Did you even use the Google One VPN? [Poll]

Ben Schoon | Apr 15 2024 - 11:45 am PT

In the months to come, Google will be shutting down the VPN that was available as a part of Google One. There’s been plenty of outcry surrounding the shutdown, but did you even use it?

The Google One VPN first made its debut in 2020 as a layer of protection for Android devices, and later also made its way to iOS and desktop platforms too. Much of the appeal of the system is that it is very simply to use and also incredibly affordable, as it’s available through even the cheapest Google One plans.

However, Google says that the reason One’s VPN is shutting down is that hardly anyone was using it.

Google didn’t provide any numbers on how many people were using the VPN service, so it’s hard to quantify just how underused it was. Google One as a whole has around 100 million subscribers, and it’s safe to assume that most of them are subscribed for the sake of additional storage on their Google accounts.

While there were many perks to the Google One VPN, it’s important to think about the context of what the product was. Google was distributing this as an add-on to the subscription rather than a standalone product, and given the main focus of One is storage, it’s reasonable to think that that vast majority of users didn’t even know this VPN is an option.

Top comment by Matthew

Liked by 44 people

It's one of the primary reasons I grabbed the Google One subscription, and definitely the tier of subscription, so that I could make sure that public, airport, hotel wifi etc were more secure. I most likely won't renew it now.

View all comments

And for those more versed on what a VPN is, Google One’s offering doesn’t really stack up to competitors. While it’s drastically cheaper, other VPNs have more features, such as the ability to spoof your location. Google didn’t offer that, and it’s a big part of the appeal for many users.

Google’s VPN offerings won’t be disappearing entirely. The company is still going to offer this functionality on Pixels, but this is still a considerable loss for those who were enjoying the service on other devices.

Were you a fan of the Google One VPN? Did you use it regularly, or not at all? Vote in the poll below!