How VPN connection affects your phone’s battery life?

02 July 2024
We tested whether being constantly connected to a VPN service is detrimental to battery endurance.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • 3{%
  • 06 Aug 2024

is this an informative, objective piece of information or just paid advertising?

    Y'all selling out like this is why I feel no guilt over using an adblocker on your site.

      Does it make any difference if you're using WiFi or your cell service? I don't use a VPN (no need) so I am just curious.

        Reader, 13 Jul 2024It would be appreciated if sponsored or otherwise affiliate... moreWhat matters most is that it was an HONEST benchmark, not whether or not it was also an advertisement.

          Anonymous, 13 Jul 2024On a low end device, you'll notice significant battery... moreNot true. I'm using Wireguard app on my Snapdragon 625 phone and I see no difference in battery life.

            Anonymous, 13 Jul 2024What about secure dns? Does it slow down your internet spee... moreYou are using DNS anyway, so Secure DNS isn't affecting your internet speed comparing to non-secure DNS.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • 6jZ
              • 17 Jul 2024

              I use a privately run VPN service and I can confirm it doesn't hurt battery life so much. I still get more than a day on my S23 and I limit charging to 80%. The VPN is always on otherwise I can't reach most of my self-hosted services.

              For public VPN I'd go for mullvad though.

                • G
                • GK222
                • Fvd
                • 15 Jul 2024

                You did not mention what was the wireless connection technology used for the testing: WiFi / Cellular ? If cellular, 4G or 5G ?
                This will have a major effect on battery consumption.

                  • T
                  • Tyfyh
                  • 3Nx
                  • 14 Jul 2024

                  Luv Palestine, 13 Jul 2024We need more articles like this With various apps from no... moreno we don't it's a blatant ad if you haven't noticed

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • 0cB
                    • 14 Jul 2024

                    Leanzazzy, 14 Jul 2024All of these things obviously slow down your Internet speed... moreThank you for this detailed info. I didn't notice big speed difference as well.

                      • .
                      • .alpha
                      • 4}u
                      • 14 Jul 2024

                      Very interesting test. Didn't expect VPN would have any affect

                        • P
                        • Ping
                        • mvf
                        • 14 Jul 2024

                        Dont use NordVPN though, really bad service. Split tunnel that dont work and even after you filled in a few tickets, 12months later still the same issue.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • Ey1
                          • 14 Jul 2024

                          Takes even more power to test to see if the VPN is for real actually doing what it is supposed to do. Set up a network to look at the traffic for an extended period of time. Is it for real really encrypted? Probably not all the time. So VPN who cares?

                          And if the phone is so top notch in the first place when the phone is paid for, why does it need an aftermarket VPN at all anyway? Isn't better really really?

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • rKN
                            • 14 Jul 2024

                            cyber, 13 Jul 2024your home isp knows exactly where you go with or without vp... moreLooks like you need to educate yourself about vpn. With VPN your home ISP can only see that you are connecting to VPN but it can't see what are you searching on the web, though your VPN provider will know that but you are paying for their silence, right?

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • rKN
                              • 14 Jul 2024

                              NeonHD, 13 Jul 2024I personally use Windscribe VPN. Probably doesn't have... moreAny VPN provider from 14 eyes alliance is not trustworthy at all. Hats off for your choice.

                                • c
                                • clay
                                • j%j
                                • 14 Jul 2024

                                Leanzazzy, 14 Jul 2024All of these things obviously slow down your Internet speed... moreyoure right.. two months ago i had problem with my phone. i cant connect to any wifi and i cant use my data. and im barely send a message,but i can able to do a phone call. i thot my fone is damage and im about to get a new one. but before it i scroll to my settings, turning off and on evrything. but nothing happ3ned. then i accidentaly delete the vpn connection i guess and presto my phone works normaly. what the heck is the fckn vpn

                                  Anonymous, 13 Jul 2024What about secure dns? Does it slow down your internet spee... moreAll of these things obviously slow down your Internet speed because your traffic is going through far more hoops and jumps before it can actually reach its endpoints. How much depends on the server, client, and whatever DNS and VPN etc you are using.

                                  As an example, your maximum download speed is always capped by the upload speed of the server, because when you are downloading something, a server always needs to be uploading it from the other side. The more clients downloading from the same server, the slower the individual download speed as the bandwidth is distributed evenly amongst all the clients(assuming their ISPs all provide them with the same speed). You can see this very clearly with torrents. They often die because no one is seeding it from the other end. On the other hand, they may be infuriatingly slow, simply because the server/seeder does not have a high upload speed (as is usual for consumers) or there may be too many peers/leechers/clients.

                                  That is the reason most decent sites either use seedboxes or invest in professional sites that have thousands of servers constantly running with extremely fast upload speeds.
                                  So in reality, most sites and services are mind-bogglingly fast and have enterprise-level speeds that consumers can only dream of, so it's unlikely that you will ever be noticeably capped by them.

                                    • K
                                    • Kev
                                    • 0Za
                                    • 13 Jul 2024

                                    Tyfyh, 13 Jul 2024does anyone know a free vpn?VPN by Google. Now its complimentary with Pixel 7 and newer phones after they axed it from Google One. Otherwise, you're better off getting VPN from your company like my friend, free VPN without someone paying for you is just shady in general.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • Ib5
                                      • 13 Jul 2024

                                      What about secure dns? Does it slow down your internet speed? Reply please. I use adguard dns.

                                        • R
                                        • Reader
                                        • p4K
                                        • 13 Jul 2024

                                        It would be appreciated if sponsored or otherwise affiliated articles were clearly marked, as in this case it's ultimately left up to one's interpretation.

                                        Only one product was named and tested, only benefits were discovered in the conclusion (despite a rather dramatic effect on battery life in certain scenarios), a link to another unrelated product from the same company is provided, and you might receive a commission from sales. Providing honest benchmarks doesn't mean it's not advertisement.

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