Google has announced in an email to users that it will sunset its VPN service that comes with Google One “later this year.”

Despite efforts to make the VPN feature widely accessible, Google cited low user engagement as the primary reason for phasing out Google One VPN.

On Thursday, 9to5Google reported that Google decided to shut down the feature because it found “people simply weren’t using it.“ The move allows Google to “refocus” and “support more in-demand features with Google One.” Meanwhile, existing Google One VPN users will reportedly be migrated to third-party services.

Google One VPN: From Launch to Sunset

Launched in 2020, the VPN service was initially only available to subscribers of the 2TB Google One storage plan, priced at a minimum of about $9.99 per month. Recognizing the potential for broader adoption, Google expanded access to all Google One plans in 2023, including the basic plan — available for as low as $1.99 per month.

Despite these efforts, Google observed a lack of interest among its user base. In an email to Google One subscribers seen by 9to5Google, the tech giant announced its decision to sunset the VPN service “later this year” without specifying an exact date.

While some members of the broader Google One community are disappointed with the removal of this service, Pixel smartphone users will retain access to Google’s other VPN services. Specifically, owners of Pixel 7 devices and newer models can activate the free VPN function through their device settings.

Devices in the Pixel 7 series “will stop using the Google One app and switch to a built-in service,” 9to5Google said. Meanwhile, Google Fi’s VPN functionality will remain available.

The Future for Google One VPN Users

Google One VPN is another product heading toward the “Google Graveyard.” There, it’ll join the likes of Google Podcasts, Google Jamboard, Google Hangouts, and several other discontinued Google services.

As Google One evolves, the tech giant remains committed to enhancing its subscription service with features that resonate with user demands. This includes expanding access to advanced photo editing tools and introducing AI-powered capabilities to a wider audience.

We’ve subjected Google One to extensive tests, and it earned a score of 6.0/10 from our cybersecurity experts. We didn’t like that it had only one VPN protocol, wasn’t widely available, and had no VPN server location list. Google’s history of privacy breaches doesn’t help either.

While you can still use Google One VPN in 22 countries across iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows, we recommend making the switch now to a trusted alternative.

PremiumVPN is currently our top-ranking VPN, with a high score of 9.3/10. We recommend this VPN for its comprehensive security features, strict no-logging policy, blazing-fast speeds, and unblocking capabilities. Check out our PremiumVPN review to learn more about this VPN and why we rate it highly.