Compared to other VPNs, the one included with Google One is more privacy- and security-oriented. An upcoming update to the Google One VPN will let you better obscure your location with a “broader IP address region.”
About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.
Version 1.179.528927297 of Google One for Android includes a string describing how you can “use a broader IP address region.” Google explains that this is “for even more privacy” so that various services will see “your country instead of your local region.”
In my experience, the Google One VPN is often reported as a nearby city and sometimes state. This will be optional, and Google warns how “this may affect location-based experiences in apps and websites that you visit.”
For even more privacy, toggle on to use a broader region, like your country instead of your local region. This may affect location-based experiences in apps and websites that you visit.
This option is decidedly not for getting around geo-locked content, with Google One making no changes to the main premise of its VPN. While the latest update to the Google One app is widely rolling out today via the Play Store, this broader VPN option is not yet live and presumably requires a server-side component.
Back in March, Google made the VPN available to all paying subscribers, including the $1.99/month plan, after previously limiting it to the $9.99/mo offering. This followed the Google One VPN becoming a perk for Pixel buyers.
Thanks to JEB Decompiler, from which some APK Insight teardowns benefit.
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