People have long associated VPN technology use with their laptop. This makes sense as people have been carrying their laptops with them all over since they were first introduced. This meant using other people’s WiFi at the local coffee shop, a different office or any other public hotspot.

Having a workhorse as versatile as a laptop is great, having one that breaks down due to how versatile it is, because of malware, is not great. Smart people first began using VPN technology on their laptops years ago, and it is now a standard practice.

With the growing popularity, ok, with the absolute hammering of the market, of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, people stopped protecting themselves. This is commonly caused by people thinking you can’t use a VPN service on your mobile device – but that isn’t true!

Mobile VPN technology for your smartphone & tablet

All too often, people do the most private of things on their mobile device without a second thought. How many of you out there:

• Do banking on your phone
• Have your credit card on your phone doing mobile shopping and bill payments
• Conduct private communications over Whatsapp, Skype and Viber
• Take, store and send certain ‘private’ pictures

“But I have a screen lock on my phone that only I know that password for, what could go wrong?” Plenty! Every time you use a public WiFi connection, or even your own at home, you are exposing yourself to malware.

Where the VPN settings are on your device

There are two basic mobile devices that we’ll look at:

Android devices

• Go to Settings -> Wireless and networks -> VPN Settings
• This is exactly how it works for my personal Samsung Galaxy SII, and is standard for almost all Android devices

Apple iOS devices

• Go to Settings -> General -> Network
• My iPad 2 has it under Settings -> General -> Scroll down to VPN settings

This is the basics of how you can choose your VPN settings, but first you have to have a VPN to connect to. That’s where we can help you here at Best VPN Providers by pointing you to our Top 5 iPhone and iOS VPNs guide. We rank IPVanish first for iPhone VPN apps, and their mobile support is top notch. But you are free to make your own mind up based on all of our reviews.

Is it hard to use mobile VPN technology?

You use a mobile VPN app the same as on your laptop or desktop, with the usual mobile convenience.

Simply download the program onto your phone and connect to the remote server with your username and password. Once you do this you’ll have the ability to take advantage of the convenient on/off toggle through your settings discussed above.

Everything else will be the same – the remote server will hide your location, IP address, login details and encrypt your information. You’ll be anonymous everywhere you go with your smartphone or tablet.

When you’re choosing a VPN for your laptop or desktop, why not select one that also supports mobile VPN technology? You’ll get the same protection, for one price, everywhere you go. Some restriction may apply, such as only having one computer or device logged in at one time, but this will likely not be a problem for those who are out and about on the town with their mobile device.

Photo credit to Marina Elena
Feature image via Maksim Kabakou