Breakdown
- Google has sent emails to customers that confirm Google One VPN is being phased out later this year
- The company has cited that “people didn’t use it”, for the main cause of discontinuing the service
- However, Google Pixel users can still access Google’s VPN in the Pixel settings on the Pixel 7 handset or later
Google is synonymous with shutting down services that may have only been alive for a few years. Google Stadia is one huge example of the company investing millions into a service, shutting it down a few years later. And now, Google One VPN is dying and being buried in the Google Graveyard later this year.
While the company decides to invest in Google One AI, alongside the Google Gemini service, an email sent to customers (as seen by Android Authority) has announced that the Google One VPN will be phased out "later this year", alongside free Google Photos printing.
Google claims that this feature is being removed because "people simply weren’t using it", according to 9to5Google, but I think this is a bit disingenuous. I've been using Google One for a few years now, as I prefer Google Photos and Drive over alternative products, and I have never heard of this service as part of my subscription.
If you're on a Google Pixel 7 or later, you'll still have access to Google's VPN service via the Pixel settings, but other users subscribed to Google One won't have access later this year. Google states that phasing this feature out is to help make way for more in-demand services and features.
Personally, I'm still mad at Google for killing off Stadia. While the company has given Google Stadia users longer to turn on Bluetooth, and the controller is so good that GameSir is seemingly copying the Stadia peripheral, I found the actual service to also be exciting. And it was easily the best cloud gaming service when it was available.
Considering some of the best VPNs on the market cost a decent chunk of money, even with plenty of deals available, I would've definitely used Google One VPN more... if I knew it even existed. At least we have a few months until it departs for the Google Graveyard.