There’s no denying that the smartphone has changed how we interact with others and the world around us. These pocket-sized computers have quickly become the primary device many of us turn to for work, play, and everything in between. More than ever, our smartphones tend to represent who we are as individuals — keeping that data safe from prying eyes is crucial. In this guide, we’ll cover what a VPN is, why you should be using one on your phone, and how it can help keep you safe while navigating your daily online activities.
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What is a Virtual Private Network (VPN), and how does it work?
Your internet service provider (ISP) gives you a unique IP address that can be traced back to your home address, which isn’t great for privacy. And your ISP can see everything you do online, but what if you wanted to cut them off and prevent them from snooping on you? A virtual private network (VPN) is a service that can be either free or paid for we use to enhance privacy and security while browsing online. It hides your IP address and encrypts your data through a tunnel — not even your ISP will know what you’re doing.
When connected to a VPN, your web traffic starts by authenticating your client or device with the remote server location. That data gets encrypted based on the security protocol you’re using, sent to the remote server, and out to the public web when browsing. Your new IP address is spoofed with the one from the VPN provider, hiding your actual address. Encrypted data packets are sent between you and the remote VPN server when browsing online, so you stay safe and secure no matter what. This process is often referred to as VPN tunneling.
What are the most common VPN security protocols available today?
Various security protocols are available on the market today for VPN services; some are pretty unique. In the section below, we’ll briefly discuss a few of the most common ones you might encounter. To learn more, check out the following:
OpenVPN
The oldest on this list, it has been the go-to standard for many VPN services for over a decade. Even today, OpenVPN is undoubtedly the most commonly known protocol by many users across the globe. As the name suggests, it’s open source, which plays a big part in why it has been so popular over the years — it’s highly accessible and easy to implement. It may not be explicitly built for the mobile world, but it still chugs along decent enough that it hasn’t been phased out yet.
Wireguard
This is essentially the next-generation protocol with faster speeds, increased security, and less system resource overhead compared to OpenVPN. It all sounds good, but Wireguard has one significant disadvantage, and it’s quite the issue — it requires you to log your data. Yes, the initial implementation of Wireguard logs your traffic, ultimately defeating the purpose of a VPN. At the same time, its security features and speed are unmatched versus previous VPN protocols, such as OpenVPN. You choose between speed or privacy with Wireguard, which is why others have started to build their own protocols to fix these issues.
NordLynx
This is a custom implementation of Wireguard developed from the ground up by the NordVPN team. Citing the common issues with Wireguard, such as not keeping user data private, NordVPN felt the need to build NordLynx to meet their standards and customer expectations. NordLynx uses the same base as Wireguard without giving up user privacy, making for a more robust solution. Essentially, NordVPN took the next-generation VPN protocol and made it better — one that also fits the features of our more modern mobile lifestyle.
Lightway
ExpressVPN also went the same route as NordVPN — they built their own VPN security protocol from the ground up called Lightway. They also cited that Wireguard is excellent in its own regard; however, a VPN needs to have those core privacy features, which Wireguard does not. Thus, ExpressVPN set out to make a new VPN protocol that fits not only their needs but the needs of their customers as well. ExpressVPN chose not to use Wireguard as the base for their protocol but to start fresh, giving them even more control over their product.
What are the free VPN services?
Free VPN services often have limitations that make them unreliable for daily use for complete online privacy. They typically offer a free monthly limit on how much data you can use, so you’ll have to be cautious about when and where you use the VPN. On top of that, the VPN service’s handling of your information can be questionable since you’re not paying for anything. Most will agree that your personal data is more likely to be misused, sold, or exploited with a free VPN option versus a premium paid subscription service.
Many free VPN services also have various paid options, but that doesn’t always mean instant online safety if you upgrade later. Depending on the VPN service’s reputation and logging policy, they may still collect or misuse your data even if you’re paying for a premium subscription tier. It’s also a good idea for everyone to avoid the random free VPN services or apps that seemingly pop up overnight. Some of them aren’t designed with your best interest in mind either — their sole purpose is to siphon your data without you ever knowing.
What is a premium paid VPN service?
On the other hand, a premium paid VPN service will typically offer many more unique features than what you get with a free option. Some examples might include real-time malware defense, ad blockers that stop sneaky tracking practices, and protection from most known malicious websites. Additionally, a premium paid VPN service is far more likely to have a legitimate no-logging policy versus a free option. You also won’t need to worry about data caps since you can use their servers at all times as long as they’re online — perfect for daily use.
A premium paid VPN service typically has a much larger number of high-quality servers you can access worldwide with a few quick taps. And since there will definitely be times when they go offline for routine maintenance, the more servers you have, the better. Your connection speed can suddenly drop and become unstable sometimes, so server hopping would be incredibly beneficial here. You also get more VPN security protocol choices, including Wireguard and other unique implementations. For example, NordVPN has NordLynx, while ExpressVPN offers Lightway — both protocols are built from the ground up for their respective users.
So should I use a free or premium paid VPN service?
That all comes down to what you need and how often you plan on using a VPN with your smartphone. Ideally, since these devices are online and always connected, you’d want to use a VPN as much as possible, if not all the time. Many reputable VPN providers offer free services with low monthly data caps, but that would restrict your ability to keep it active at all times. And since they’re free to use, some VPN providers might also display intrusive ads or sell your browsing history to profit from your data.
The choice is yours, but we highly recommend you pay for a premium VPN service to reap all the extra benefits — no need to worry about data caps. That, combined with all the additional features, server selection, and more modern VPN security protocols, makes it an easy choice. Many of the most well-known VPN providers also offer excellent multi-year subscription discounts, making it a small price to pay in the long run. We have a guide that talks about the top 5 best VPN services in case you’re interested in learning more.
How can I tell if a VPN service is safe and legitimate?
We touched on this earlier for a second, but the first thing you want to look for in a VPN service is their no-logging policy. You need to be sure your information is safe and won’t be handled inappropriately at any point. Some countries enforce strict data logging policies, so you might have to look further into any no-logging claims they make. Find the location where the VPN is based, then do your own independent research. The goal here is to see if the country they set up shop in requires a data logging policy or not.
Aside from verifying their no-logging claims, you can also research the VPN company to see even more specific details about them. For this part, you’d want to stray away from their official website and dig into the finer details — who runs it and how trustworthy are they based on community feedback. To estimate the legitimacy of a VPN service, you should look up as many third-party professional articles and videos as possible about them. You can even check the user-based VPN app reviews on the Google Play Store or Apple Appstore for a little extra insight.
Can my personal data still be tracked when using a VPN?
This is a complicated question that often has a misleading answer and inadvertently gives people a false sense of security. A VPN can encrypt your internet traffic and keep your online activities private; however, no, it won’t protect you from everything. For example, you can still be indirectly tracked by website cookies, ad trackers, and the data you share on social media sites. And the more online accounts you log into tied to your factual personal information, the higher your chances of having that data tracked, sold, or even stolen by an unwanted third-party entity.
Generally speaking, a trusted, well-designed VPN does what it was meant to do by keeping your internet traffic encrypted. However, it still falls on the user to practice safe online browsing habits for everything a VPN can’t protect you from. Of course, we also put so much trust into these big companies to keep our online accounts and data safe, but not everything always goes as planned. Data breaches and ransomware have been rising recently, which is beyond our control. Because of that, your information can sometimes be taken from you without your consent — VPN or not.
All in all, your core network activity will stay hidden and encrypted from everyone; this part is a true statement. Even your ISP won’t be able to tell what you’re doing; they can only see that you’re using a VPN. This allows you to browse the web and use internet-connected devices as you please, all without being tracked by the unique IP address given to you by your ISP. Just be cautious about what information you put online, which links or websites you visit, and how much of your personal life you share with strangers on social media.
What are some safe online browsing habits to use with a VPN?
No amount of VPN security can protect you from sharing things online that can be tied back to your personal information. People often overlook this when using a VPN — it’s not a magic bubble that keeps you protected without thinking about your actions. As mentioned earlier, VPN users must still be careful when freely browsing the web. The VPN companies trying to sell you a premium subscription won’t always point out this detail either. As long as you combine safe online browsing habits while using a VPN, you’ve got nothing to worry about here.
So what are some examples of safe online browsing habits you can use in your personal life? For starters, be sure to avoid websites that are unencrypted and marked as unsafe. Web browsers these days are excellent at alerting you to this, but you still have to back out of the site manually. At the same time, don’t fall victim to spam calls, emails, or text messages — if it sounds too good to be true, it without a doubt is. Some VPN services even have specific features to help identify and protect you from these common scams.
What about using a VPN with smartphone location tracking features?
Let’s also not forget that smartphones have built-in GPS functionality, which can be used to track your approximate or precise location. A VPN can only encrypt your web traffic via an IP address, so GPS is beyond the scope it can protect you from. Let’s say you give location access to an app when it asks for it; a VPN can’t help you here since the GPS coordinates would simply override your IP address. Of course, there are ways to spoof or emulate your GPS data while using a VPN as needed, giving you the best of both worlds.
Should you use GPS on your phone without spoofing your coordinates first, just know that doing so will reveal your actual location data. As a side note, Android and iOS now offer much more user control regarding location tracking on our smartphones. We have the power to deny or accept location requests for every installed app — no more unrestricted access to our location data at all times. It’s a significant step forward, but we can likely expect Google and Apple to continue refining smartphone location-based security controls well into the future.
Is there another reason to use a VPN other than security purposes?
Many users likely opt to use a VPN for the privacy and security features; however, they’re certainly not the only reasons to use one. Most streaming services offer unique content that can’t be viewed if you live outside a specific country. Using a VPN to spoof your IP address can give you instant access to many of these shows you couldn’t view by default. So some users are less concerned about security and more interested in streaming content outside their own country. For them, the added safety features of a VPN would just simply be a welcomed bonus.
Using a VPN on your smartphone can keep your online activity safe and secure
As you’ve seen, a VPN can be pretty complex for first-time users, but the slight learning curve is well worth the effort. Still, they can also provide some fantastic features, whether it’s a free service or a paid one. And yes, a VPN can encrypt your online browsing activity; however, it won’t protect you from everything. The user still bears some responsibility when browsing the internet and how much personal information they openly share with others. As long as you practice safe online browsing habits while using a VPN, you’ll be set and safer than ever before.
VPN services or apps are not always user-friendly, but learning the lingo isn’t impossible. You can check out our helpful VPN beginner’s guide to learn about other unique features you’ll see when using a VPN. If you want to do a little experimenting, you can also make your own self-hosted VPN server and bypass third-party VPN providers altogether.
