So, you’re interested in using a VPN on your Android phone. There are a lot of choices out there when it comes to VPN services. Thankfully, they’re all pretty easy to use. We’ll help you get started.
What Is a VPN, and How Does It Work on Android?
First things first, let’s talk about what actually happens when you use a VPN. “VPN” stands for “Virtual Private Network,” which is a relatively accurate description of what it does.
A VPN encrypts your device’s internet traffic and sends it through a computer (server) located elsewhere. It’s as if you’re using the internet on that remote device instead of your own. This disguises your identity and makes it appear as if you’re browsing the web from somewhere you’re not. If you use a VPN on your Android phone, all the traffic from all apps on your Android device—including Chrome and other browsers—will be sent through the VPN tunnel.
What Is a VPN, and Why Would I Need One?
Do you need a VPN to be safe on the internet?
There are several reasons why you might want to use a VPN. VPNs are commonly used to bypass regional restrictions. If a movie isn’t available on Netflix in your country, you can use a VPN to watch it. All you have to do is install the VPN and start it up.
If you frequently torrent, using a VPN is also a good idea. You’ll be virtually transported to a different location, and your internet activity will be hidden from your internet provider. Since your ISP can’t track you, you won’t need to worry about receiving warnings from them about illegal downloads.
What’s the Best VPN for Android?
Many of the best VPNs overall are also excellent choices for your Android device. Since Android apps are straightforward, you rarely have to worry about issues using any reputable VPN service we recommend. However, always check before committing to the service fully. Most VPNs offer a money-back guarantee (and it’s usually 30 days), so you can thoroughly test the VPN and make sure it works the way you want it to.
If you’re looking for the best VPNs for Android, we have recommendations for you—but if you want to skip the list, our pick for the best Android VPN is NordVPN.
- Logging policy
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No-log policy
- Mobile app
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Android and iOS
NordVPN is one of the fastest VPN options available. It’s also easy to use and compatible with a variety of devices.
How to Set Up a VPN on Android
While a VPN service’s app may look different, the way you use it will be practically the same every time. In this step-by-step process, we use Surfshark as our example, but we also have screencaps of the free VPN service Windscribe so you can see how similar it is.
These screenshots were captured on a Google Pixel 9a.
To begin, download your VPN app and open it; in this case, it’s Surfshark. Create an account, or log in if you’ve already done so on another device.
You’ll be taken to the app’s main screen, which should be the screen to activate the VPN. Tap the Connect button (or the equivalent in your app of choice), allow the app to run in the background when prompted, and you’ll be all set.
Here is the same process on Windscribe. Aside from the UI looking different, the process remains the same.
How to Turn Off a VPN on Android
Turning off a VPN is just as easy as turning it on—simply tap the Disconnect button (or the equivalent in your app of choice), and the VPN will turn off.
If you have a kill switch on, manually disconnecting your VPN should not trigger it.
That’s all there is to it! But don’t stop at just putting a VPN on your Android device—be sure to download your VPN and protect everything you can.
- Logging policy
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No-logs policy
- Mobile app
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Android and iOS
- Number Of Servers
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3,200+
- Free Trial
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30 day money-back guarantee
- Encryption
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AES-256
Surfshark is incredibly easy to use on Android, and with starting prices only being $1.99/month, you can’t go wrong.