A lot of people on the internet advise that you should use a VPN or Virtual Private Network on your computer, to give you privacy and security for your browsing data. Of course, a lot of people also browse the net on their phone – and they may want to protect their browsing habits there as well. Here is why you may also want a VPN on your phone.
Mobile Data Provider Monitoring
VPNs provide protection from your ISP monitoring your browsing usage, and potentially throttling certain usage types or selling your data to advertisers. This also applies to your mobile phone’s mobile data operator. Any web, app, or system internet traffic will be encrypted, and your mobile data operator will be unable to analyse it.
Tip: Your phone calls and texts use a different system and will not be hidden from your mobile data provider. Your total usage is also not hidden, just what you used it for.
Insecure Wi-Fi Hotspots
Another major advantage a VPN provides is protecting your device’s communications when connected to an unsecured Wi-Fi hotspot. You’re most likely to do this when out, using a phone or laptop. The encryption of the VPN ensures that a hacker on the same unsecured Wi-Fi connection as you can’t listen to your web requests and steal any data you send, including usernames and passwords.
Location-Based Filter Bypass
As on any other platform a VPN on your phone can be used to make it appear as if web requests from your device are coming from another country. This can help you bypass location-based access restrictions. Some VPN providers include a feature where they can also spoof your GPS coordinates, to match your VPN server’s location to complete the picture that your device is in another location.
Tip: Your mobile phone operator will likely still be aware of your true location, as you’ll be connected to a phone mast in your country. However, any website or app would see you as being in the spoofed location.
Bonding VPN
One advantage that some VPN providers can give to mobile phones is a service called a “Bonding VPN”. A bonding VPN uses all of the network connections that your phone has to maximise your available network speed. This means that while you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, a bonding VPN can use both your Wi-Fi connection and your mobile data connection at the same time, to provide you with the best possible internet speeds!
Conclusions
It’s a good idea to use a VPN in general, as they provide you with privacy and security for your internet browsing, from both your ISP and hackers on unsecured networks. On mobile devices especially you’re likely to benefit from location changing services when abroad, as you you’re more likely to take your mobile phone than you ar to take your computer. Furthermore, mobile phones are much more likely to have two independent internet connections that can make the best use of an offered connection bonding option, if your VPN provider offers the service.
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