The Opera web browser may have lost its companion VPN last year, but it's making a comeback this year and there's now no need to install a second app. Opera combined the two!
You may remember back in April last year Opera announced that Opera VPN for iOS and Android was permanently shutting down. There were two versions of the app, the free Opera VPN and $29.99 Opera VPN Gold, both of which disappeared. However, what we didn't know at the time was Opera planned to replace them with a new VPN, only this one is built directly into the browser.
As the Opera blog explains, the latest version of Opera for Android includes a new built-in VPN. It's completely free to use, unlimited, and no logs are kept of your activity while using it. By shipping it as a standard part of the browser, Opera says it is giving users increased control over their privacy without need of another app or by having to pay for a VPN service.
For now, the version of Opera with the VPN available to use is limited to beta testers. Once the kinks are worked out it will become available to everyone who chooses to install the mobile browser.
Using the VPN is simply a case of enabling it from within the browser and selecting your virtual location from a list of options including Optimal, Europe, America, and Asia. Most users will simply stick with Optimal though, which should automatically select the best server to connect to.
As with all VPN providers, Opera replaces your IP with a virtual IP through which all internet traffic is directed. By doing so, any service provider tracking and logging your activity will only see this virtual IP rather than your actual destination. And as Opera isn't keeping any logs there's no record of your surfing habits.
There's no definite date being given for when the VPN will come out of beta. Opera simply states, "tests for the built-in VPN will continue for some time with a gradual rollout to our beta users." There's currently no details on whether Opera will be bringing the same feature to iOS.