Heads up: iOS 27’s Connectivity Assist affects Scam and phishing protection

Hi everyone, Sandra here – Product Owner for iOS at NordVPN.

If you’ve recently updated your iPhone or iPad to iOS 27, you may have noticed that NordVPN’s real-time protection (“Scam and phishing protection” in the app) isn’t blocking some ads, trackers, or malicious websites as expected. That’s because iOS 27 introduced Connectivity Assist, a new version of Wi-Fi Assist with expanded capabilities. If you had Wi-Fi Assist enabled before the update, Connectivity Assist is now on by default.

Scam and Phishing Protection in "Always" mode works by filtering your DNS traffic without a full VPN connection. This lightweight approach has always had trade-offs – without a full tunnel, we can't show you what was blocked, let you manage a block list, or explain why a site was flagged.

With iOS 27, this limitation becomes more visible. When Scam and Phishing Protection blocks a site, Connectivity Assist misreads it as a Wi-Fi problem and silently switches to cellular, bypassing our filtering – so the blocked content loads anyway.

For more information, you can check our recent blog post: https://nordvpn.com/blog/real-time-protection-ios-27/

This issue only affects "Always" mode. If you're connected to a NordVPN server, it does not occur.

Since Connectivity Assist is on by default, most of you are likely affected – which is why we recommend pairing protection with an active VPN connection.

How to stay protected:

• Turn off Connectivity Assist. Go to “Settings” > “Wi-Fi” and turn off “Connectivity assist.” Doing so stops your device from switching to cellular data when real-time protection blocks a site.
• Use real-time protection only with a VPN. In the NordVPN app, tap the shield icon (labeled “Protect”), select “Only with VPN,” and connect to a NordVPN server.

Still having trouble after trying the above? Our Support team is happy to help.