Once the device is sound, the next question is what happens to your traffic and your conversations as they leave it. Two things shape that: the network path your traffic takes, and the channels you use to communicate. Both are easy to improve, and both are commonly misunderstood.
What a VPN actually does
A VPN routes your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server run by the provider, which hides your traffic and your real address from your local network and your internet provider. That is genuinely useful: on untrusted networks, and against casual observation, it closes a real gap. What a VPN does not do is make you anonymous. You are moving your trust from your internet provider to the VPN provider, so the provider you choose matters. Mullvad is a strong default: it works without an account and can be paid for in cash, which minimizes what it knows about you. Proton VPN is another solid option, particularly if you already use the wider Proton ecosystem.
Compartmentalize
There is no rule that you must use the same VPN everywhere. Using different providers on different devices keeps the two separate, so that the picture available from one does not automatically connect to the other. This is the same principle as separating devices and inboxes: reduce the number of places where all the threads join up.
Messaging: content is the easy part
Most people think about message security in terms of whether the content is encrypted. That is the part that is largely solved. The harder leak is metadata: who is talking to whom, when, and how often. Signal is the pragmatic default for most people, because it combines wide reach with minimal metadata. It is the channel most of your contacts will already have, and it is a genuine improvement over standard messaging.
A note of caution on one common alternative: Threema was acquired by an investment company in 2020, which is worth keeping in mind when deciding how much to rely on it. For those who want more control and are willing to accept a little more friction, more sovereign options exist. NetSfere and the Element and Matrix ecosystem are both decentralized and end-to-end encrypted, which means no single company sits at the center of the network. They ask more of you to set up, and they earn that effort when the stakes justify it.
Match the channel to the conversation
As always, the right choice depends on what you are protecting. Signal for everyday secure communication is enough for most people most of the time. Reserve the more involved setups for the conversations that genuinely need them. A setup you actually use consistently beats a more secure one you abandon because it is too much work.