Google One VPN to Shut Down Later This Year

[MacRumors]

Google One VPN will be discontinued later this year, according to a customer email seen by Android Authority. The service was rolled out for Android in October 2020, before coming to iOS devices and Macs in 2022.

When it originally launched it was part of Google One's Premium 2TB storage plan, priced at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Last year, availability was expanded to all Google One plans, including the cheapest offering for $1.99 per month, making it significantly more affordable.

The company told 9to5Google that it is killing the service because "people simply weren't using it." Existing users will be directed to third-party VPN alternatives instead.

Google will continue to offer VPN functionality through its Google Fi cellular service. Google says Pixel users will also still be able to access its VPN features via Pixel settings if they have a Pixel 7 or newer model.

Article Link: Google One VPN to Shut Down Later This Year

 

[incidentallycheckout]

https://killedbygoogle.com/ adds another!

 

[hacky]

Move on, yet another service killed by the Google.

 

[Steve121178]

There's a lot of pressure from governments regarding VPN services. I wonder if Google caved in? Not that I ever heard of anyone using their VPN service....

 

[Samplasion]

Google shuts down something? Color me surprised.

EDIT:

Move on, yet another service killed by the Google.

Oh, looks like you beat me by a couple minutes haha

 

[Account25476]

Strange decision.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

I think everyone knew there was a particular irony with ‘Google’ and ‘VPN’ in the same service…

 

[RickDEGH]

😂😂😂 oh thou Google how hast my distrust in thee always been validated.

 

[Jim Lahey]

There's a lot of pressure from governments regarding VPN services. I wonder if Google caved in? Not that I ever heard of anyone using their VPN service....

Given the authoritarian wet dreams now on full display as the masks come off, I don't think we're too far away from consumer VPN services being outlawed in some nations. Certainly across the Five Eyes I wouldn't be surprised if they're illegal before the end of the decade. Likely much sooner.

 

[JonathanParker]

Use a VPN like IVPN, Mullvad, or ProtonVPN instead. Particular emphasis on IVPN 😉

 

[n-evo]

Google demonstrates such devotion to their services. Brings tears to my eyes. 🖤

 

[fguerraz]

Of course nobody used it. Yes, people trust them with their holiday pictures, but why would anyone trust Google with potentially illegal stuff?

 

[Ctrlos]

This is why I just cannot go back to Android. I want everything to work as seamlessly as it does on iOS so naturally I choose Googles solutions. There isn’t anything wrong with them and the cloud interface is good.

But you just never know what they will just randomly cut next. It started really with the perfectly good Play Music app but the recent cull of their own Podcasts app (which I really liked) means I’ll never go back now.

Apple doesn’t normally drop apps and if they do it’s for good reason. I used to devour content on iTunesU but it’s a little redundant in the face of YouTube which has wider compatibility. The fact I can still use modern cloud features on my 13 year old Mac Mini speaks volumes.

 

[t0rqx]

Harvested all the data they needed. Now to shut it down before the authorities come in with million dollar claims.

Absolutely classic.

 

[dumastudetto]

VPN has an ongoing cost to Google. Removing it and promising new software features makes Google One more profitable.

Restricting Google VPN to newer Pixel phones only will crush down on all the traffic from multiple devices setups… until they switch it off entirely.

I guess if it were effective for data harvesting purposes they would be keeping it going. So maybe it really is a lot more private than people give it credit.

 

[laptech]

If people were not using Google's VPN then it could not have been a good one then because VPN's are common place in countries were the government clamps down on how much information it wants it's citizens to know. People in communist countries are known to use VPN's to get around their governments control of the flow of information into the country. VPN's are also widely used by people who want to carry out dubious actions, to be able to hide their identity so they cannot be traced. Any VPN that allows a person to properly hide who they, that VPN will be very very popular. Google cannot be hiding people's identities very well then.

 

[coffeemilktea]

Google killing off its own services is pretty routine at this point, but removing a paid service? Now that was a surprise. 😮

 

[Wanted797]

I think everyone knew there was a particular irony with ‘Google’ and ‘VPN’ in the same service…

... facebook launched one not sure if thats more ironic or less 🤔

 

[jonnysods]

Put it in the graveyard. I'm just glad they haven't killed Nest yet, but I know its coming...

 

[NightFox]

Surely one of the reasons people use VPNs is to keep their data away from companies like Google?

 

[JohnRckr]

Well in that case I expect the price of Google One to go down by a bit. If not I am canceling, the less subscriptions the better anyway.

 

[hacky]

Surely one of the reasons people use VPNs is to keep their data away from companies like Google?

That's common misconception. VPN is not going to help you to keep your data away from Google at all (unless Google is your ISP). Google trackers and ads are still going to gather data about you no matter of you using the VPN or not. IP address is not major data point when tracking users anymore.

VPN helps in very narrow use-cases - especially when you trust your VPN provider more than your ISP. In all other cases you're better off without VPN actually. Despite all the marketing claims surrounding the VPNs.

 

[burgman]

... facebook launched one not sure if thats more ironic or less 🤔

That irony goes over the heads of the knee jerk Google is bad crowd here.

 

[Kabeyun]

I think everyone knew there was a particular irony with ‘Google’ and ‘VPN’ in the same service…

Yeah. Google, a company whose founding mission is to acquire as much information as possible, running a VPN feels to me like putting a desperately hungry carnivore in charge of a petting zoo. Even if it was fine, people obviously turned to alternatives. QED.

 

[wanha]

When one door (search engine VPN) closes (Google), another door opens (DuckDuckGo)