So, you are probably thinking of getting a VPN to enhance your online security, either for your laptop or desktop device. You surf the internet through your phone as well, though, so you might also consider getting a VPN for your mobile device.
However, this raises an important question: do you require a VPN for your phone, especially an iPhone?
The answer is likely a resounding yes. In this article, we will discuss why you need to do this, especially in light of enhancing your safety in online spaces.
What is a VPN anyway?
The term VPN, or Virtual Private Network, refers to a service that you use to provide safe and secure internet connections, through using a private server in a remote location. All your data is meant to be encrypted, even as it travels between your device and the VPN server.
The most usual scenario where you would use a VPN is when you are working remotely and need your device to connect to a specified private network, which will keep your sensitive data away from prying eyes. Using a VPN should not be limited to this usage though, as you can use it to safeguard your data from snoops and hackers who might want to gain some information from your mobile device.
Why you should have a VPN on your iPhone
A phone VPN will secure your private information when you connect to the internet
In today’s world, you would be hard pressed to find a phone that does not connect to the internet. Whether you use it to exchange data, sync your social media profiles, read and reply to emails, and so on, your phone is like your computer that you would use on the go.
However, this presents a problem – what happens when someone intercepts your traffic and gets access to your personal information, credit card numbers, confidential messages, and account passwords?
It is important to remember that this is not a far-fetched problem – it can happen, especially if you are using an unsecured public Wi-Fi network, because of their lack of encryption even at levels of network access. Even if the network is secure though, it is not sufficient in many cases.
The good news is that many iPhone VPNs today will protect your privacy while using the internet, so you will choose the one that best fits your budget and security requirements. The con though is that some VPNs can collect logs of your internet use, and sell it to third party marketing companies – so ensure you always read the privacy policy of the VPN before using it.
Using a VPN will help to unblock region-restricted content
Some content on Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, and so on is region-restricted, which means you cannot access it if you are in certain regions of the world, especially if you are a frequent traveler.
The good thing is that VPN services will allow you to connect to nearby servers that are in the area where content is accessible, for example accessing servers based in Switzerland when you are in Europe and want to stream a show.
The only problem here is that some ISPs will block certain VPN protocols, even the secure ones, which prevents you from seeing the content anyway. In addition to this, there are content providers that will keep a database of servers, so you will still not access region-restricted content.
VPN networks will allow you to access corporate files when you work remotely
In certain instances, it is easier to use your mobile device to reply to people through emails than using a desktop. However, you may need to attach confidential information or documents like worksheets and presentation, which means you will need to get them from the online drive of the company – therefore, a secure connection.
If you are already using a VPN service on your phone, you will not need to worry about potential ‘leaking’ of information, since you are operating in a completely secure environment. However, you might experience some restrictions of VPN services, depending on the policy your company follows – but this is a much better issue than not having any VPN at all.
You will get more bandwidth while streaming and making business calls
Here is something you might not know: using a bonding VPN service will allow the use of multiple connections to the internet simultaneously, which allows you to get lower latency and greater bandwidth limits. Essentially, this means little to no buffering when you are streaming videos, as well as no disconnection when you are making business calls. You will also get the benefit of running a live broadcast on Twitch, Facebook and YouTube at higher quality.
However, also remember that this is not something you will get with all VPN services, since it will only apply to specific bonding VPN platforms. All other so-called ‘traditional’ VPN services will compromise on speeds, even though they will still protect you.
Spoofs your location
If your main worry is having a website tracking your information, such as when you are logging into your accounts or browsing the internet, or telling you that you cannot access a website because of your location, you can use a VPN service to get around this. It will make it seem that you are in a different location from where you actually are.
The VPN network here will act similar to a middleman, as the website will see that you are in a different location. This is also how you can access region-restricted content.
You have the chance to get competitive pricing
Lastly, it is a good idea to sign up to a VPN service, even on your phone, because the price of coverage is decreasing daily. This does not mean the quality of service is going down, but rather prices of high-quality services are increasingly becoming affordable for a wide range of users.
Conclusion
Using a VPN service is always a good idea, regardless of whether it is on your laptop, desktop or phone. Make sure that the service you use is good for your mobile device, as you want to avoid those that can track you down.