Iranian authorities on Tuesday began lifting the shutdown that started on the first day of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic on February 28 -- a repeat of January's internet shutdown during mass protests.

Users across Iran contacted by AFP on Wednesday confirmed the internet was back and they were able to connect to broadband services with wifi at home.

But connectivity remained patchy, with mobile internet still largely disconnected, many sites filtered and access to messaging services difficult.

"I have a feeling now, but it certainly is not a good one. It is not happiness or joy. I feel that it was just a switch from worse to bad," said Bahareh, 32, a nutritionist from Tehran.

"Even before all this happened, we didn't really have free internet," she added.

Access to most social media sites and international news platforms has long been restricted by the authorities, with users employing sometimes costly VPN software to circumvent the filtering.

"There was always the hassle of buying access, the hassle of trying to connect to any site you wanted or get any information you needed, the slowness, being sanctioned, the filtering, the VPN and anti-filter software drama," Bahareh said.

Proton VPN said it has observed a 6,000 percent increase in Iran signups over its baseline figure, saying the government's loosening of restrictions "has triggered an immediate and overwhelming surge in demand for secure, uncensored access".

Shiva, 65, a housewife from Tehran, said that even with the VPN installed on her Samsung phone, the Google Play Store was not opening.

"My son who has an iPhone can open the App Store. Some apps don't open for him either, though," she said, detailing the mixed situation confirmed by other sources.

Mahtab, 62, a hairdresser from Tehran, was also having trouble.

"I bought a VPN again to connect to WhatsApp so I can keep in touch with my daughter" who lives abroad, she said.

But "the internet hasn't reconnected for me yet", she added.

- 'Not a favour' -

UK-based freedom of expression monitor Article 19 said there were "conflicting reports" about the extent of internet access, with some estimates saying connectivity is still as low as 39 percent.

"Many people in Iran -- including those with businesses online -- report slow speeds and continued inability to access social media sites," it said.

Netblocks, another monitor, which had described the latest 88-day blackout as the longest nationwide internet shutdown in modern history, said "service remains heavily filtered, with new restrictions on messaging and app stores compared to pre-January".

Doug Madory, head of internet analysis at US network monitoring firm Kentik, emphasised that after 24 hours the restoration of connectivity remained partial.

"Traffic levels peaked at 41 percent of what we saw prior to Jan 8th, which is also below the Jan 27-Feb 28 partial restoration," he wrote on X.

Prominent Iranian rapper Toomaj, who in 2024 was sentenced to death after supporting 2022 protests before being released, said being connected to the internet is "not a favour to us -- it is our right. And without filters as well".

"Like free elections, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of parties, and many other freedoms, these are our rights and not favours," he wrote on X.

Journalist Elaheh Mohammadi also referred to the heavily filtered internet that existed before the blackouts in a post on X.

"One by one, we're connecting back to the net of the previous situation," she wrote.

"This humiliating life wasn't what we deserved," added Mohammadi, who was arrested for her reporting on the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini while in custody for allegedly breaching the dress code for women, which sparked the 2022 protests.

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