If it is your first time seeing ‘VPN’ on your phone settings, you might be puzzled by its meaning and its usefulness. You are not alone! Our monkey also wondered, “What is VPN?” when he first came across the acronym on his phone settings. Well, he finally figured it out and he’ll explain to you the meaning of VPN. But, just so you know, it is an important function that can help you stay safe and browse the internet privately on your iPhone or Android phone.
What VPN On Your Phone Means
Most modern smartphones and tablets have an obscure function that says ‘VPN’ under the device’s settings. But, what does VPN mean and what is this function doing on your phone?
First, VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. This is simply a service that protects your information when you browse the internet. Generally, this service comes in the form of an app, which in this case, you can download on your phone or iPad.
To be sure, the ‘VPN’ you see on your phone settings is not an app in itself. Rather, it is a functionality that helps you to manually set up and configure a VPN service on your mobile device.
As more and more people become concerned about their online security, smartphone manufacturers have decided to add the functionality to make it easier for users to install and manage VPN services to protect their privacy and security online.
Understanding how a VPN works
A VPN is a tool, a piece of software, an app that basically keeps everything you do online private and secure. It does this by encrypting your online data so that anyone who might be looking would be unable to read this data.
On a regular day, whenever you connect to the internet, entities such as your internet service provider (ISP) and even hackers can see what you are up to! In the case of hackers, they can steal your personal information and obviously, that can have severe consequences.
On the other hand, when you install a VPN on your phone or tablet, no one would be able to see what you are doing online. You would be able to connect to the internet safely and anonymously.
Installing VPN manually vs downloading an app
As mentioned, the VPN function is a default setting you will find on your android, iPhone, or iPad. You can set up a VPN service on your device either manually or through an app. The manual way is the hard way and it involves using that default VPN function on your device’s setting.
The easy way? Simply install a VPN app that configures itself and does most of the work for you. This is the better option if you are new to VPN services and prefer a ‘connect and play’ service.
If you are concerned about online privacy and security (seriously, you should be), installing a good VPN service on your phone or tablet is the way to go. There are many VPN service providers but you are better off with a premium one that is truly invested in your online security.
Our monkey’s favorites are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark and CyberGhost which are all great.
If you still have questions and still don’t understand why you see “VPN” in your phone or tablet’s settings, just leave us a comment. We’ll make sure to answer ASAP.