Unblock WhatsApp with a VPN

Why would I need to unblock WhatsApp?

With over 2 billion active users, WhatsApp is the king of the mobile chatting world. You’d think this means it can reach every corner of the planet — and you’d be wrong. The app’s actually banned in many places, including some networks in the US and Europe. Don’t worry — we’ll show you how to run WhatsApp through a VPN.

Where do I need to unblock WhatsApp?

At the moment, WhatsApp is fully or partially banned in China, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Cuba. While their official reasons differ, almost all take issue with WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption. In other words, WhatsApp makes it much harder to spy on citizen communications.

And that’s just the long-term stuff — temporary bans crop up all time. For example, Turkey and Brazil blocked WhatsApp in 2016 due to high-profile investigations. The risk of a sudden country-wide ban has prompted many people to seek permanent ways to unblock WhatsApp.

But the truth is, you don’t need a repressive regime to cut you off from WhatsApp. It’s already blocked in some places in your own country, like your local library, university, or office. Some ISPs even gut the app to protect their own profits — after all, you can’t put roaming charges on WhatsApp calls.

How does a VPN unblock WhatsApp?

To see how a VPN can unlock WhatsApp for you, you need to understand how apps are blocked in the first place. It all comes down to your IP address — the little location tag you get from your network.

Your IP address tells websites and services all they need to know to connect with you. Most importantly, an IP address reveals any restrictions put in place by your network. If WhatsApp sees that you’re connecting from a place where it’s banned, the connection will be blocked to follow your network’s policies.

But what if you could change your IP address? Would that let you bypass censorship and draconian restrictions? The answer is yes — and that’s exactly what a VPN does. Once you connect to a remote VPN server, WhatsApp will see its IP address instead and ignore any local bans.

Should I use a VPN for WhatsApp?

You should use a VPN, period. Today’s online landscape is a complicated mess of traps and sinkholes for your data. Without VPN protection, everything you do on the web is visible to your ISP, government agencies, and malicious snoops.

Sure, WhatsApp protects the contents of your messages with end-to-end encryption. But it won’t hide the fact that you’re using WhatsApp in the first place. A secure VPN will shield all your online activities from others, letting you chat and call with peace of mind.