If you can't connect successfully when using another VPN, for instance, you can at least try another location, or another protocol. The app's extreme lack of features is a problem, even for less technical users. When you're done, tap Disconnect, the connection closes, and another Hotspot Shield web page opens with the helpful (ahem) message: 'you are now disconnected.' Once you're connected, the app displays various panels with useful status information: your new IP address, server load, session length, the data you've transferred, and more. Although Hotspot Shield's desktop apps don't display ads directly, they open a page on the Hotspot Shield website every time you hit Connect or Disconnect, which quickly becomes annoying. A 'Manage' link takes you to an account dashboard, for instance, while a 'Support' link points to the website support center.Ĭonnection times are short, typically two or three seconds, but there's one small irritation. There's a sidebar with a few tabs, but even those mostly point you to pages on the Hotspot Shield site. You can ignore the location list, because the free plan only connects to the US – and there are no settings, at all. The main app window is little more than a sleek black frame with a Connect button. If simplicity comes top of your VPN app priority list, then you're going to love Hotspot Shield's Mac release. We'll talk about the Mac app in this review, and add our thoughts on the Windows build when it's finally rolled out.) (As we write this, Hotspot Shield's unlimited bandwidth Windows app hasn't yet been made available. The Mac app is highly streamlined – but overly so (Image credit: Hotspot Shield) Windows and Mac apps Never mind four audits, we'd be very happy if Hotspot Shield could manage just one. TunnelBear has put itself through four independent audits (one a year) of its apps, servers, website, infrastructure and more. That's good to hear, but we'd like some evidence to verify Hotspot Shield's claims. And the privacy policy explains that the service doesn't log anything at all that you do online. The company's Hydra protocol uses strong AES-256 encryption to shield your data from snoopers, for instance. How much of a problem is that? Just ask the well-known VPN authority, umm, Hotspot Shield, the firm which wrote an article entitled '3 reasons why a VPN kill switch is not optional' that includes the line 'if your VPN doesn’t have a kill switch, then it’s almost as bad as not using a VPN at all.' Unfortunately, Hotspot Shield doesn't seem to feel the same way, as its free plan doesn't include a kill switch (a feature which protects your traffic if the VPN connection drops). It's fair to expect limits and restrictions with a free VPN, but we don't think they should affect privacy. The small print tells us it does log some user data and it’s not the cheapest of the group.Hotspot Shield's stance on privacy is generally laudable, but there are some caveats here (Image credit: Hotspot Shield) Privacy and logging The Hotspot Shield VPN design is for speed and ease of use and it does exactly what it claims with very little set-up. There are other VPNs with more functionality out there, like Express VPN and CyberGhost. It’s also available for iOS, Windows 7 and later, as well as Mac. Hotspot Shield VPN runs on Android 7.0 and up. However, this application still stands out amongst the crowd. The payment setup is comparable to UltraVPN and CyberGhost. There is a free version, but all the interesting features are available across 1-month, 6-month, and 12-month plans. Data logging defeats the purpose, in a way. The company is trustworthy, but it’s a VPN. The company states that all data generated by online activity gets deleted from the servers once a session closes. There is, it seems, some logging going on, though. Privacy is a prime reason for using a VPN and, at first glance, the company promises to prevent data logging. It can also be set for automatic activation depending on the specified network, for example, mobile, unsecured, and secured networks. The VPN can be set to deactivate when the phone is in sleep-mode to save battery power. When these apps go online, Hotspot Shield protects them with no intervention required. This makes the Android version way faster to use.Īnother top-notch feature is that it adds selected apps to a safe-list. Others, like the windows version, select the previous server connection. The default option is to search for the fastest local server. Once started, it shows you a map with your location. Hotspot Shield VPN presents a clean, simple interface. A VPN for Android that focuses on speed, ease of use and privacy.
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