In 2024, we live an anyways-online life — our magnificent smartphones are connected to the Internet at all times, delivering us important updates from close ones, business chats, emails, the important news, and so much entertainment.
Being such an integral part of our day-to-day, smartphones also have a lot of our sensitive information. From contacts and photos, to our browsing habits and research, to passwords and payment information. Needless to say, we want to keep all of that information secure, and we want to have more control over our online experiences in general.
An integral part of that is setting up a VPN on your devices. Short for Virtual Private Network, it's an intermediary between you and the rest of the Internet.
Why use VPN on an iPhone?
A VPN can do multiple things for you:
Change your virtual location to circumvent censorship and region locks
Protect your online activity — even your Internet provider won’t know what you are doing when you go through Surfshark VPN
Keep your device safe when connecting to public Wi-Fi (airports, cafes)
Generic VPN services typically allow you to change your location and provide some of the security that comes with naturally with going through a proxy. But Surfshark VPN goes above and beyond on security — whenever you go through a Surfshark server, you will be going through a tracker blocker and malware protection for an added layer of security. Also, Surfshark subscribers get the option to generate alternative emails when one is needed to access a spammy website.
Setting up a VPN is not hard, but sure — it can be a bit daunting if you are just now learning all of this stuff. The good news is that Surfshark has its own app, which you can download and make things really simple to get up and running.
1. Go to the App Store and search for Surfshark 2. Sign up for a new account with your email and a secure password 3. Select a plan. New users get a 7-day free trial to see how Surfshark works out for them
4. The Surfshark app will prompt you for a permission to make changes to your VPN settings — allow it 5. Within the app, you will see a big Connect button to enable or disable the VPN connection 6. To change your virtual location, pick a different server from the location button right above the connect toggle
And that’s pretty much it!
Extra features Surfshark provides
As we previously touched upon, Surfshark has an expanded set of features to improve the quality of use and general security. Within the app’s settings, you can choose to enable:
Auto-connect: automatically go through the VPN whenever you connect to a network. This ensures that you won’t expose yourself to danger by forgetting to toggle the VPN on when out in your favorite cafe.
CleanWeb: automatically block trackers, ads, and malware
Kill Switch: in case you lose connection to the VPN server, for one reason or another, Surfshark will cut your Internet connection to make sure you are not suddenly going out through your real IP
Protocol: dive deeper and select your preferred protocol, whether you are looking for more speed or higher security. If you prefer not to dabble with this, let the app auto-select it.
Dynamic MultiHop: connect to two different servers in two different locations. Surfshark will dynamically jump from one to the other, adding an extra layer of security
Bypasser: white-list some trusted apps and websites, so you connect to them directly, while VPN remains on for the rest of your Internet interactions
More good news
Surfshark has started the Black Friday deals early! You can now get a 24-month subscription for Surfshark Starter for $1.99 per month — and you get an extra 4 months on top.
Users that are more interested in their cybersecurity can also upgrade to Surfshark One for $2.49 per month over 24 months. Again, you get an extra 4 months at the end of that period. Surfshark One adds email breach alerts, credit card and ID breach alerts, data security reports, webcam protection, and includes anti-virus and anti-malware!
Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.
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