How to Check SSL Certificates from Your iPhone

Why SSL Certificate Checks Matter

SSL/TLS certificates are the foundation of secure web communication. An expired or misconfigured certificate can break your website, scare away visitors with browser warnings, or — worse — leave connections vulnerable.

If you manage websites or servers, being able to quickly check a certificate's status from your phone can save you from outages.

Introducing SSL Inspector

The SSL Inspector in NetKit Pro connects to any domain and retrieves the full SSL/TLS certificate details. No need to open a laptop or SSH into a server — just type the domain and tap.

What SSL Inspector Shows You

Certificate Details

• Subject: The domain(s) the certificate covers
• Issuer: The Certificate Authority (CA) that issued it
• Valid From / Valid To: The certificate's validity period
• Serial Number: Unique identifier for the certificate

Certificate Chain

SSL Inspector displays the full chain of trust:

Your Domain Certificate
  └── Intermediate CA Certificate
        └── Root CA Certificate

A broken chain is one of the most common causes of SSL errors. SSL Inspector shows you exactly where the chain breaks, if anywhere.

TLS Configuration

Beyond the certificate itself, you can inspect:

• Protocol Version: TLS 1.2, TLS 1.3, etc.
• Cipher Suite: The encryption algorithm in use
• Key Exchange: How the session key is negotiated

Common Use Cases

1. Check Certificate Expiry

Let's Encrypt certificates expire every 90 days. If your auto-renewal fails silently, you might not know until visitors see a scary browser warning. With SSL Inspector, you can quickly verify:

• How many days until expiry
• Whether the certificate is currently valid
• Which CA issued it (to verify renewal happened correctly)

2. Verify After Deployment

Just deployed a new certificate? SSL Inspector lets you confirm:

• The new certificate is being served (check the serial number)
• The chain is complete (no missing intermediates)
• The correct domains are covered (check Subject Alternative Names)

3. Diagnose SSL Errors

When users report SSL warnings, check the certificate from your phone:

• Is the certificate expired?
• Does it cover the correct domain?
• Is the chain incomplete?
• Is the server using an outdated TLS version?

4. Audit Third-Party Services

Verify that services you depend on have valid certificates:

• API endpoints your app connects to
• CDN and hosting providers
• Payment processors and other critical services

Pro Tips

Check Multiple Domains Quickly

Use Host Profiles to save all your domains and run SSL checks across them with just a few taps. This is much faster than checking each one individually.

Monitor Expiry Dates

Make it a habit to check your certificates weekly. With History, you can review past SSL checks and track when certificates were last renewed.

Don't Forget Subdomains

Wildcard certificates (*.example.com) don't cover the root domain. Make sure to check both example.com and *.example.com if you're using a wildcard cert.

Get Started

SSL Inspector is included in NetKit Pro — available on the App Store as a one-time purchase with no subscriptions or ads.