The irony of a company known for collecting user data for targeted advertising offering a VPN service, which is supposed to protect privacy, immediately raised questions about its trustworthiness. Even worse, the VPN only offered basic features compared to competitors, and it was limited to mobile devices initially.
This eventually led to the service failing to gain significant traction among users. Fast forward to 2024, only four years after its launch, and the termination announcement was finally made via official email to its user base.
Discontinuation Details
While the email definitively confirms that the service is ending soon, we have no exact dates, as it only said that it will end sometime “later this year.” The only other direct info provided was that existing customers will be directed to alternative third-party VPN services in the coming months.
User reactions to the news have been mixed, with some expressing disappointment at the loss of a rather convenient feature, while others maintain the same doubts many pointed out during its initial launch. Indeed, VPNs do make much more sense for circumventing content restrictions based on geography, suggesting that Google’s VPN may have struggled due to its lack of support or advertising for such use cases.
For Pixel users, don’t worry. The free Pixel VPN introduced with the Pixel 7 series in 2022 will remain available, with guaranteed support for five years. Moreover, the Pixel 8’s VPN upgrade will be extended to the Pixel 7, 7 Pro, 7a, and Fold in June, transitioning from the Google One app to a built-in service without a persistent notification.
Once More Into the Google Graveyard
Google’s history of quickly discontinuing services has been a point of criticism, with some arguing that the company does not provide adequate time for new offerings to grow and establish themselves. Stadia shutting down after just four years is a prime example of this trend, doomed to fail right from the start due to crucial (“obvious”) elements that Google simply didn’t want to address. Much like the folly of a very limited VPN service catered by a company with privacy as one of its very last priorities.
Thus, the “Google Graveyard” has claimed yet another victim.
