Proton VPN Rebuilds iPhone Core With Rust
Version 8.0.0 is on GitHub now, with App Store rollout still pending and post-quantum encryption planned on the new core.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Cybersecurity
Proton VPN has published version 8.0.0 of its iOS app on its GitHub releases page, but the update has not yet reached the App Store. The release is available as a published build, not yet as a broadly downloadable App Store update.
Why it matters
The update swaps a standard WireGuard component for Proton's own Rust-based implementation, which Proton says integrates more cleanly with Swift, the language its iOS app is built in. Proton also frames the new core as groundwork for planned post-quantum encryption, a direction that signals where consumer VPN privacy engineering is heading.
Version 8.0.0 replaces the standard wireguard-go code with libpvpnclient, a Rust-based WireGuard implementation developed by Proton. The release notes do not include independent performance benchmarks, so the stated gains in update speed and bug reduction remain Proton's own claims.
The players
Proton VPN
Swiss-based VPN provider whose iOS app is built in Swift and whose protocol stack now includes its own Rust-based WireGuard implementation.
TechRadar
Technology publication that re-tested VPN services and ranked Proton VPN third in its latest round.
The details
WireGuard is a lightweight VPN protocol that encrypts traffic between a device and a VPN server. Proton's version 8.0.0 substitutes its own Rust-based implementation, libpvpnclient, for the standard wireguard-go code, which Proton says never integrated well with Swift. The update also adds an advanced kill switch that blocks all internet access unless the device is connected to Proton VPN, and that setting stays active after a restart.
Timeline
• Version 8.0.0 was published on Proton's GitHub releases page on November 3, 2026.
The Tech Race
Consumer VPN providers are competing on the strength of their underlying protocol code, and Proton's move to a Rust-based WireGuard core puts it in step with a broader shift toward memory-safe implementations in security software. Proton's stated plan to add post-quantum encryption on this new core places it ahead of many rivals still shipping only classic cryptography.
iPhone and iPad users can expect the advanced kill switch and LAN and CarPlay access once the update reaches the App Store, though no App Store date has been confirmed. Users with the kill switch on should note that some DNS requests from Apple services can still bypass the VPN.
The takeaway
Watch for the App Store release of version 8.0.0 and whether Proton confirms the planned post-quantum encryption on this core. Independent testing of the kill switch's DNS leak behavior would show whether the reported bypass is isolated or broader.
Further reading
Explore more reporting in the Cybersecurity section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TechRadar.
