Setting up Amnezia VPN means answering one question before all the others: where will the server come from. Either you run your own, and the AmneziaVPN app installs everything it needs on it, or you take a ready connection, a key or a file, from someone who already runs a server. After that the steps are the same on every device: install a client and add the connection to it. Below: both paths, what is different on Android, iPhone and a computer, and how split tunnelling works. Everything here is as of 4 October 2026.
In short. If you have a Linux server and SSH access to it, choose “Self-hosted VPN” in AmneziaVPN, enter the address,
user and password, and the app installs AmneziaWG there. If you have no server, you need a ready vpn:// key or
.conf file, added to AmneziaVPN or to the lightweight AmneziaWG. On iPhone, as of 4 October 2026 the Russian App Store
has AmneziaWG but not AmneziaVPN. Your own server is a path for people ready to pay for it and keep it updated; Mayak is a service
where that is already done.
We make Mayak, a service with ready settings on the same AmneziaWG 3.1: we run the servers, the server hands out the parameters, Android has our own app, iPhone and computers use a subscription link. This article is about setting up Amnezia in general; about us there is only one section. 3 days free after you confirm your email, no card needed. The trial is free and needs no card; without an email it is 1 day.
🍎 On iPhone Mayak works with the subscription link from your account, in Happ or INCY (INCY is in the Russian App Store): where to tap on iPhone.
Where setup starts: where the server will come from
The Amnezia programs are clients. On their own they connect to nothing: they need a server and settings agreed with it. There are three sources.
| Source | What you get | What you take on |
|---|---|---|
| Your own server | Full access to the server; you make keys for your devices and family yourself. | Renting the server, updates, finding the cause when the connection drops. |
| A ready key or file from a service | A vpn:// key, a .conf file or a QR code, already matched to the server. |
Choosing whom to trust with your connection; one file, one device. |
| The project's own connections | The Amnezia project also offers its own connection options right in the app. | That is their service, with terms on their site; we neither compare nor rate it. |
Choosing between the first two is a choice between time and money, not between “right” and “wrong”.
Your own server: what you need and how much work it is
According to Amnezia's documentation, the server is set up from the app, with no terminal commands. You need a Linux server (your own or rented) and the SSH login details the host sends after payment.
- Install the latest AmneziaVPN: where to download it.
- Press the start button (or “+”) and choose “Self-hosted VPN”.
- Enter the server address (and port, if it is not 22), the user name,
rootor a user withsudorights, and a password or private SSH key. - Pick the installation type: “Automatic” installs only AmneziaWG, “Manual” installs one protocol of your choice.
- When installation finishes, a ready connection appears in the app. Keys for other devices and people are made in the “Share VPN” section.
The documentation advises changing the random port to a number below 9999 after installation. Our own measurement on 28 July 2026 in Moscow showed something else: the port on its own did not decide whether the connection got through a mobile network; the content of the first packet did (the full measurement). You may change the port, but do not expect miracles from it.
What you take on along with the server:
- Money and renewals. You pay for the server, and it lives as long as you pay the host.
- Versions. AmneziaWG 3.1 added fields that 1.5 and 2.0 did not have: an old client will not open a new config, and vice versa (which fields in which version).
- Troubleshooting. When the handshake disappears, finding the cause is your job: server address, version, MTU, IPv6, five checks in order.
- One address. Your own server usually has one address and one path. If some network cannot reach it, there is no fallback.
A ready config: a vpn:// key, a .conf file or a QR code
If someone else runs the server, they hand you the connection in one of three forms. According to Amnezia's documentation,
AmneziaVPN accepts all three: a vpn:// key (pasted into the field on the first screen), a .conf or
.json file (“Connection settings file”) and a QR code. The lightweight AmneziaWG takes a .conf file, and on
Android also a .zip archive and a QR code.
- Do not take files from public sources. The file holds a secret key, and a stranger's “free config” may lead anywhere. Amnezia's documentation gives the same warning.
- One file, one device. On two phones at once it will come up and work on neither (why).
- No need to “tweak” fields. Some lines must match the server exactly; each one is explained in “How to configure AmneziaWG: the config explained”.
Android: Google Play or a file from GitHub
- Google Play. There are two listings with the developer “AmneziaVPN”: AmneziaVPN (
id=org.amnezia.vpnin the page address) and AmneziaWG (id=org.amnezia.awg). - An APK file from GitHub. In the AmneziaVPN 5.0.3.0 release the files are split by Android version: those marked
android11+for Android 11 and newer,android9-10for Android 9–10. For Android 7 and 8 this version is temporarily unavailable, according to the release notes. AmneziaWG, per the documentation, works on Android 7.0 and newer. - Adding a file to AmneziaWG: “+” in the bottom right → “Import from file or archive” → pick the file → the switch next to the connection name (per the project's documentation).
How to install an app from a file, and what to do if the phone refuses: “A VPN app will not download”.
Amnezia VPN on iPhone: what the Russian App Store has
On iPhone everything comes down to the App Store storefront. Our check of Apple's catalogue for Russia on 4 October 2026:
| App | In the Russian App Store |
|---|---|
| AmneziaVPN (Privacy Technologies OU) | No. It is in the US store, version 5.0.3, iOS 16 or newer required. |
| AmneziaWG (Privacy Technologies OU) | Yes, free, version 3.1.4, iOS 15 or newer required. |
| DefaultVPN (AMNEZIA UNIPESSOAL LDA) | Yes. Amnezia's documentation calls it their alternative app. |
- Look at the publisher. Searching “amnezia” in the Russian storefront also shows apps with similar names from other publishers. Paste a key or file only into an app whose publisher you recognise.
- If you need AmneziaVPN specifically, the project's documentation suggests changing your Apple account region or creating an account in another country. An app you already have can, they say, be reinstalled via Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Offload App → Reinstall App.
- Adding a connection on iPhone works as everywhere: a key, a file or a QR code; iPhone will ask permission to add a VPN configuration.
With Mayak on iPhone the path is different: we have not checked our AmneziaWG file on iPhone with a live connection, so we recommend the subscription link in INCY, which is in the Russian App Store and which we checked with our link on 22 September 2026. What else works on iPhone and how to tell a real app from a lookalike: a separate guide.
A computer: Windows, Mac and Linux
A computer uses the same two clients, but each system has its own files and steps: .exe for Windows, .pkg
or the App Store for Mac, .run or terminal tools for Linux. All of it step by step:
“Amnezia VPN on a PC”.
Split tunnelling: what is possible on which system
Split tunnelling sends some addresses or apps through the tunnel and others directly. AmneziaVPN has it, but per the project's documentation the options depend on the system:
| System | By address | By app |
|---|---|---|
| Android | Both modes | Both modes |
| Windows | Both modes | Only “without VPN” for selected apps |
| iOS, macOS, Linux | Both modes | No |
“Both modes” means “only the list goes through the tunnel” or “only the list goes direct”. Two caveats from the same documentation: the address list works with IPv4 only, and if you enter a site name, the app looks up its address once and never refreshes it; large services have many addresses, and one name is not enough. The Mayak app on Android has this choice too: Settings → Split tunneling for individual apps and a ready “RU Apps” set for Russian services (how to turn it on).
If you would rather not run a server
Your own server is an honest path for those ready to maintain it. If you are not, what remains is a ready connection from a service. Mayak is one such service, and here is what we have as of 4 October 2026:
- Android. Our own app for Android 7.0 and newer, version 0.7.40 both on the site and in Google Play. You sign in with an account number and never assemble a config by hand: AmneziaWG 3.1 runs on all exits, the server hands out the parameters, and if the first path does not get through, the app tries the next one by itself (how it works).
- iPhone. No app of our own yet; it is in development, and we give no dates. You connect with the subscription link from your account area in INCY.
- A computer. Windows and Mac: Happ with a subscription link; Linux: our AmneziaWG file, checked with a live tunnel.
- One subscription for all devices: Start up to 3, Family up to 5, Max up to 10 (what it costs).
Rather not run a server? Install the Mayak app on Android and create an account right in it: a country is one tap away, and no config is assembled by hand. We ask for no payment details for the trial. A confirmed email opens the access — 3 free days on two devices. An email is optional: without one the trial is 1 day.
What we checked
- What the Russian App Store has: Apple's catalogue, 4 October 2026: no AmneziaVPN, AmneziaWG and DefaultVPN present; publishers, versions, minimum iOS.
- Google Play listings: opened on 4 October 2026: names, developer and page addresses.
- The AmneziaVPN 5.0.3.0 release: from GitHub data: APK files by Android version and the release notes.
- The port and the first packet: our measurement on 28 July 2026 in Moscow, on three mobile networks.
- INCY with Mayak's subscription link on iPhone: a live connection on 22 September 2026.
What we do not know
- How setting up your own server goes in practice. The “Self-hosted VPN” and split tunnelling steps follow Amnezia's official help and were not checked on a live device.
- Whether the Google Play listings open for a Russian account. We viewed them from outside Russia.
- Whether our AmneziaWG file comes up on iPhone. Not checked with a live connection.
- How someone else's server will behave on your network. We do not measure other people's servers or services.
Quick answers
How do I set up Amnezia VPN from scratch? Decide where the server comes from: your own (AmneziaVPN → “Self-hosted VPN”) or a ready key or file from a service. Then add the connection to a client and press “Connect”.
How do I install Amnezia VPN on iPhone? As of 4 October 2026 the Russian App Store has no AmneziaVPN, but it has AmneziaWG from the same publisher (Privacy Technologies OU). For AmneziaVPN the project suggests an Apple account from another country.
Do I need my own server to use Amnezia? No. A key or file from someone who has a server is enough.
How do I set up split tunnelling in Amnezia? In AmneziaVPN, by address on every system, by app only on Android and Windows. The table is above.
Which port should my own server use? Any port the server listens on. In our measurement the port did not decide whether the connection got through; the content of the first packet did.
Where do I get a config for Amnezia? For your own server, in “Share VPN”; from a service, in its account area. Mayak's file for Linux comes from the “File for Linux” card in your account area (help).