How to install Surfshark on Android

In this example, we're looking at installing Surfshark on an Android phone. A similar process follows for Mac, iOS, and Windows.

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In the Google Play Store, search for Surfshark and hit install.

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It takes a few minutes to complete the install. Not quite enough time to get a cup of coffee, so you might as well just wait for it.

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Once installed, you can open Surfshark directly from the Play Store.

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And here's the splash screen, in all it is sharky-shark glory.

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If you don't have an account, you'll need to create one.

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Then choose a plan. My recommendation is always to try VPNs first, or take advantage of their money-back guarantees. Even the ones we think are best may not work the way you want, given your location and circumstances. So try before you buy.

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Then log in.

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Go ahead and hit the connect button.

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The first time you connect, Surfshark provides a little helpful tour of its UI. The Connect button is in the lower right.

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Continuing its tour, this is where you set various connection options. We'll show some of them later in this gallery.

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Continuing its tour, this is where you choose the country you want to use for your connection.

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Continuing its tour, this is where you can see your connection info. We'll take a look at that in a few slides.

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Continuing its tour, this is where you change the app settings. We'll show some of them later in this gallery.

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Android may ask you to confirm that you want to use Surfshark as a VPN. This is a good safety feature. Go ahead and tap OK.

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The shark may take a few seconds to activate the VPN and establish the remote connection.

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This was a curious warning I got. My Android (Pie) didn't have any performance issues, but if you do get this warning and do have issues, now you'll know why.

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And just like that, we're connected. I'm in central Oregon, so Surfshark connected me via Bend, Oregon. If I wanted to connect to a different country, I'd hit the globe icon below.

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To choose a different destination, either scroll or search for your location.

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Surfshark comes with some additional features, including an ad blocker and anti-malware feature. We kind of wish Surfshark separated these into two separate features so ads would be allowed, but malware blocked. That way, you'd have more granularity over how you configure your protections.

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Finally, there are more settings you can customize.

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