With every website and blog speaking about them, you’ve hopefully learned that VPNs are perhaps the most important thing for your online security. Not only do they protect you from the increasing spectre of government surveillance, but they also save you from potential identity theft.
If you’re not using a VPN yet, it’s time to get responsible.
I’m not going to go over all the reasons to get a VPN. But what is important is that you recognise that VPNs are not just for desktop or laptop computers. Your Android device is vulnerable to hackers, especially if you use public WiFi.
So, how do you go about choosing an Android VPN client? This is what you need to look out for to find the best VPNs for Android.
Trial and error will get you nowhere
The first thing to note is that not all VPNs are created equal. Far from it. In fact, most Android VPN apps simply do not work. And 5 star reviews from users are no guarantee either. After all, most casual users do not have any idea how to tell if a VPN is working or not. Just because an app has a great interface and is user-friendly does not mean it does what it claims.
When it comes to internet security, trial and error is simply irresponsible. Instead, look at expert reviews of the services before making a decision.
Here’s what you should look for:
Reputation for security
A good VPN should have a reputation for being secure. It should provide a high level of encryption that can be verified. Importantly, you should choose a VPN that has no history of being hacked or compromised. Yes, some VPNs come back stronger, and if the experts agree on this, go ahead. But rather be safe than sorry.
No user logs
It’s counter-intuitive, but some VPNs log their users’ usage data. In and of itself, this is not necessarily nefarious. However, there’s too high a chance that they’ll sell your data to companies. And, if the law asks them to hand over your information, there’s nothing they can do. Furthermore, if they get hacked, the hackers will know everything there is to know about you.
Variety of servers
The best VPN providers have servers around the world. This is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, you may want to get around regional blocks on content. For this, you’ll need to “pretend” that you’re in a specific location. Secondly, the server’s location will affect your speeds. The closer a server is to you, the more likely it is to maintain the high speeds promised. While a server halfway across the world can still be relatively fast, the small differences are not a compromise we like to make these days.
Good customer service
Chances are, you’re not an IT expert. You’re able to use your smartphone with ease, because they’ve been designed to require almost no troubleshooting. VPNs, however, require a bit of work under the bonnet. For this reason, good customer service is important. If your VPN is not working, you don’t want to have to wait for days before finding out how to fix it.
