Opera has announced that it’s shutting down its VPN app at the end of this month. The Opera VPN app, which provided Android and iOS users with a free VPN for their phones, is to be permanently discontinued as of April 30, 2018. Which sucks.
For the past couple of years, Opera has offered its own VPN service. The desktop browser has a free VPN built into it, and the Opera VPN app for Android and iOS welcomed smartphone users to the party as well. But Opera is now scaling back.
The Opera VPN App Is No More
According to the Opera VPN website, Opera is “discontinuing the Opera VPN app for iOS and Android on April 30, 2018”. The Opera VPN app allowed users to connect to countries around the world, with extra tools to prevent tracking and test their security.
As well as the free version, Opera offered an Opera VPN Gold service that increased speeds, added more countries to the mix, and added dedicated customer support, all for $30/year. But both the free version and the Gold version will soon be no more.
Why am I only learning about @opera's browser having a built-in #VPN? Game changer.
— Kevin Tembo (@KevTembo) April 18, 2018
Given that some people have paid for this app beyond the end of this month, Opera is offering Opera Gold users a free 1-year subscription to SurfEasy Ultra VPN. And everyone else will be offered an 80 percent discount on SurfEasy Total VPN through the app.
It isn’t yet clear whether Opera is only shutting down the Opera VPN app on Android and iOS or whether the free VPN built into the desktop browser is also for the chop. However, users of the Opera browser should probably find an alternative, just in case.
What’s Next on the Chopping Board?
As to why, there is speculation that Opera has discontinued its VPN as a direct result of being owned by a Chinese consortium. VPNs are obviously very popular with Chinese citizens looking to circumvent China’s internet restrictions, hence the speculation.
Opera’s decision to can its VPN app comes just a few months after Opera killed its data-saving app, Opera Max. And once again there was no real reason given for shutting it down. If I was an opera user I’d be worrying about what’s next on the chopping board.
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