It’s easy to use our phones for daily interactions and transactions, from mobile banking and online shopping to chatting with friends and sharing photos. With so many aspects of our lives dependent on our phones, adding security to it becomes an increasingly important issue.

Every time you connect online using your phone, there’s a chance that you become vulnerable and compromise your privacy. Without you even knowing it, your Internet Service Provider, strangers, and even hackers might be able to access your valuable information—but this doesn’t mean that you’d have to dispose of your phone or even sell your laptop online.   Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) protects your browsing habits from prying eyes.

How a VPN works

With a VPN, you’ll connect directly to the VPN’s servers instead of connecting directly to a website. Your connections will have secure encryption, protecting your online activity. If you’re using public WiFi networks regularly, consider using a VPN. Public networks aren’t secure—anyone can access them. However, using a VPN will make it harder for ISPs or anyone else to follow all your online activities.

Depending on your location, you may find blocked content. A VPN can fix that by also giving you access to content blocked due to copyright agreements or censorship laws.

Choosing a VPN provider

With the myriad of choices for VPN providers, how do you choose the right one? Keep these points in mind:

• Check a VPN provider’s logging policy and ensure they don’t keep data logs of your browsing habits.
• Check the protocols the provider uses. Are they using OpenVPN, which is known for its high security and unparalleled performance? Or are they using an older protocol that doesn’t provide as much security?

Setting Up a VPN for Your Mobile Device

The easiest way to set up a VPN for your Android or Apple device is to use a VPN download app.

Another good option for both Android and Apple devices is OpenVPN. This trusted, open-source software can be downloaded for free and configured according to your preferences. It has a high level of security, can bypass firewalls, and is supported by most platforms.

For Android users, the setup is more or less the same regardless of the VPN you choose. To set up a VPN on an Android device:

• First, make sure that your VPN provider’s website supports the OpenVPN protocol. Download the OpenVPN configuration files needed.
• Download the OpenVPN configuration files needed.
• Download OpenVPN Connect for Android so that you can configure the OpenVPN protocol to work with the Android software.
• Extract the client software and configuration files, and then you’re good to go.

For iPhone users, VPN setup is straightforward:

• Download a VPN client software. In this case, you should download the OpenVPN Connect for iOS from the App Store.
• Locate and download the VPN configuration files by going to your VPN provider’s website.
• Open all the files in your OpenVPN app
• Tap the green plus button to add the server. Repeat this step until all the servers you intend to use have been added.
• You can only connect to a server one at a time.
• Once you’ve entered your VPN credentials, you’re ready to connect and browse the web safely.