Corbin Davenport
Google has offered a basic VPN service with some of its Google One plans for a while. The feature is now opening up to all people with a Google One plan, starting at $1.99 per month.
Google One is primarily used for adding more storage to Google Drive, Photos, and other services, but a “VPN by Google One” was added as an extra bonus on the Premium tier (which includes 2 TB of storage for $9.99 per month). It’s not the best VPN service in terms of features or availability, but it’s hard to complain about an extra service thrown into an existing subscription. Google finally added a PC client in November 2022.
Starting today, the VPN service is available on all Google One plans, instead of being locked to the Premium 2 TB plan. That includes the entry-level 100 GB plan, which costs $1.99/mo. The company is also introducing a “dark web report” feature for all Google One members in the United States. It will “scan the dark web for your personal info — like your name, address, email, phone
number and Social Security Number — and you’ll be notified if it’s found.”
The Google One VPN is primarily advertised as intended for use on public Wi-Fi, but can also be used anytime you want to temporarily change your IP address. It’s available on Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac, and if your Google One plan is a group, everyone can use it.
Google also started allowing anyone with a Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro to use the VPN for free back in December, so if you have one of the company’s latest and greatest smartphones, you don’t need Google One at all.
