number), the type is listed even if you never use the feature.
- Data handled only on your iPhone is not 'collected', so a no-collection label is compatible with an app that reads your files locally.
- Third-party sign-in, payment processors and SDKs are supposed to be included, but a label can lag behind a new version.
The question to ask PrivateVPN's developer: Does the browser keep my history on its servers?
PrivateVPN vs similar private browsers
- Browsec VPN
- Lunascape Browser
- PrivateVPN (this app)
- Dark Web Browser by Masum Islam
- X Browser PRO
- Netzilo Secure Browser
- Onion Browser by Mike Tigas
- Blank Browser
Fewer types is not automatically safer: a cloud backup app has to collect your files to work. Compare like with like.
Look up any of our apps in seconds, or put two labels side by side.
Apps similar to PrivateVPN
All private browsers → Who tracks you? A–Z → Apps that collect contact info → Privacy label decoder →
Your PrivateVPN privacy checklist
Done. You have applied every control the label points to.
True or false?
- Right.Not quite.
False: there is no Data Used to Track You section on PrivateVPN's label.
- Right.Not quite.
Labels are self-reported by developers. Apple can reject or remove apps that misrepresent practices, but it does not audit each label.
- Right.Not quite.
True: Contact Info appears on its label, in the Not Linked to You section.
- Right.Not quite.
It is collected and sent; the developer says it is de-identified rather than tied to your account or device.
- Right.Not quite.
Apple's rules require apps to work the same whether or not you allow tracking.