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Should your VPN be on all the time?
When to keep your VPN on, when you can turn it off, and how split tunneling helps with banks and streaming apps that block VPN addresses.
Key points
- On public or untrusted Wi-Fi: yes. Germany’s federal cyber security agency, the BSI, advises using a VPN there.
- At home: your choice. A VPN hides your browsing from your internet provider, but some connections get slower.
- When a service blocks VPN addresses: leave that app out with split tunneling, or turn the VPN off for it.
A simple decision table
| Situation | VPN on? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel, café, train, airport Wi-Fi | yes | the network operator sees only the encrypted tunnel |
| Your home network | optional | hides your browsing from your internet provider |
| Mobile data | optional | same as at home; your mobile provider sees less |
| Banking app blocks you | leave the app out | many banks block known VPN addresses |
| Streaming app blocks you | leave the app out | services block VPNs under their own terms |
| Online games, video calls | optional | a long route can add delay |
The BSI’s advice for public Wi-Fi: if you must open confidential data over someone else’s network, do it through a VPN (BSI: security tips for public Wi-Fi).
Split tunneling: on for most, off for some
Split tunneling sends only some apps through the VPN and the rest directly. It solves the most common problem with an always-on VPN: one app that refuses to work through it.
- Your devicesplit tunneling on
- VPN serverbrowser and most apps
- Websitessee the server address
Apps you leave out connect directly and show your real address.
Why connections can get slower
Your traffic first travels to the VPN server and only then to the website. If the server is far away, every request takes longer: a reply that takes one millisecond for the round trip can come from at most about 100 kilometers away, and real routes are longer than a straight line. A server in a nearby country is usually faster.
This is also how this archive measures where servers are: a fast reply proves the server is near. The guide How latency locates a server explains it.
How to turn your VPN on or off
- In the VPN app: the main button connects and disconnects. This is the easiest way on every device.
- iPhone and iPad: once a VPN app is installed, a VPN switch appears in Settings. You also find it under General, then VPN & Device Management.
- Android: open Settings and search for “VPN”. The VPN screen lists your VPN apps; the gear next to one leads to the always-on setting. Menu names differ by phone maker.
Always-on settings in the app
- Start on boot connects the VPN when your device starts.
- Kill switch blocks the internet when the tunnel drops, so your real address does not show.
- Auto-connect on untrusted Wi-Fi turns the VPN on for networks you have not marked as safe.
Check after changing settings: open the IP check with and without the VPN to see which address each app or browser uses.
Next step
Level 2 starts with Virtual VPN locations: what it means when a country in the list is not where the server stands.
The figures in this guide come from the archive and change with every data update. As of October 17, 2026.
Check it with the archive's data
Read next: Virtual VPN locations: when the server is somewhere elseAll guides