- The latest ExpressVPN update for iOS adds support for Siri, widgets, shortcuts, and automations
- You can set ExpressVPN to activate when connected to specific networks
- The update adds features for iOS 26, but they will also work on older versions.
ExpressVPN has unveiled improved integration with iOS, adding support for Siri, widgets, shortcuts, and automations.
These new features have been announced hot on the heels of the new iPhone 17 range, but work on older versions of iOS as well as iOS 26.
Using these enhanced integration features offers greater control over VPN access via ExpressVPN. Importantly, they also offer improved automation possibilities, including support for connecting via a VPN server when certain conditions are met (such as connecting to a specific open Wi-Fi network).
ExpressVPN's new features are part of the latest update to its iOS app and are intended to make what TechRadar's reviewers rated as one of the best VPN services on the market even quicker to launch and easier to use on iPhone.
They are all already available at the time of writing by simply updating the app to the latest version.
Voice and widget control
Rather than leave you clicking around through menus to find ExpressVPN, you can now easily connect to the VPN either with a Siri voice command or a Home Screen widget.
This is a 2x2 widget, like the iPhone clock, and offers "one-tap protection." This means you can tap the shortcut to connect or disconnect the VPN, which will initiate the last connection you used. As long as the ExpressVPN app has been updated, the widget can be added in the usual way (long-press the Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget).
For hands-free online privacy, the Siri voice command also reuses your last ExpressVPN server. This means that via a simple utterance – "Hey Siri, turn on ExpressVPN" – the app will re-establish the connection. That's especially useful for public Wi-Fi, whether in a café, mall, or on public transport.
As per the ExpressVPN announcement, "For now, Siri keeps it simple by prioritizing your last connection – whether that’s London for work, New York for streaming, or Tokyo for travel." This suggests some intriguing future possibilities for how the app connects to VPN servers.
Automations and routines for your ExpressVPN connection
Perhaps the most intriguing ExpressVPN addition is the introduction of actions that can be incorporated into automations. New Apple hardware is smart home aware, and this new feature feels like the first step towards greater contextual control over your VPN connection.
So, the upgraded ExpressVPN app can handle shortcuts that connect to a specific server at a programmed time. You can also now "configure ExpressVPN to turn on automatically when you join a café's Wi-Fi," explains the provider.
Again, ExpressVPN implies these automations might become more developed, telling us that "Over time, Siri will even learn to suggest the right action at the right moment."
The next smart home VPN solution?
ExpressVPN joins a list of competitors, including NordVPN and ProtonVPN, in offering more automations for iPhone users. Although the experience may not be as flexible or granular as with ExpressVPN.
This means that, with this update, ExpressVPN could be positioning itself as a smart home VPN solution. Given iPhones and Macs are increasingly being equipped with Thread radio, and Apple is expanding its support for the Matter smart home platform (built on philosophies of interoperability and automation), it isn’t difficult to see what ExpressVPN is aiming for.
You can try these new features for yourself by updating to the latest version of ExpressVPN's iPhone VPN app – the update works with both older versions of iOS as well as the latest, iOS 26.
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