How to set up a VPN connection on Android

A VPN isn't only useful to protect your data, however. With it, you could access region-locked content (say Netflix/YouTube outside of eligible countries), as what a VPN essentially does is route your traffic through a (usually) geographically distant server. For example, if you live in, say, the United States, sites and services will be tricked into thinking that you're actually from, say, Germany, so long as you use a VPN service that has a server on the ground there. What's even more, the IT department at your workplace or university likely has a VPN server that you can use in order to access either's respective network and, therefore, files and documents remotely. 

So now that you have a basic understanding of what a VPN is, you may be wondering if Android does it. Thankfully, the answer is yes, and we'll be showing you how. Just keep in mind that certain VPN standards may require you to download a third-party app for the job (like OpenVPN Connect), which aren't covered in this guide.

* Screenshots taken on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, but procedure is essentially identical across most Android devices, so just re-create the steps on yours.