Google One launched a VPN in October 2020. It was later made available across all plans and platforms. Today, Google revealed that the VPN by Google One will be closed down in the next few months.
Initially, it was advertised as offering an additional level of online security for your Android phone and reassurance that your data was secure.
Google released a white paper explaining the operation of the VPN. Furthermore, the company had the system independently reviewed and made the client APIs open source.
Currently, this VPN can be accessed through the Google One apps on both Android and iOS, and there are versions for Mac and Windows too. It first needed a $9.99 per month Premium plan, but in March 2023, the price was reduced to $1.99 per month.
Google has decided to stop offering the VPN feature because they discovered that people were not using it much.
The company informed 9to5Google that ending this service will allow their team to concentrate on enhancing and supporting other features of Google One that are more popular.
Earlier in the year, Google One reached 100 million subscribers, and CEO Sundar Pichai hinted at its potential growth due to AI. The recent update follows news from this week that AI editing tools in Google Photos will become free soon, with only the unlimited use of Magic Editor requiring a subscription.
The VPN by Google One will be discontinued in the coming months, though no exact date has been given today. Current users will be guided towards alternatives offered by third-party VPN providers.
At the same time, the free Pixel VPN that started with the Pixel 7 series in 2022 remains unchanged. When it was introduced, it was promised to be available for five years.
Actually, the major VPN upgrade launched with the Pixel 8 will be extended to the Pixel 7, 7 Pro, 7a, and Fold in June. These older Pixel models will move away from the Google One app and adopt an integrated service that eliminates the need for a constant notification.
What we think?
I think Google stopping the Google One VPN means they saw not many people used it. They want to focus on other things in Google One.
The Pixel VPN getting an upgrade sounds good. It will be easier for Pixel users without annoying notifications.
I hope the changes will make Google services better and easier for everyone to use. It’s interesting to see how they blend VPN services with their other features.
