You can connect, disconnect, switch modes and switch nodes without opening Potatso: from a widget, from Control Center, or with a shortcut. They all work on the profile selected in Potatso.
Home Screen widgets
Add a widget the usual way: touch and hold the Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, and search for Potatso. Potatso has two widgets.
VPN Connection
Connect, switch modes, and pick nodes.
| Size | Shows |
|---|---|
| Small | The profile, its status and a Connect or Disconnect button. |
| Medium | The same, plus the mode buttons: Rule, Global, Smart and Direct. |
| Large | The mode buttons and up to 4 nodes of the main outbound, with their latency. |
Tap a mode or node to switch to it. If you're connected, the change applies right away. When a change needs the app, the widget says Open Potatso to apply this change.
With Potatso Pro, the large widget also has a Test Latency button that tests the nodes it shows.
Some choices aren't available for some profiles. For example, a Personal VPN profile has no mode or node buttons, and Direct mode doesn't use a node.
Nodes
A medium widget with the connect button and the three nodes you connect to most. Tap a node to switch to it.
Lock Screen widgets
The VPN Connection widget also comes in Lock Screen sizes:
- The round widget shows whether you're connected and for how long. Tap it to connect or disconnect.
- The rectangular widget shows the status, the profile, its mode and its route.
- The inline widget shows the status in one line.
Control Center
On iOS 18 or later, you can add a Potatso toggle to Control Center:
- Open Control Center and touch and hold an empty area.
- Tap Add a Control and search for Potatso.
- Choose VPN Connection.
Tap the toggle to connect or disconnect.
URL actions
Potatso responds to these URLs:
| URL | Action |
|---|---|
potatso://on |
Connects. |
potatso://off |
Disconnects. |
potatso://switch |
Connects when disconnected, and disconnects otherwise. |
Opening one of these URLs opens Potatso and then connects or disconnects.
Use Potatso in Shortcuts
To make a shortcut that connects:
- In the Shortcuts app, create a new shortcut.
- Add the Open URLs action.
- Enter
potatso://on.
Use potatso://off to disconnect, or potatso://switch to toggle.
Connect automatically
Shortcuts automations run a URL action for you. For example, to connect when you leave your home Wi-Fi:
- In the Shortcuts app, tap Automation, then create a new automation.
- Choose the Wi-Fi trigger, choose your home network, and set it to run when your iPhone leaves it.
- Choose to run it immediately.
- Add the Open URLs action with
potatso://on.
Make a second automation with potatso://off that runs when your iPhone joins your home Wi-Fi, to disconnect again when you get home.