Skip to main content

Why the Google Fi VPN icon in your Android status bar changed

One aspect of Google Fi is a built-in VPN, and the MVNO recently made changes to the setup process that most noticeably resulted in a new icon.

Previously, an active Google Fi VPN connection was represented in the Android status bar with a key and G icon. In comparison, all other VPNs on Android, like Google One’s, use an outline-style key.

In recent days, Google Fi has made it so that you have to explicitly “set up a VPN connection.” The Fi VPN had an auto-granted platform permission in the past.

Now, toggling on “Protect your online activity” in the Privacy & security menu of the Fi app is followed by Android’s standard “Connection request” prompt. As part of that, the standard Android VPN icon is now leveraged.

Google tells us today that there are otherwise no functional changes to the Fi VPN. Users are encouraged to update, with the previous approach now being referred to as “Google Fi VPN (Legacy)” in Android VPN settings. It’s no longer supported, and you can tap “Forget VPN” in preferences once you’re on the new one. 

Meanwhile, in other security-related Google Fi news, the virtual carrier network that the MVNO introduced last October to make cellular data anonymous has been down for the past several weeks. It’s “temporarily disabled” as Google makes “improvements to network performance,” with the VPN serving as the alternative.

More on Google Fi:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications