6 Steps to Make it Safe to Use a VPN on a Phone

Ready to Use a VPN on Your phone?

As you know, VPN makes your internet connection encrypted and private, it protects you from hackers while using public Wi-Fi networks, prevents your mobile provider from tracking your browsing history and protects you from cyberthreats.

It doesn't make sense that to use VPN to improve your phone security, you first have to improve your phone security. There are six steps you need to follow if you want to make your phone safer with a VPN.

1. Run a Virus Check

You need to make sure that your phone is not already being suffocated by viruses. If your phone is already infected, then it can affect the safety of your VPN service. It affects the safety of all your phone software and apps. If your security program also has optimization tools, then you could use those too. Plus, go through a few of your apps to see if you need them and to see if they are the apps you installed, and they are not apps that were sneakily installed by hackers or your spouse.

2. Download and Install From a Reputable Provider

It is possible to download and install VPN services that work, but are from a non-reputable company, which means your security is at risk. The sad fact is that there are many ways a company can act in a way that compromises your security, from the simple things that making your password easy to find, to having back doors in your VPN app so they may gain access to your phone very easily.

3. Finding a Reputable VPN Service

It is very tricky finding a reputable VPN service because you cannot peer behind the scenes to see what they are up to. You do not know if they are funneling your connection through layers of expertly encrypted security, or if they are passing it through a cheap modem they found in a dumpster. You do not know if they have triple-due diligence when it comes to keeping your information safe, or are they are selling it off behind your back.

However, there are certain things you can do to hedge your bets in the right direction. The first is to do your research into each VPN company you look at. Most of the poor quality or scammer VPN services go bust within a year, so brand new companies should be treated with a bit of suspicion. It seems a bit unfair that we do not give new VPN services a chance but remember that scammer companies will often make their mark, do their damage, and then come back next year with a new name, new website, and a clean online reputation.

Then again, we all know that a good scammer can fake things like a good website, an online presence, and so forth, so you should also go searching for online reviews. Forget the larger ones where and website or blog dedicates a page to how good the VPN service is because those are paid reviews.

4. Finding Real VPN Reviews

You have to assume that every single review you see for a VPN service is completely false. That is why you should only focus on the negative ones because they are more likely to be real. However, even the negative ones shouldn't be taken at face value. Quite often, when somebody feels cheated (rightly or wrongly), they will write very bad things that are sometimes not true. That is why, when you go looking through negative online reviews, you should look for negative reviews that make the same point.

For example, if you see several negative reviews saying that the company keeps charging their credit cards after the service has been canceled, then you can feel fairly confident that this is a genuine negative point about the company.

5. Change Your VPN Password

Once you have installed your VPN service, be sure to turn off your phone, restart it, and check to see if the VPN works correctly. Once you are sure it is working correctly, restart your phone again, and then log into the VPN app or website and change your password. Now you have changed your password, you are a little safer when you use your VPN service.

6. Lower Your Amount of Security Risk Exposure

Let’s say that you take every step possible to ensure that your phone is safe and secure. Let’s assume that you have set up your VPN service correctly and that it is a great service. You could always lower your risks a little by reducing your overall exposure.

For example, things like checking your investments, bank account, PayPal account, money transfer accounts, and so forth, should probably be done at home on your desktop computer. Not only are you using your Wi-Fi at home, but your desktop computer has far more security. Plus, there is more you can do to a desktop computer to make it safe and secure.

Conduct your less-important less-exposed tasks on your phone and save things like your tax returns and benefit claims to your home computer. That way, even if somebody does manage to overcome all the security on your phone, and even if they manage to figure out your information through your VPN service, all they will have access to is a few games on your phone and a few social media accounts.

Final Thoughts: There is No Perfectly Secure Solution

You can take all the precautions in the world and still get hacked, or still have your phone loaded with malware. However, take the steps listed above and you make it harder for online malcontents to steal your identity or infect your phone. Plus, there are always things you can do to help keep yourself safe, such as staying away from dangerous websites on your phone, and not downloading programs from anything but legitimate app stores.

Plus, you can do things like making big purchases through your desktop computer, and when you make smaller purchases on your phone, then do it through services like PayPal where your personal information is protected. In short, it pays to be overly cautious when you are dealing with your phone because you do not have as much control over your security as you do with a desktop computer. We have all seen those apps that want access to every recess of your phone when you install, it makes you wonder which of your apps are gaining access without your permission. When it comes to phone security, play it as safe as possible and take no chances.

Author Bio:

Oscar Mitchall is an expert writer with more than 5 years of professional background. If you have a question: “Who can type my essay for me?”, Jenson is the person you need. He is creative, open-minded, and always ready to help people to understand the art of writing.