Technology

Do you need a VPN on your Mobile in 2024?

Published

8 months ago

Many “security-conscious” individuals in this era of heightened cybersecurity awareness would answer a resounding “YES!” to that question. However, some of them don’t know why it is such a good idea.

So, to help individuals who can’t quite pinpoint the exact benefits of a VPN, we’ve compiled some helpful points.

Here are some reasons why you need a VPN on your mobile in 2024.

Access to Government or Location-Restricted Content

Have you ever gotten the message, “This content is unavailable in your location.” while trying to access that highly anticipated content? It must be annoying, right? Well, you don’t have to anymore because the best VPN service providers for 2024 help you dodge organizational firewalls by assigning you a new IP address that matches the required specifications.

Many organizations, like video streaming platforms, video news publications, and social media platforms, are often under governmental obligations to enforce internet blocks on certain content. This censorship basically deprives you of the opportunity to decide for yourself whether you want to access such information or not.

Having a VPN on your mobile gives you access to unbiased and unfiltered information. As a result, you can take a genuine and unique stand on any issue that is uninfluenced by the media.

Likewise, individuals who are unable to access their favorite movies based on their location can also go over the geographical barrier to derive their desired satisfaction. Getting a VPN could be vital to making your next trip stress-free by allowing you access to your favorite content regardless of where you are.

Digital Privacy

A VPN’s core function is to assign you an anonymous digital identity. It does this by masking your IP address and encrypting your online traffic. Consequently, you appear untraceable and unidentifiable by looking at cybercriminals, internet service providers, and other prying eyes.

This anonymity is beneficial to you in various ways.

For instance, many cell phone and internet service providers (ISPs) monitor customers’ online activity in a bid to log and record their information before selling it to advertisers, who then use the data for targeted marketing campaigns. Remember those unsolicited yet oddly specific ads following you across your social media channels? Yeah, that’s them!

In worse cases, malicious individuals could hack your mobile, gaining access to your microphones and cameras in order to monitor your daily activities.

Furthermore, VPNs allow you to securely access sensitive corporate data whenever you need to work outside your company’s internal network. Its encryption technologies give you access to private servers to prevent data leakage regardless of your location.

Online Safety

VPN gives you unrestricted access without compromising your safety. The fact that the VPN masks your original IP address ensures anyone targeting you for malicious intent unknowingly targets the VPN service provider.

Gamers will benefit from this specifically because it is a common practice among sore online gamers who lose to attempt malicious DDoS attacks as a form of retaliation.

On other fronts, while public Wi-Fi allows you to access the internet at no data costs, it also opens you up to serious security risks. Many cybercriminals lurk around coffee shops, restaurants, libraries, and other public locations offering free Wi-Fi to gain access to your mobile. They often launch cyberattacks like Man-in-the-Middle attacks (MitM) and Evil Twin networks for the sole purpose of stealing your personal financial information. Should they get their hands on it, they can make dangerous account changes, initiate huge transactions, or even steal your identity.

However, with a VPN on your mobile, you’re sure that your data is encrypted so that in the event that someone hacks the Wi-Fi you’re connected to, they will be unable to decipher, let alone use your personal information.

And the same thing goes for torrenting on insecure websites with the content you desire. VPNs help you hide your torrent and download activities while still giving you access to the content.

Faster Browsing Speed

Unsatisfactory internet speeds can ruin what would have been the best streaming or online gaming experience. You could experience them when there’s network congestion or when you exceed data caps. Sometimes, internet service providers intentionally throttle the network speed for selected websites and media types in order to mitigate some of these situations.

Now, if you’re a heavy internet user or online gamer who consumes plenty of bandwidth or constantly visits these kinds of websites, you should have a VPN on your mobile to speed up your browsing. The VPN masks your online activity, so the internet service provider cannot determine the websites and media types you’re accessing. As a result, you’ll be unaffected by the throttling.

Some VPNs can actually reduce your browsing speed due to the distance from the VPN server and the need to encrypt or decrypt your data. However, the best ones have faster processors for speeding things up. So, choose VPN services that match your browsing activity.

Cheaper Shopping Prices

The encryption of your data and masking of your IP address is a gift that keeps giving. And this time, it might actually give you an actual gift in terms of shopping discounts.
Okay, let’s take one step backwards.

You might be unaware, but e-commerce companies and online businesses don’t always maintain the same prices for all locations and conditions. Basically, you might be charged more or less based on where you’re located or the sites you’ve visited.

Here’s how.

Do you ever accept those cookies the website serves you whenever you visit? Because if you do, that’s how many websites find out what other websites you’ve also stopped by before visiting theirs. They then use that information to gauge how much you might be able to afford for a certain product. And most times, it is higher than the actual price of the items.

In addition, other online marketplaces use controversial location-based pricing strategies based on factors like the location’s spending habits or business expenses. Businesses that implement this include airlines, hotels, online retailers, and even e-commerce platforms.

So, while a VPN doesn’t actually give you a shopping discount, it can help you unlock some savings on online transactions by helping you change your location to a region with lower prices. It is advisable to check product prices with a VPN from various locations to identify the ones with the lowest prices before committing.