Straight answers to the questions we are asked most often.
A VPN builds an encrypted tunnel between your device and a server it runs. Your traffic travels inside that tunnel, so the networks it passes through — your Wi-Fi, your provider, whoever runs the router — can see that a connection exists but not what is inside it.
The service is operated on a no-logs basis: browsing history, the sites you open and what you download are not recorded or monitored. A small amount of technical information is needed to keep servers running and route connections, which is the minimum any network operator requires.
In most countries, yes — a VPN is an ordinary privacy tool, and businesses rely on the same technology every day. Rules do vary, so check what applies where you are. A VPN does not make otherwise illegal activity legal, and you remain responsible for what you do while connected.
Open the app and press the connect button. Automatic mode selects a route for you. If you would rather choose, open the server list and pick a location before connecting.
Auto mode picks a server on your behalf, weighing current load and how quickly each location responds. It is the setting to leave on unless you specifically need to appear in a particular region.
Some overhead is unavoidable: traffic is encrypted and travels further than it otherwise would. In practice a nearby server on a decent connection is rarely noticeable. Large differences usually mean the server is distant or busy, and switching location fixes it.
Connecting through a server elsewhere changes the route your traffic takes out to the internet, which can affect what is reachable. Results vary by service and change over time. Please follow the terms of the platforms you use.
Usually not. Moving between Wi-Fi and mobile data is detected and the tunnel re-establishes itself. If traffic seems stuck after a handover, toggling the connection off and on rebuilds it immediately.
App Proxy routes only the apps you choose through the tunnel and leaves everything else on your normal connection. It is useful when one service needs a different route while banking or local apps should stay direct.
The list needs permission to read which apps are installed, and it is populated after that permission is granted. Grant it in your system settings and reopen the screen. On some versions the list only fills in after the app is restarted.
No. Locations are added, moved and retired as capacity and demand change, so the list is not identical from one month to the next. Auto mode always selects from what is currently available.
Use the contact option inside the app, which passes along the version and device details needed to diagnose a problem. Including what you were doing when it went wrong makes a useful answer much more likely.