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  • Protect your online payments
  • Stay secure on public Wi-Fi
  • Connect all your devices
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What is VPN on Android?

What is VPN on Android?

A VPN for Android is an app that encrypts data sent from and to your Android device. The data is routed through a remote VPN server over an encrypted tunnel. It helps maintain user privacy online.

VPN on Android also refers to Android’s built-in VPN functionality, which means devices running Android 4.0 and later can establish secure and private connections over the public network (internet). In other words, an Android that can run a VPN app.

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How to set up a VPN on Android

Get Surfshark

1. Get Surfshark

Pick a pricing plan and sign up.

Get the app

2. Get the app

Download the Surfshark VPN Android app on Google Play, or get the APK here.

Connect to a server

3. Connect to a server

Hit Quick-connect and enjoy a private, safe, and unrestricted internet.

Surfshark is supported by: API versions 21 or newer, Android 5.0 and newer systems, Android phones, tablets, and smart TVs.

The app is available on Google Play, while the APK can be downloaded from our website.

Things to love about Surfshark VPN

Kill Switch

Kill Switch

Kill Switch automatically disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection drops. This way, no sensitive data or personal information is leaked. This is especially important when avoiding censorship and promoting freedom of speech.

CleanWeb

CleanWeb

CleanWeb is an in-built adblock feature that keeps your Android clean from ads and trackers. It stops ads from loading and saves you from potentially clicking on a malicious one.

Bypasser

Bypasser

The Bypasser lets you exclude apps and websites from the VPN protection while keeping you safe everywhere else. Useful when you want to protect only specific processes or exempt them from the VPN, like a banking app.

Unlimited devices

Unlimited devices

With Surfshark, you can connect multiple devices to one account. No need to log out or buy a different VPN account for each device — we allow unlimited simultaneous connections.

End-to-end encryption

End-to-end encryption

We use industry-leading AES-256 VPN encryption to protect your sensitive information — no computer system that exists now could crack it in a human lifetime. Encryption is the key to keeping your data safe from ISPs and snoopers.

No-logs policy

No-logs policy

Surfshark adheres to a no-activity-logs policy, which means we don't monitor or log your online activity. What you do online is completely up to you. What you do online is completely up to you.

The risks of using a modded Surfshark VPN APK

Some of you may have considered using a modded Surfshark VPN APK. Beware, it's a fake Surfshark app. Getting a modded APK for Surfshark VPN is very risky.

Compromised security

Compromised security

If you’re using a Surfshark VPN mod APK, whoever modified the APK can be spying on you. They can be intercepting all of your data, and you wouldn’t know it.

Surfshark support can’t help

Surfshark support can’t help

Who knows what modifications have been made to the modified Surfshark VPN APK? Surfshark’s support isn’t in the know, so if any troubles arise, they won’t be able to help.

Minimal security

Minimal security

A modded Surfshark APK misses out on all the updates that are necessary to keep the app secure and improve its functionality.

Actively working against the VPN

Actively working against the VPN

Surfshark works diligently to shut down illegal connections, so the modded APK won’t work. Whatever service you tried to gain may be lost suddenly and without warning.

Surfshark can protect more than your Android

Download the version of the VPN app for your platform of choice:

Surfshark VPN vs. free VPNs

We don’t recommend using a free Android VPN because most free services limit data usage and cap your speed. The worst free VPNs collect and sell user data to keep their service running. Here’s why premium VPNs trump free:

No activity logs

No activity logs

Premium VPNs don’t need to sell user data to finance themselves, so they’re much more likely to have a no-activity-logs policy and abide by it.

Modern protocols

Modern protocols

Free VPN developers don’t have the money for research and development like premium VPN developers.

Unlimited data

Unlimited data

A free VPN is likely to limit your speed or data — that’s their way of making you upgrade to a paid plan. A premium VPN already comes with unlimited bandwidth.

Prioritizing security

Prioritizing security

Maintaining a secure and modern VPN network requires money. A free VPN can’t ensure the same level of security that a subscription-funded premium VPN can.

Thousands of servers

Thousands of servers

Your internet connection speed with a VPN depends partly on the number of servers and locations that a VPN offers. Premium VPNs always have a larger server selection and better server infrastructure than free alternatives.

Good speeds

Good speeds

A premium VPN like Surfshark can afford to upgrade its servers to 10Gbps — something a free VPN would hardly be able to do.

3200+ servers, 100+ countries, 6 continents

All servers
Australia AUS
Brazil BRA
Canada CAN
Chile CHL
France FRA
Germany DEU
Hong Kong HKG
India IND
Israel ISR
Japan JPN
New Zealand NZL
Norway NOR
Netherlands NLD
Singapore SGP
South Korea KOR
Spain ESP
Sweden SWE
Switzerland CHE
Turkey TUR
United Kingdom GBR
United States USA
All servers

Verified security

“To sum up, Cure53 is highly satisfied to see such a strong security posture on the Surfshark VPN proxy extension, especially given the common vulnerability of similar products to privacy issues.”

Dr. Mario Heiderich, Founder & CEO of Cure53

Verified security

Try Surfshark risk-free

Try it risk-free and see for yourself. Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans purchased directly from our website, and you can even get a 7-day free trial through the Android app:

  1. Download the Surfshark app on the Google Play Store.
  2. Open the app and choose Start free trial.
  3. Create your account and select the 12-month option.
Try Surfshark

FAQ

Is it legal to use a VPN on Android?

Using a VPN service is legal in most of the world. It is a privacy and security tool, and there’s nothing illegal about protecting yourself online.

Is it safe to use a VPN on Android?

Most VPNs are safe to use on an Android as long as you stay away from the free ones. Just remember to research the providers and check their privacy policies.

Does Surfshark VPN work on Android TVs?

Yes, Surshark works on Android TVs you can find on the Google Play store. Please note that it’s not compatible with an Ethernet cable connection on Android TVs/boxes running Android 9.

Is there a 100% free VPN for Android?

Free VPNs for Android do exist, but we don’t recommend using any of them. Not only do they provide a subpar VPN experience due to a slow and limited connection, but they are also known to have serious security risks. To get the best VPN for Android, go with a paid tool.

Does Android have a built-in VPN?

Yes, Android devices come with a built-in VPN capability. However:

  • It does not run the most modern VPN protocols;
  • It requires a manual setup; 
  • You still need to find a VPN server to connect to.

Even the Google help page isn’t that enthusiastic about the capability.

How do I manually install a VPN?

If you want to install a VPN manually, you need to download an APK file for the app. We have a guide on the subject. The short version is:

  1. Download the APK file.
  2. Open the file.
  3. Wait for the VPN app to install.
  4. Launch the app and log in.

Can a VPN increase my mobile internet speed?

A VPN can help with ISP (Internet Service Provider) throttling by hiding your internet traffic and not giving the ISP a reason to slow down your connection.

Does a VPN make me untraceable?

While you cannot be 100% anonymous on the internet, a reliable VPN makes you very, very hard to trace.

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