Which phone are you setting up?
Best on a second screen. Open this on a computer, tablet, or another phone, and do the steps on the phone you are setting up.
The walkthrough has sound — it reads each step aloud as it happens.
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The same steps, in writing
- Open GuardMe and tap through the welcome screens. Read how GuardMe keeps you safe, then tap Get Started and Set Up GuardMe.
- Tap Download Configuration Profile. Safari opens: tap the green button again, then Allow, Close and Back to GuardMe.
- Open the Settings app (the gray gear icon on your Home Screen). Near the top, tap Profile Downloaded.
- Tap Install in the top right corner and enter your passcode. The warning screen is normal and expected: tap Install again, then Install once more.
- Go back to GuardMe and tap I've Installed It. Then, in Settings → General → About, scroll all the way to the bottom and tap Certificate Trust Settings.
- Turn on the switch next to GuardMe Root CA and tap Continue.
- Go back to GuardMe and tap I've Turned It On, then Done. Choose whether to share app statistics (protection is the same either way).
- Tap Enable Protection, tap Allow when your iPhone asks to add a VPN configuration, and enter your passcode. The shield says Protected.
- To check it works, tap the three dots in the top right corner, then Test Protection. You should see a GuardMe warning page.
- Optional: if you bought GuardMe's VPN on our website, tap the three dots, then I Have a Subscription…, paste the recovery code from your welcome email and tap Restore. To connect, tap the three dots, then Connect Full VPN.
Still stuck? Contact support — we answer every message.
Jump to a step
The same steps, in writing
- In the Google Play Store, find GuardMe Fraud Protection, tap Install, then Open. If GuardMe asks to send you notifications, tap Allow.
- Read How GuardMe keeps you safe, which explains the certificate and warning pages, then tap Continue.
- Tap Open Settings. On Samsung phones this opens More security settings; on Pixel and many other phones the screen is called More security & privacy or Encryption & credentials.
- Scroll down to Credential storage and tap Install from device storage — on some phones it is called Install a certificate. Then choose CA certificate.
- Tap Install anyway when Android warns you — the warning is normal for any security app that shows warning pages. Enter your PIN if asked.
- A file browser appears. Tap the Download folder, tap the circle next to GuardMe-Root-CA.crt, then tap Done. You will see “CA certificate installed.”
- Press your phone's Back button until you are back in GuardMe. It shows Setup Complete — tap Done.
- GuardMe explains that Android will ask you to allow a VPN connection, which it needs to check the sites you open. Tap Continue, then OK on the connection request. The shield now says Protected.
- To check it works, tap the three dots in the top right corner and choose Test Protection (or open your browser and go to test.guardme.online). You should see a GuardMe warning page.
- Optional: for the VPN subscription, open the menu and choose Upgrade to VPN, pick a plan, tap Continue to Payment and pay on the secure page in your browser. Back in GuardMe, choose Connect VPN from the menu and pick a location.
Menu names differ between manufacturers and Android versions — if you cannot find Credential storage, search your Settings for certificate. Still stuck? Contact support.