You may already have a great VPN for your iPhone, or be thinking about getting one. Either way that's a good step towards better security and personal anonymity in your digital life. But with that VPN making you appear to be someone you're not and in a different location, it will be working your iPhone harder. So should you leave your iPhone VPN connected all the time?
Yes, a VPN will have an impact your iPhone battery life as well as your data speeds. So you may want to think about how to use it so this isn't as much of an issue. Here are a few hints and tips to help you stay as secure as you need to while making sure your iPhone is useful all day.
What is your iPhone VPN for?
The use of your VPN will affect how you fire it up and how it chews your battery. We say chew, most VPNs are actually pretty power-efficient. But to save even that amount you may want to turn it off from time to time. If you're not using it for security, but rather to watch geo-restricted shows and movies on a streaming service, then you only need it only during those times.
But if your VPN is all about your security and anonymity then you're going to want to leave it on. The issue here is that iPhones can send and receive a lot of data in the background to keep you up to date. You can opt for some power saving options which may restrict that data which means less activity so the VPN remains less active, but the compromise here is that not all apps will have as much online access when your phone is locked.
If you're using a VPN on iPhone for banking or PayPal money transfers, you'll need to be careful as they can lock you out if a VPN is detected. This can be avoided by using a server that is close to your location. In these cases, again, you can connect to the VPN for the banking or money transfer and then turn it off again when you're all done.
How to save battery using an iPhone VPN
Yes, your VPN is running but that doesn't mean you have to lose a ton of battery life. Since the VPN will only really be working as a battery-intensive app while data is going in and out, cutting down on this data transfer can help. This can also help you save on data costs or help your free VPN data limit last longer.
Using your device settings, you can limit the amount of background access that apps have, either generally or by individual app. This will ensure that you save battery in general and data, but also keep your VPN workload to a minimum too.
This is a great way to keep your VPN up and running, so you're always secure, but without chomping through battery life.
What is the best VPN for iPhone?
Our overall favorite VPN is ExpressVPN but there are other great options like NordVPN and Surfshark which offer lots of options to help keep you secure without compromising battery life on your iPhone. Be sure to check out our roundup of the best VPN deals to help you save on your new subscription.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:
1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).
2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
