Editor-DN
What do you want to know?
- Google plans to discontinue the VPN service included with Google One subscriptions.
- The company said it found that Google One VPN is underutilized, which is why it’s being removed.
- Notably, Pixel owners and Google Fi subscribers will still have access to their included VPN services.
Google bundles a few virtual private network (VPN) services with its other offerings, but one of them is going away soon. Google One VPN, the VPN service included with all Google One subscription tiers, will be discontinued in the coming months. Fortunately, the company won’t be making any changes to other VPNs it offers through other programs, like Pixel phone purchases or Google Fi cellular plans.
The move was announced to Google One subscribers in an email on Thursday, April 11. Android Authority. “With a focus on delivering the most in-demand features and benefits, we’re ending free shipping on select print orders from Google Photos starting May 15 and VPN for Google One later this year,” the email said. are doing.”
Google’s idea with Google One VPN was to bolster its subscription offerings while meeting the need for privacy on the web. This feature was previously a perk of the Google One Premium plan, but has been available on all Google One plans since early last year. However, the feature wasn’t that popular, at least according to Google.
According to a statement provided to , the company is “discontinuing the VPN feature because (it) found that people were not using it.” 9to5Google.
Again, Google reiterated the need to focus on the features that Google One subscribers get the most out of. This is the reason why the company decided to cut 17 features from Google Assistant in January.
For what it’s worth, Google is making good on its original promise to owners of the Pixel 7 series of phones. A separate VPN service, called Pixel VPN, is included on these devices for five years. Despite the shutdown of Google One VPN, Pixel VPN will still be available. In fact, Google is expanding Pixel VPN to run on the Pixel 7 series and Pixel Fold without the need for the Google One app. This functionality first appeared in the Pixel 8 series and is rolling out to older devices in June.
The VPN included with Google Fi Cellular plans is also unaffected, meaning there are still a few ways to get VPN service through Google. However, anyone relying on Google One VPN who doesn’t have a new Pixel or Google Fi service will need to switch to another provider.
