Well I installed the free ProtonVPN as a trial. I’ll have to see if it is worth keeping.
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Out of curiosity, how would you even know? How do you even test? 
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There is no way I can test its effectiveness in terms of privacy etc. I can assess how obstructive it is accessing websites, and what it might prevent me doing.
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A VPN doesn’t magically make your privacy better. I would say for most users it doesn’t really help, because browser fingerprinting. Don’t just install it because the ads tell you to do so. Ask yourself two questions:
- Do I need to access content that is geo-blocked?
- Do I trust the VPN company (probably outside my country) more than my internet provider (which is bound by data protection laws)?
If the answer to both is no, you probably don’t need a VPN.
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The VPN is only for use when I am away from home and connecting to public networks.
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wireguard vpn is so easy to setup on a cheap vps i always recommend that to people. there is a script on github to set one up on any linux distro using apt. it even prints the vpn config out to a qr code in your terminal that you can scan with your device.
i use proton email for many ‘official’ things as an alternative to gmail. do i trust them though?
no
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Thank you for your suggestion. I looked at the Wireguard web site and found it to be utterly incomprehensible, while scripts and github are equally meaningless for me. If an application will not install itself without intervention from me I look elsewhere for a way to achieve my aims.
understandable. if you just want to access unknown sites etc, why not just use tor browser or orbot? they’re available by default from the f-droid app iirc.
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Then don’t complain if they fooled you later…
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I use the free ProtonVPN along with the Location Changer app available in the Play Store only when I want to view a program (local news or sporting events) unavailable to me because I am on vacation or I know a sports event is being aired for free only in the state that the event is being played in. I used the free ProtonVPN a lot early on and as others have said it (as is any VPN) can only do so much as far as hiding your identity and any “free” versions are extremely slow during peak hrs. as your not the only one opting not to pay thus, there servers get bogged down big time.
I now use Orbot for an extra layer of protection as it will send most apps through the Tor Network and if I’m wanting to surf the web in private I use the Tor Browser.
Download Orbot here in play store:
Download Tor Browser here in play store:
Download Location Changer here in the play store:
Orbot is in the Guardian Project repo, why use Play store?
And we have FakeTraveler | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository in F-Droid too… again, no need for Play links…
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Orbot, Tor browser and Fake GPS are not in the F-droid repository, which is the only one I am using until I get to know my way around smart phones some more.
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Who’s complaining?
orbot and tor browser are in guardian-project repos, which is enabled by default on every f-droid client i’ve ever used. try droidify.
you can find all the extra f-droid repos here . sometimes you get updates faster that way. good luck!
Well . . . linking to Playstore in a F-Droid forum . . . I am not complaining. But I get @Licaon_Kter s point
The question was whether anyone has general comments and these are mine. I am not saying it’s bad, just that I tried using Proton in quasi-public locations - e.g. medical facilities that provide Internet access – and it has not been successful. Either it cannot maintain a connection or is unable to make any connection. Proton told me that some facilities block VPNs - or at least Proton VPN - from establising a sustainable connection.
At last, an answer to my question thank you. I used Proton VPN for a few hours on a train two days ago. Except for the expected interruptions in tunnels and cuttings, it worked well enough for my uses.
At the time my understanding was if I opted sideloading apps eg(.apk files ) if or when there were bug fixes in a newer version I would not be able to update as play store does. My understanding was I would have to manually look around for newer versions and then uninstall and install newer version. I’m definitely not a know-it-all or anything close still learning and I plan on continuing learning as I don’t fathom there being an end to advanced technology. 
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