If you've been keeping up with the latest in laptops, you know that the new Snapdragon ARM-powered machines are breaking new ground in terms of performance and battery life However, it is the privacy issues we are concerned about

Because, as it stands, there are only a handful of VPNs that actually work on Snapdragon X Elite-powered Windows laptops, like the excellent new Dell XPS 13 But why is this so?

So why don't most VPNs work? Well, almost all apps on ARM laptops need to be developed specifically for the x86_64 architecture of ARM machines or emulated from a conventional format Unfortunately, due to the nature of VPNs, rough emulation is not an option

Peter Membrey, ExpressVPN's chief engineering officer, said, "Emulation does not work well if the software is specialized or deeply integrated with the operating system Such software also tends to use custom drivers as well as the VPN software itself

Therefore, as long as emulation is not available, providers must create their own ARM-specific applications However, several providers have told us that they face the same problem

If I told you that it is signatures that are stopping users from protecting themselves with top VPNs, you would probably think I was making it up, but it really is

Some providers, such as Surfshark and Windscribe, are ahead of the curve with fully functional ARM apps, but when I contacted the providers, both NordVPN and Private Internet Access (PIA) have said that they are working with compatible We learned that they are waiting for Microsoft to sign off on releasing them

Himmat Bains, PIA's head of product, explained: "We are working with NordVPN and Private Internet Access (PIA) to release compatible apps for ARM native devices 'We've been working on ARM-native applications for PIA, and we're excited to be able to offer them to the public' It was temporarily stalled due to delays in signing driver certificates from Microsoft, but it is now permitted" He added, "We will have a beta version ready for PIA users within a few weeks"

PIA stated

As for our current #1 VPN choice, it could be a similar wait: NordVPN said in a statement, "The ARM-native NordVPN application is in the final stages of development and we are working to launch as soon as possible At this time, we are working closely with Microsoft to obtain the necessary driver signing certificates" This is an important step to ensure application security and compatibility with Windows on ARM-based devices

So it's going to be a waiting game for the time being, but if you have one of these laptops, you can always try using one of the best router VPNs to apply protection to all devices in your network