Does VPN harm your phone?

Security and privacy have become two of the main concerns of Internet users worldwide. Therefore, it is not strange that any tool that allows the protection of location or information transfer deserves scrutiny. Among these, VPNs are currently one of the most popular options as they allow you to create a private connection between multiple users and devices. So, does using VPN harm the phone?

Effects of using VPN

VPN is an intermediary between your device and the Internet. Once you configure and enable VPN, all your traffic, both sending and receiving data, goes through the VPN. The mobile virtual private network also has the ability to maintain sessions regardless of changes in physical connectivity, between ports, or different IPs.

In the case of mobile VPN providers, they allow connections to be established on the go (for example, when users move between different mobile networks or WiFi access points) rather than from a fixed point. Mobile VPN always maintains the virtual connection to the application as the endpoint changes and manages the required network login information transparently to the user.

This traffic should be encrypted and only the sender should have access to read this information. VPNs can help set safer browsing parameters and block ads and threats. You can use a VPN to encrypt data on your device before sending it; so data can only be decrypted by a specific server without affecting other traffic.

Privacy is one of the main claims of VPNs. On the one hand, they restrict access to a resource, so from a companies’ perspective, they offer a fundamental advantage by allowing only authorized personnel to access their networks, regardless of where they are located. In addition to protecting communications, this allows you to block browsing ads and threats and avoid geo-restrictions of some services.

Damages of VPN on the phone

If you use a VPN while doing your typical daily tasks, you can expect a 5-15 percent reduction in battery life, beyond what you might notice. Since the life of the phone battery will decrease, the biggest harm of VPNs to the phone is that they reduce the battery life. Battery life on Android and iOS devices may decrease by up to 15% when using a VPN.

VPN isn’t foolproof, but using it with fully encrypted connections creates a one-way connection, i.e. a data tunnel that acts as a more secure channel. This makes it difficult to intercept data and decrypt it even if it is intercepted. This not only provides a means to hide communications, but also provides the opportunity to verify identity.

The main obstacles are often technical in nature. Working effectively on a VPN requires an understanding of network security issues and a way to ensure you are effective against them. The administrator must understand how concepts such as CORS work and have the necessary elements to solve the problems presented by cookies on some websites. For reasons like these, it is important to know whether the VPN service you use is reliable or not. The company must be transparent and open about its privacy policies and stay up to date on the continuous development of the networks.