How do I know if my Android phone has VPN?

Does Samsung have built-in VPN?

On my new Samsung SGH-T999, I noticed that it has a built-in VPN function.

This is a major security improvement. On the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich there is no built-in VPN support at all. So this is the first major improvement I've seen in recent times.

It looks like the built-in VPN supports both OpenVPN and PPTP. Does anyone know if OpenVPN is encrypted? Is the built-in VPN secure? (I presume it uses the Android Keystore or some such). (I presume it uses the Android Keystore or some such).

With a VPN you're relying on the network infrastructure to protect you. If the network is vulnerable then a VPN won't do much good. If the network isn't vulnerable (eg. The network is your company's private intranet) then the VPN can be used to encrypt the traffic between devices.

If the network is vulnerable then a VPN won't do much good. If the network isn't vulnerable (eg. The network is your company's private intranet) then the VPN can be used to encrypt the traffic between devices.

What does "vulnerable" mean? Are you talking about an IPsec VPN where the VPN server is not authenticated, or just a regular IPsec VPN with client certificate authentication? In my experience, only OpenVPN is both encrypted and authenticated (and most of the VPN solutions I have tested are limited to plaintext or unencrypted PPTP). And how is it possible to have both OpenVPN and PPTP? If the protocol is not different, isn't OpenVPN just a simplified implementation of PPTP? You'll get more answers if you edit your post to add more details. If you use IPsec with VPN (or maybe I misunderstood and you meant "IPsec-based VPN"), the VPN server is not authenticated - it just blindly trusts whatever it receives. If someone gets hold of your server, they can read all the traffic and see everything you are sending and receiving. You can of course add some form of authentication, but this adds complexity and introduces a potential attack point.

How do I use built-in VPN on Android?

A build-in VPN app is present on Google's Android mobile operating system.

Android users can choose to use any built-in VPN for free, and the cost of these applications depends upon your specific plan. We will explain here how to use built-in VPN on Android.

Using Built-in VPN App on Android. As we discussed in our How To Turn Off Your IP address on Google Chrome article, you must first download a software called OVPN from play store (the link is provided below). Once downloaded, open it on your desktop, and log into your Google account as you normally would. Within minutes you'll see a pop up that your IP address is being masked to a new IP address.

You will be able to change your IP address to another one for example, 1.1, with just one button. It is the most basic way to use VPN. However, if you want to hide your IP address and surfing data from prying eyes. You can also add a proxy server that will direct your mobile traffic away from you and make you appear as though you're coming from another country. A built-in proxy application is not required and you can find several proxy tools that will do the trick.

How to Hide IP from Google. If your device is running Google Play Store version 3.12 or higher, install OVPN for free. As you click on the Download Now button, you will be taken to the OVPN Settings screen. If you don't have anything configured yet, simply click on Clear data button at the bottom of the screen. The VPN settings screen looks like this:

OVPN Settings Screen. After clearing your data in Google Play Store. The setup will be done automatically and your IP will be hidden once you enter OVPN interface.

Google Maps VPN on Android. You will need to first enable location based services for any Android device, before enabling location based services. Once you have enabled Google play services, make sure to visit the Google Maps website and sign in with your Google account details (it's free for non-business or educational accounts).

Once you are on Google Maps and ready to begin a search, scroll to the bottom of the map until you see a hamburger menu icon.