Do I Really Need To Use A VPN On My Phone Yes And It Only Takes 10 Minutes To Set Up
Sorry, but you probably shouldn’t be using public Wi-Fi on your iPhone or Android device without a VPN.
Yes, you need a VPN on your phone.
It’s finally happened. After the long pandemic year you’re back at an airport or in a coffee shop, and you desperately need to use public Wi-Fi and save your phone’s data plan, but you’re worried about connecting securely. You’ve heard about VPNs, but they seem complicated and costly. What to do?
No worries. VPNs are easier to use than you think, and most are less expensive than you might’ve heard. Here’s how to get a VPN on your iPhone or Android phone — and get back to browsing safely — in under 10 minutes.
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How To Manually Configure A VPN On Your Iphone Or Ipad
With your login information on hand, you can manually configure a VPN client on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap General.
How Does A VPN Secure My Phone
A VPN will work in the background and make sure that ALL the traffic between you and the internet is encrypted. Other than that it will also change your IP so the websites you visit cannot see who you are or where you come from.
Let list exactly how a VPN will make your phone more secure:
- The VPN encrypts your dataThis makes it MUCH harder for outsiders to snatch your data and information. Your data will be sent by the VPN providers servers, and they add a thick layer of security around your data so its almost impossible to hack you.
- The VPN hides your search history from your Intenet service providerNormally, your ISP will log all your whereabouts so they can see exactly which websites and web services you have used at all times. This can be a problem for many reasons that we will not get into here. Lets just say that there have been many examples where governments and private companies have gotten access to peoples personal data.
- The VPN hides your IPActually, the VPN will give you another IP. This makes it virtually impossible to see who you are and where you are. This can be a big plus if you want to access U.S. websites that are only accessible to Americans. By choosing a VPN server from the U.S. you can change your location to the U.S.
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How Do I Use A VPN On My Phone
We talk you through the basics of using a VPN on your smartphone, with some extra tips on vital features to look out for.
ByDarren Allan Last updated 2021-04-08T16:27:59.074Z
Having decided that you want to benefit from the protection provided by one of the best VPNs on your phone, you may be wondering exactly how you get and use such a service on your handset.
Well, wonder no longer, because in this article well take you through everything you need to know about the process of grabbing a VPN app and installing it, and the basics of using the service thereafter.
- So…what is a VPN and how does it work?
- Discover what you can do with the best Android VPN
- The best out there? Read our ExpressVPN review
How To Install VPN On An Android Device Without An App
First, youll need to get the username, password, and server address details from your VPN provider or network administrator.
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How To Configure VPN On Iphone Or Ipad
Using one of the best VPN services on your iPhone or iPad is streamlined to make it relatively simple. If your company has a private intranet that you need access to while on the road, if you regularly use public Wi-Fi networks, or if you travel the globe and want your iPhone to think it’s still in your home country , a VPN will help you out. Here’s how to configure a VPN on iPhone.
Can I Be Tracked If I Use A VPN
So can you be tracked if you use a VPN? The answer is yes, if you use a poor quality VPN. But it is very difficult to track you if you use a good premium VPN service this will encrypt your traffic and route it through a large network of remote servers. So even if someone can see an IP assigned to you, it wont be yours.
Some VPNs may accidentally reveal your actual IP address through DNS leaks. NordVPN prevents DNS leaks by exclusively using our own DNS servers.
You might also be tracked if you use a free VPN service. If you’re not paying for a VPN yourself, it’s likely that the VPN provider is logging your activities and selling this valuable data to third parties.
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What Kind Of VPN App Is Best For My Android
There are lots of VPN providers out there, from free VPN services to iOS users that require iPhone VPNs. Of course, Android users are no exception and that’s why we’ve compiled our dedicated guide to the best Android VPNs available today.
Do your research and choose an app that works best with your Android phone from our guide. And be aware there can be a large disparity between the price of these services, so be sure to look at competing products before deciding on a winner.
In short, you’ll want a service where the devs have really thought about how the VPN should work smoothly and intuitively on Android. It’s also worth looking out to see whether the provider your eyeing up has a custom kill switch for Androids – an extra layer of protection that not all VPN apps are able to offer.
How To Connect To A VPN From Your Iphone Or Ipad
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more…
Modern iPhones and iPads have excellent VPN support. The L2TP/IPSec and Cisco IPSec protocols are integrated. You can connect to OpenVPN networks and other types of virtual private networks with third-party apps.
Prior to iOS 8, iPhones automatically disconnected from VPNs when they went into sleep mode. Now, iOS devices will stay connected to the VPN even when their screen turns off. You wont have to constantly reconnect.
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The Basics Of Using A VPN On Your Phone
Once the VPN app is installed, obviously you should then run it and exactly how to proceed from here will differ depending on the software youre using, naturally enough. But there are some common and key basic tasks that are worth knowing about with any VPN, whether its on Android or iOS, and the good news is that mobile apps are generally designed to be streamlined and easier to use than desktop software.
Usually, what youll be confronted with when you start a VPN app for the very first time will be the account creation screen though you may have already created one on the VPNs website, so you might just have to login. Once past that, youll typically see a switch to turn on the VPN, or turn it off, and some kind of server list or more usually a global map showing server locations.
These are the primary basic ways youll interact with most VPN apps, and obviously the most fundamental of interactions will be to turn the VPN on or off. When its off, you arent protected by the VPN, so your data wont be encrypted, your IP wont be hidden, and you wont be private and anonymous online.
When the VPN is on, youll be protected in all these respects, being connected to your chosen VPN server, which can be anywhere across the world. The global map or server list is where you can choose that server.
Securing Your Phone With A VPN
Given the large amount of time we spend on our phones, it might feel like you are constantly under surveillance by eyes you cant see. Luckily, features like location tracking can be restricted by denying apps permission to track your location or by simply turning off location services in your phones settings. You can also adjust your settings on social media sites to limit what information is stored for advertisers.
While having a VPN does not solve every problem with data tracking on your smartphone, it provides a fundamental level of privacy that in-app settings and other technologies cannot. To make sure you feel secure in making this step, ProtonVPN always places your privacy as the priority. We cover all of the following privacy concerns and more:
- Your data is encrypted when using the internet, so browsing history cannot be tracked by your ISP or mobile service providers.
- We have a strict no-logs policy, meaning you can feel secure that Proton never stores your mobile data.
- When using public WiFi, ProtonVPN keeps you private by protecting your data from being collected by hackers or the WiFi administrator.
ProtonVPN offers convenient and easy-to-use apps on Android and iOS, so that downloading our VPN for your phone is easy. True privacy can be hard to attain in the US, but with our VPN, you can feel secure whenever you use your phone.
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Choose And Install Your App
The first step in getting a VPN on your phone is to choose the provider you wish to go with. If youre happy paying for a service, we recommend picking one of our highlighted best providers and using its mobile app. Or if you dont want to pay for a provider, check out our best free VPN list, or source the best cheap VPN.
The reason you should stick to recommended providers with a good reputation is that certainly in the world of Android apps, there are dodgy developers out there who may be looking to make a profit off your data in some malicious way, or could even load their software up with malware .
So choose carefully, and once youve picked, find the relevant mobile app in the respective app store – Google Play for Android, or Apples App Store for the best iPhone VPN or best iPad VPN – then download and install it. This happens just the same as with any other mobile application.
Get A Secure Connection
If your mobile device is an indispensable part of your daily life, then a VPN is in invaluable tool to protect your sensitive data, safeguard your privacy, and provide open access to the internet. Whether youre a tech-savvy do-it-yourselfer or a tech-wary just give me an easy app kind of person, theres a mobile VPN solution for you.
Now that youve read this guide and are armed with the tools of knowledge about all things related to mobile VPNs, its time to arm yourself with the tools of protection. Download a free trial of SecureLine VPN today.
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Connect To An Openvpn VPN
While Apple hasnt added OpenVPN support to iOS directly, thats okay. Like Android, iOS includes a way for third-party apps to implement and function as VPNs. This means you can connect ot absolutely any type of VPN from your iPhone or iPad, assuming theres a third-party app in the app store that can connect to it.
In the case of OpenVPN, theres a an official OpenVPN Connect app you can install. Install the app, launch it, and use it to connect to an OpenVPN VPN.
To configure your VPN server in the OpenVPN Connect app, youll have to import a profilethats the .ovpn file. If you want to do this by hand, you can connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer, open iTunes, and select the connected device. Under the Apps section, youll be able to copy the .ovpn file and related certificate and key files to the OpenVPN app. you can then connect to the VPN from the app.
The OpenVPN Connect app and similar apps arent just an app you use. They provide a VPN connection at the system level, so all the apps on your device will connect through the VPNjust like VPNs you connect to the normal way from the built-in Settings app.
What VPN Should I Use On Iphone
If you are looking for a VPN, then we recommend one of the following services:
- ExpressVPN – Fantastic speeds, servers around the world, unblocks just about everything.
- CyberGhost – A good looking iPhone app, very secure, some really cool features.
- PrivateInternetAccess – Great for privacy, easy to use, has a kill switch.
If you want more information and some alternatives, then check out our best VPNs for iPhone guide. The VPNs we have recommended have been thoroughly tested by our VPN experts, and they are all world-class services that provide the best levels of security and privacy. They are also services that offer the very best value for money.
Alternatively, there are some free VPN services that we recommend to iPhone users. These services won’t be able to unblock any streaming services, but they will help you to improve your online security. Check out our free VPNs for iPhone page for a list of services.
If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to drop us a message below. We are always happy to help.
Written by:Ray Walsh
Digital privacy expert with 5 years experience testing and reviewing VPNs. He’s been quoted in The Express, The Times, The Washington Post, The Register, CNET & many more.
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What Can I Do With A VPN On My Phone
Conceal Your Identity
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VPN bounces your signal between different webservers to hide your IP address and encrypt your traffic hence providing anonymity.
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You may not be able to access the same web content as you do from home. For example, accessing your online banking may be a problem when your IP address is picked up out of the country. By changing the location of your current IP address, youd gain the same access to the websites you want.
Browse Safely on Public Wi-Fi Networks
When accessing the internet from public Wi-Fi networks, connecting to the public hotspots is a high-security risk. Public hotspots are every cyber hackers dream since they are unsecure, unencrypted, and offer ample opportunities to seize your browsing sessions and your phone data. Using a VPN encrypts the traffic from your phone to prevent this from happening.
Gain Access to Blocked Streaming Sites
Some VPNs can allow you access to streaming sites like Amazon Prime, Netflix, and the like. It also enables you to stream sites from other regions, for example, BBC iPlayer.
Which Is The Best Android VPN
When it comes to the best Android VPN, ExpressVPN tops the lot. It’s a beautifully presented app that’s super simple to set up and operate, but is still jam-packed with handy features. Split tunneling, dedicated kill switch and access to over 3,000 servers are all included, as well as the ability to unblock websites and get access to overseas Netflix shows.
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Private Internet Access VPN
Though the name is basic, the offered services are not. Like NordVPN, Private Internet Access features thousands of servers, fast download speeds, ad-blocking, and even an internet kill switch. For $6.95 monthly, youll also get to choose your encryption process, TCP connection forcing, and the ability to block local access to your connection.
That said, while PIA has more servers than NordVPN, it doesnt allow you to choose which one youd like. Yes, you can select the location, but you cant be more specific than that. NordVPN may have a few thousand less servers, but its choices are much more specialized.
Now you know how to set up a VPN service on your Android device. There is a variety of ways, but third-party apps are the way to go. Sure, they have monthly costs, but the features offered are well worth the payments. Plus, a VPN guarantees you access to worldwide networks on top of keeping you secure through it all. If your security isnt worth paying for, you probably shouldnt spend much time on the internet in the first place.
Do you already use VPNs to connect to a secure server? What third-party applications do you use? Let us know in the comments below!