Google One VPN is a simple VPN and comes bundled with Google’s premium service, Google One.
To protect your privacy on the Internet, we designed our software to be as simple and safe as possible. You won’t find complex settings or extensive options in this app. In fact, you can’t even choose a location: hit the Enable button and the app automatically connects to a server in your country, protecting you from mass surveillance.
And don’t worry, the VPN only works on Android and iOS. If you’re looking for a more cross-platform solution, our advanced package may be more up your alley.
Google One VPN is an easy-to-use solution that allows anyone to unblock US Netflix, protect their laptops, set up the VPN on a router, or anything even vaguely advanced. However, if you’re looking for something more powerful and complex, this may not be the service for you.
If you’re looking for a lightweight and easy-to-use service that’s designed to protect your internet data when using public Wi-Fi services, then it might be a different story. We’ll look more closely at what Google One VPN has to offer, the things it doesn’t offer, and see whether this service could be smart choice for you.
Today, there’s a lot of fragmentation in the VPN industry and it can be difficult to find one service that offers reliable security for everyone. Google One VPN offers the same security benefits of bigger, more well-known services without the hassle.
By running your data through a secure encrypted tunnel, Snoopers aren’t able to track you, and with our real IP address replaced by Google One VPN’s server, it’s harder for companies to get your information.
The big omission is Google One VPN doesn’t have the option to choose a new virtual location. It’s only limited by the availability of content in your own country, which is normal for most services. As a result, it can’t help you access US-exclusive Netflix shows or other similar ones.
With Google One, you’re not going to get a ton of features – it’s really just a VPN. But if that’s all you need, you’ll be able to find and cancel the VPN from any device with the app. Notifications can also help keep tabs on your VPN, letting you know when the connection drops or what your available bandwidth is like.
The Android app has some additional features that can help you maximize your security. One of these no-nonsense tools is the kill switch. No matter what happens, it will keep your identity and data safe from your internet connection dropping.
Sometimes an app will stop working when Google One VPN is active. In order to bypass this, you’ll need to set your regular internet connection as the default. You may never need this feature, but we’re glad it’s here in case you struggle with that app or service.
When you’re connected, the Android app gives you the ability to pause a VPN’s protection for five minutes. Simply hit an ‘Add 5 min’ button, then wait for five minutes. Once time is up and you’re ready to reconnect, it does so automatically. This can be done repeatedly if needed for more time, just as long as you don’t forget and disconnect at some point in-between. A ‘Snooze’ feature allows to save this process when not on-the-go!
Sadly, the list stops at Android. With just a few features, it could be enough for not-so-demanding users, but it’s still short of what you’ll find in other apps.
Connecting to a VPN from multiple locations can be risky because all of your login and user traffic would go through one centralized server. That single computer knows your identity and where you’re going online, which could leave your account vulnerable to attack by malicious entities – or anyone who manages to crack the server.
Google One VPN strives to keep your browsing anonymous. You log in once and your traffic is routed through two different computers, allowing you to remain private as you browse the web.
The service does log some very general data about VPN use: how many connections you’ve made in the last 28 days, for instance, and how many connections your account has active right now. But that’s not unusual– most VPNs monitor the number of active connections to enforce ‘maximum device’ limits – and there’s nothing here that can link you to any action online or infringe on your privacy.
In some cases, Google doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to protecting user privacy. However, the company has open-sourced some libraries that show how its VPN works internally, and in 2021 they had an audit by NCC Group.
The report (opens in new tab) found that the VPN worked exactly as promised, and explained how Google had taken measures to prevent the system being compromised.
A report warned that technical protections offered by VPNs had not been able to offer “100% protection” against Google abusing its power. This is a common concern among VPN services, and anyone could be subject to this in the future as long as “the system remains open” for any flaws.
There is a lot to like about Google One . The system design, open-sourcing and audit report will never win over the biggest Google skeptics, but in reality, it has more support for its no-logging claim than most of the competition.
Google One VPN (opens in new tab) is available with the Google One Premium Plan or higher. You can take advantage of this service as a Google One user in these countries:
Austria
The great thing about Australia is that you can get high-quality without spending a lot of money. You pay for what you need, and that’s it. No wasted money or time spent on things you don’t need.
- Austria
- Australia
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Norway
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom
- United States
In many cases, the Google One VPN service will not be able to connect to a server in that country you’re visiting. This could lead websites to serve you with cached content instead of their hosted version. If this is an issue for you, then look into a different VPN service.
As a Google One Premium user, you’ll gain access to a plethora of services. In addition to managing your email, wi-fi and screen time with granular controls, you’ll also enjoy 2TB of online storage for all your files, 10% discounts in the Google Store, 1-year included protection on your device and various premium video call features (livestreamer video calls on YouTube and Google Meet noise cancelation capabilities). Additionally, there’s free access to experts who are available around the clock parts of the world to answer any questions you may have about Google products and services and more.
Google One Premium is priced at $9.99 billed monthly, which is cheaper than some big names (ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Hotspot Shield and others are typically around $13 monthly).
Sign up for Google One Premium for only $8.33 a month, which is an expensive subscription. For example, Private Internet Access is just $3.33 per month on its annual plan and $2.03 per month over three years.
If you’re looking for a VPN that really isn’t any different from a simple website, the Google One app is for you. It’s basically just a web page with sections on the VPN and its other features. All you need to do is browse around until you find what you’ve been needing.
Now, this isn’t difficult to use: all you have to do is hit the Enable VPN button, then an Enable VPN switch, and typically you’re connected in around a second. Standard VPN apps usually require one tap instead of two, but that’s the only significant difference.
With Google One VPN on your Android device, using internet connectivity is as easy as swiping down. You can then tap the Google One VPN button to connect or disconnect.
With a VPN, users can ‘surf the net’ and access content which may not be available within your city or country. This often lets you appear as though you’re in Manhattan, but actually in Melbourne.
In Google One’s VPN apps, our servers automatically choose your location, so you’ll always have the best possible speed and performance. We also make sure you can connect to the content you want, regardless of where or what country it is.
One issue with streaming sites in particular is that they often block VPN connections, and prevent access if they detect you’re using one. We wondered if Google One VPN would prevent someone from being able to use the big streaming platforms, so we did some research.
Can VPNs really make you safer? Doesn’t seem like it, does it? The good news is that One VPN can help you bypass your home’s censorship imposed by your government.
We tested Google One’s performance by installing the app on a Samsung Galaxy Tab A7, then connecting to the restaurant using a Three UK 5G router.
With the VPN turned off, the Three 5G router achieved an average speed of 250-260 Mbps.
When activating the Google One VPN, speeds in most cases were reduced to about 200-225Mbps.
In order to get a feel for how this one compares, we tested the Google One VPN on the exact same equipment. All of them averaged speeds of around 125Mbps.
These figures may seem misleading because of the huge number of variables that go into measuring mobile VPN speeds. Depending on the network, device, router, location, ISP and a whole lot more could impact your results.
If you only need a VPN for occasional mobile use while accessing public Wi-Fi, then the Google One VPN is definitely worth a try. The service includes storage space of up to 2TB and other Google One extras that are game changing.