If you have ever worried about online privacy and experiences, it’s likely that you will have encountered the term VPN at some stage. However, with mobile interactions now accounting for an estimated two-thirds of all online sessions, it’s equally important to ask “What is VPN on phone” all about?
In this guide, we’ll look at the key questions such as “What is VPN on phone?” and “What are the benefits of VPN for phone?” while also looking at how it works. If you’re ready to take your online privacy across all devices, including your cell, carry on reading.
What is VPN on Your Phone?
VPN is an acronym that stands for Virtual Private Network. A VPN on phone is simply a Virtual Private Network that works on a cell phone. The VPN is a digital connection (virtual) between a device and a remote server (networked devices) while it makes data unseeable by others (private).
A phone VPN is optimized for cell phones and tablets. The best VPN platforms can work on all of the most popular cell phone devices across both Android and iOS.
Virtual Private Networks are used to mask the information sent between a device (in this case, your smartphone) and the internet. It encrypts the data, which does not happen when sending information directly through your WiFi network, which makes it unreadable. This extends to all types of data including but not limited to;
- Any information you type into a website, including account credentials.
- Your geographic location.
- The unique ID of your cell phone device.
- Any audio or visual data streamed or recorded via Facetime, Whatsapp, etc.
A VPN for mobile may be used when connected to any network, including your home WiFi and 5G connections. Due to the nature of cell phones, it has to run through a VPN application rather than a remote access VPN that is used for home VPNs aimed at remote workers.
How Does a VPN Work on Your Phone?
A VPN on your phone works with the same fundamentals as a desktop VPN. Firstly, you will need to download a VPN to your cell and sign up for an account. Following this, you can connect to a virtual server – VPN Pro gives you access to proxy VPNs in 30 locations around the world including countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America.
But as well as asking “What is VPN on phone?”, you’ll need to know how it works. It redirects your connection through the VPN host, which ultimately means all data exchanges to/from your cell phone device run through the VPN rather than your Internet Service Provider. This subsequently hides your IP address from the ISP and third parties.
Once the App has been downloaded and set up, switching the VPN on takes just a single tap from the home screen. While the default settings will give you the privacy you require, manual server switching allows you to “relocate” so that you can see the benefits of operating from that country.
The VPN works by establishing and maintaining a connection between your device and the remote server. Data enters the tunnel and is encrypted while your IP address is changed by the VPN server for anonymity as any data sent or received will now occur under this temporary VPN-based IP address. The VPB will automatically assign a new one periodically for an extra layer of privacy.
Benefits of Using a VPN on Your Phone
“What is VPN on phone?” is an important first question to ask, but you also need to understand the benefits before using one on your device. Aside from enabling you to appreciate what using a Virtual Private Network offers you, this knowledge allows you to truly see why it is one of the greatest investments you’ll ever make.
As discussed, a VPN provides secure encryptions and data transfers whilst disguising your true location, which translates to the following benefits;
Accessing Regionally-Blocked Content
Ever wanted to watch a film on your favorite streaming platform only to find it’s only available in certain countries? Or maybe you want to watch the big sports event that also isn’t available in your region? Either way, VPN on phone allows you to bypass those regional restrictions and access content as if you were in another country. Given that you’ve paid for the streaming service, it’s only fair that you should get to enjoy its full catalog of content.
In addition to accessing more content from the comfort of home, it helps overcome problems you may have faced when traveling. Likewise, it stops companies from tracking your activities and increasing their prices as a result of your past browsing and interest levels.
Keep Personal Data Safe
Furthermore, the inability to track your data stops companies from selling it to advertisers. Targeted ads might not be a crime, but they do feel like an invasion of your privacy. If you want to make this a thing of the past, a VPN for your cell is a crucial addition. The encryption key means that the data is safe, even from brute force attacks. It additionally prevents ISPs from sharing data logs with advertisers, the police, or any other party as they can’t read them either.
Keeping personal data safe from interception is particularly important if you work remotely and need access to private company files over a secure network. VPNs for mobile, or any other device used to complete business tasks, will protect you and the company.
Keep Browsing History Private
Data encryption and hidden IP addresses don’t only provide a key layer of protection from cybercriminals. They also keep your browsing history private from anyone else who has access to your network, including family members or housemates. So, if you do not want someone else, a VPN is your greatest tool. Even if it is accessed, the information is encrypted, making it impossible for anyone to read or understand. Your browsing activities will remain private.
Cell phones contain more private details about us than we’d like to admit, even to ourselves. The opportunity to keep your activities truly private allows you to act with greater confidence and peace of mind across all Apps, websites, and online interactions.
Protect Yourself In Public
A VPN on your phone doesn’t only promote privacy and online protection when you’re on the home WiFi network. The same benefits gained from truly encrypted data and geographic anonymity will protect you when using public WiFi networks or workplace WiFi networks. Traditionally, anyone who is on the same public WiFi network as you could potentially see your data. When using a VPN on your cell phone device, though, this threat is removed.
Research suggests that up to 40% of cybercrime victims had their data compromised when using a public WiFi network. If you are a regular coffee shop visitor, for example, turning on a VPN is essential for maintaining your privacy.
Avoid The Risks Of ISP Breaches
When sending and receiving online data without a VPN, the information is stored by your Internet Service Provider. Sadly, if they are hacked by cybercriminals, it is possible that hackers will gain unauthorized access to all data that you have transferred through your ISP. This could include passwords, banking details, social media accounts, emails, and much more. Worse still, you might not even learn about the breach until the damage has been done.
Even if you trust your ISP to act responsibly with regards to not using your data with malicious intent, standard browsing will put you at significant risk. VPNs ensure that any information sent or received through your device is safe even in the event of a breach.
What Does VPN Mean on Your Cell Phone?
Having a VPN on your cell phone ultimately means that you gain the benefits of using a VPN on a device that you use more frequently than most, and porbably use to store a lot of private data.
When connected to a VPN App via your cell, it also provides a consistent connection at all times, even when toggling between mobile data and WiFi connections. This flexibility is particularly great at maintaining your privacy and security even when your primary internet connection isn’t stable.
While the threat of slow speed is a potential issue for desktop VPNs, using a VPN on a cell phone can actively aid the speeds because of this added stability. You will still be required to complete basic steps, such as checking that the VPN works, but the VPN means that you will enjoy a smoother online experience that’s also supported by guaranteed privacy.
With your VPN for phone working correctly, you will gain;
- IP address encryption, making it impossible for anyone to track your location or device details.
- Cookies encryption, which makes it impossible for anyone to see confidential info like account credentials and payment details.
- Kill switch capabilities that instantly detect lost connections and quit programs to prevent data compromise.
In other words, the use of a VPN for phone will provide a safer and better online experience while simultaneously providing the peace of mind you deserve. Given that the average person now spends over 4.5 hours on their cell daily, the need for a mobile VPN has never been greater.
