{"id":509215,"date":"2026-01-11T20:05:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T20:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/509215\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T20:05:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T20:05:12","slug":"google-killed-its-vpn-a-year-ago-here-is-the-privacy-tool-i-replaced-it-with","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/509215\/","title":{"rendered":"Google killed its VPN a year ago \u2014 here is the privacy tool I replaced it with"},"content":{"rendered":"

On June 20, 2024, Google officially pulled the plug on its Google One VPN. It was never the fastest VPN<\/a> out there, and it certainly didn\u2019t have the bells and whistles of a power-user suite.<\/p>\n

Still, using it made me feel safer while borrowing public Wi-Fi with an overpriced latte in hand. So I spent time trying to find a spiritual successor.<\/p>\n

Eventually, I landed on a tool so good it made me glad Google pulled the plug on its own service.<\/p>\n

\"Split-screen<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tBest VPNs for multiple devices in 2025
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

It only takes one of these VPN subscriptions to cover your whole fleet of computers, mobile devices, and streamers<\/p>\n

Pixel owners and Fi subscribers, your VPN is still alive<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

Before I get to the replacement part, I need to clear something up for Pixel owners. If you\u2019re using a Google Pixel 8 or anything newer, your VPN is still intact.<\/p>\n

Although Google shut down the standalone Google One VPN app across iPhone, Mac, Windows, and non-Pixel Android phones, the VPN by Google service<\/a> remains a perk for the Pixel faithful<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alongside Pixel owners, Google Fi subscribers still get a built-in VPN that runs directly inside the Google Fi app.<\/p>\n

The three things I look for in a VPN that just works<\/p>\n

\"Illustration
\n Credit:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lucas Gouveia \/ Android Police<\/p>\n

Most VPN companies sell fear. It\u2019s all hackers in dark rooms and ominous talk of government surveillance. I don\u2019t care about the drama. I want to know one thing.<\/p>\n

If I install this on a family member\u2019s phone, will they call me five minutes later because their banking app broke, or their battery is suddenly at 10%?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I judged every option against the three pillars of lazy privacy.<\/p>\n

The resource drain test every VPN has to pass<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s VPN felt especially efficient on Android, likely due to its tight integration with the operating system.<\/p>\n

Most third\u2011party VPNs don\u2019t enjoy that same level of system integration.<\/p>\n

They chew through resources, and if my battery is on life support by mid-afternoon, I\u2019m done with it.<\/p>\n

The CAPTCHA problem most VPNs can\u2019t solve<\/p>\n

Most VPNs make you share IPs with thousands of others. When that many people access Google from one IP, Google gets suspicious.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, you are identifying chimneys and buses in blurry squares.<\/p>\n

In my experience, Google\u2019s VPN didn\u2019t have this problem, likely because Google tightly controls and manages the servers and IP space behind it.<\/p>\n

The VPN interface I enjoy using<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to see a map of the world with 5,000 blinking dots. I\u2019m not here to play network engineer or puzzle out the best server. I want a big button that makes the right call for me.<\/p>\n

Proton VPN checks all my boxes<\/p>\n

\"How
\n Credit:\u00a0Android Police<\/p>\n

There are big names like NordVPN<\/a> and ExpressVPN<\/a>, but they felt a bit too heavy and complicated for what I needed.<\/p>\n

I was after lazy privacy, and that\u2019s why Proton VPN caught my attention<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Proton VPN comes from the same people who built Proton Mail, and its entire business model is built on the idea that privacy is a human right. It\u2019s fast, open-source, and it is governed by Swiss privacy laws.<\/p>\n

The interface is simple, and the app automatically finds the fastest nearby server. You don\u2019t have to worry about protocols or port numbers.<\/p>\n

While the free tier is generous, the $10 Plus version is the true heir to Google\u2019s VPN.<\/p>\n

With the Plus plan, you get access to a feature called NetShield<\/a>. NetShield blocks ads, trackers, and malware at the DNS level.<\/p>\n

When you block things at the DNS level, it means the VPN stops requests before your device even tries to connect to them. This is often faster than blocking them after they\u2019ve already started loading.<\/p>\n

I have also found that my phone feels cooler, and my battery lasts longer when NetShield is active. Using the WireGuard protocol<\/a> \u2014 which is the default \u2014 the speed hit is almost negligible.<\/p>\n

I see download speeds that are about 80% of my base connection. Streaming Netflix in 4K or jumping on a high-res Zoom call has been flawless. I rarely see the buffering.<\/p>\n

Finally, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is no CAPTCHA, and 10 is that I\u2019m a professional bus identifier, Proton sits at a comfortable 2.<\/p>\n

I might get a check once every two weeks, usually when I am on a particularly crowded server, which is fine for me.<\/p>\n

Proton VPN gave me peace of mind after Google left<\/p>\n

Losing the Google One VPN felt like a gut punch at the time. But after using the alternatives, I have realized that we are actually better off<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m using is invisible, budget-friendly, and maintenance-free.<\/p>\n

It costs less than a latte once a month, and, in return, you get the peace of mind that comes with knowing your data is secure.<\/p>\n

Download the app, set up your split tunneling, and turn on the always-on feature today. You will forget it is there within ten minutes, and that is exactly the point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On June 20, 2024, Google officially pulled the plug on its Google One VPN. It was never the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":509216,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[158,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-509215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-technology","9":"tag-united-states","10":"tag-unitedstates","11":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115878268877793663","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}