Should I Leave My iPhone VPN App “ON” at All Times?

For the most part, yes - you should definitely leave your iPhone VPN app on at all times (for reasons we'll be discussing in a second). Of course, there are a few highly specific circumstances where using a VPN on your iPhone isn't the best idea.

Here's a look at both sides of the coin.

Why Should I Leave My iPhone VPN App on at All Times? (4 Great Reasons)

The following situations pretty much require you to have your iPhone VPN on all the time.

1. To Protect Your Online Privacy

Internet providers are notorious for selling user data without their explicit consent, whether it's browsing activity or location data. It got so bad that a coalition of ISPs sued the state of Maine for infringing on their "free speech rights" to sell your data.

Fortunately, you don't have to sit idly by while corporations make a profit off your Internet usage. By using a VPN 24/7, your ISP can't read and log your personal browsing habits. Nor can they sell your location data to ad networks, who will pass it on to countless businesses in your area, or other shady third parties.

2. To Safeguard Your Data on Public Wi-Fi

We live in the age of free Wi-Fi. At the time of writing, the counter on wifimap.io numbered over 400,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots around the US. Meanwhile, the EU has invested over 120 million Euro between 2018 and 2020 to widen the Wi-Fi network around the continent. Globally, public Wi-Fi hotspots are expected to reach nearly 550 million by 2022.

Unfortunately, we're forced to share these hotspots with hackers and script kiddies looking to make a quick buck. That's as good a reason as any to keep your VPN on all the time on your iPhone. That is, unless you're willing to risk your emails, payment data, and other sensitive info falling into the wrong hands.

On a related note, password-protected Wi-Fi won't do much to protect you. Researchers have discovered five vulnerabilities in the WPA3 Wi-Fi standard used by modern routers. Considering many hotspot providers haven't upgraded their router models (or don't even bother to update the firmware), a VPN is pretty much essential to avoid falling victim to such exploits.

3. To Bypass Geo-blocks and Firewalls

VPNs are the most reliable tools when it comes to bypassing Internet restrictions - whether you want to watch American Netflix outside the US, or see shows from platforms unavailable in your region (such as Hulu or BBC iPlayer). Or even simply avoiding firewalls in order to access blocked websites at school or at work.

Naturally, you'll need to keep your VPN on constantly while you do so. Otherwise, online services might pick up on sudden changes in your IP address and block access. You also don't want the network admins at school or at work knowing you've been circumventing their network restrictions.

4. To Avoid Bandwidth Throttling

While in most cases a VPN will slow down your Internet connection (since your data needs to travel a greater distance), there are specific circumstances where the opposite is true.

For example, did you know that the biggest US carriers throttle video content even when there's no network congestion? The same study shows that each carrier seems to throttle specific content providers more often than others (such as AT&T targeting Netflix, but not Amazon Prime Video).

All this can be avoided by using a VPN to encrypt your iPhone network traffic - garble it, basically. Your provider can still see how much data you use up, but not what what you use it for. In other words, you can't get around monthly data caps, but you can stop your ISP from slowing down your weekend binge sessions.

Should I Leave My iPhone VPN App on at All Times? (3 Times You May Need It Off)

VPNs are primarily used to keep your sensitive data (payment info, most of all) safe from hackers. That being said, your bank and/ or payment processor may not approve of using VPNs on their website(s). Here's why.

1. While Online Banking

Local banks typically block foreign IP addresses to prevent unauthorized connections from abroad. This also saves bandwidth for their actual customers - which makes perfect sense.

On the other hand, you may find yourself locked out of your online banking account while you're abroad. Similarly, you may find it difficult to protect your data with a VPN while using your bank's online services.

In both scenarios, all you have to do is connect to a VPN server in your home country. Having a local IP address makes it less likely for your bank to filter your connection requests, and you still get to benefit from strong VPN encryption.

Take a look at our list of the best VPNs with the most servers. The wider the provider's server network, the better your chances to obtain a local IP address and use your banking account securely.

2. When Using PayPal

The PayPal User Agreement explicitly denies access to users from these countries, as well as bans the use of "anonymizing proxies" (including VPNs) without their written permission.

This is most likely intended as a security measure (e.g. to prevent hackers from accessing accounts while using anonymizing methods). You're more likely to get a warning (or even your account locked) if the VPN endpoint is in a different country than your payment information.

There have been reports of people getting banned for using a VPN, but just as many who have had zero issues. Just as before, make sure your VPN server and payment info countries correspond before connecting to PayPal (or any similar service, for that matter).

Better keep it safe and only use PayPal at home without a VPN, especially if you have a lot of funds on your account. It's best to avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions, anyway.

3. When You're Having Connectivity Problems

Not even the fastest VPN providers will help out much if your Internet connection is on the slower side. Consider using split-tunneling to whitelist apps that don't necessarily require a VPN connection. This will allow your ISP's servers to deal with the extra load, netting you faster speeds while still securing the apps that really matter.

Here's a neat bonus while you're around: our guide on how to speed up your VPN.

Should I Leave My iPhone VPN App on at All Times? - the TL;DR

To recap, you'll need to keep your VPN on all the time if you:

• Want to prevent your ISP from selling your browsing and location data
• Protect your data from hackers and other snoopers on public Wi-Fi and other unsecured networks
• Get around geo-restrictions and firewalls at school, work, or similar locations that block the fun side of the Internet
• Don't like your ISP slowing down your streaming speeds for arbitrary reasons

Conversely, use a local VPN server (or avoid using a VPN entirely) if you:

• Use online banking services
• Use PayPal or other payment processors that ban anonymizing methods (mostly safe, but there are reports of VPN users getting banned)
• Have really slow Internet and need to use data-intensive apps (like video call apps)

As a final heads-up, keeping your VPN on all the time will affect your battery life (anywhere between 5% and 15% extra consumption). The encryption process is powered by your iPhone's CPU, so even having it on in the background will slowly deplete your battery. Consider limiting how many apps can use network data in the background to reduce overall usage.