What is a VPN for on an iPhone, and how do you install one?

You will certainly be aware that the iPhone is among the most secure phones in the world (and this is indeed one of its top selling points). One only need look at the considerable efforts recently made by the FBI to attempt to crack the security locks on Apple's smartphone following the San Bernardino attack. Unfortunately, this security only applies to the handset itself — not to the data it emits, which travels across the network. Indeed, when you send or receive requests over the internet, it is entirely possible for your Internet Service Provider — or a malicious individual — to take a look at the content you are exchanging, and even to access your usernames and passwords.

The first rule for protecting yourself is to avoid connecting to an open Wi-Fi network on which other users may potentially be connected. It is very easy for someone connected to the same open network as you to intercept your data, as it is not encrypted.

For the same reason, never connect to a Wi-Fi network whose origin you cannot identify. It may be compromised and use phishing techniques to steal your information.

If you nonetheless find yourself needing to connect to a public Wi-Fi network — such as in a café or an airport — it is very strongly recommended that you use a VPN. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is an online service that routes all the data sent and received by your device through a secure VPN tunnel to a remote server. In essence, you connect to a server that handles requests on your behalf and returns the results to you, whilst encrypting the entire connection. Neither your ISP nor a third party will therefore be able to read the data packets passing through your device.

We recommend using the services of ExpressVPN, which also offers packet encapsulation and AES 256-bit encryption for even greater security. It is also worth knowing that when you use a VPN server located in another country, you will appear as though you are based in that country. This means that content which would normally be unavailable to you becomes accessible — whether that is US-exclusive Netflix content or the BBC.

Avoid free so-called VPN services as much as possible; they will not hesitate to infect your connection or sell your data to third parties in order to generate revenue. As always, when something is free, it is often because you are the product.

Once you have signed up with a VPN provider, simply download the provider's app for your iDevice and choose a server to connect to. That is it! You can now browse safely on an unprotected network. Please note, however, that this method (like any other) cannot protect you against phishing attempts, and it is very important to always check the URLs of links you click and sites you visit before entering any sensitive information.