Google offers its own VPN, called VPN by Google, that encrypts your internet traffic and hides your IP address from the websites and networks you use. It is especially useful on public Wi-Fi at coffee shops, airports, and hotels. The service has changed over the years, though, so a lot of older instructions no longer apply. This guide explains who can use Google’s VPN today and walks through turning it on, pausing it, excluding apps, and turning it off.
Who Can Use VPN by Google?
VPN by Google is built into Pixel 7 and later phones and the Pixel Tablet, at no extra cost, in countries where the service is available. Google previously offered the VPN on other Android phones, iPhones, and computers through some Google One plans, but Google ended the Google One VPN in 2024. If you see guides telling you to open the Google One app to turn on the VPN, they are describing that discontinued version.
According to Google’s Pixel help page, you also need:
- A personal Google Account or a Workspace account (Workspace administrators can restrict access).
- A Google Account associated with a supported country or region. The list includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and many European countries.
- A device that is up to date with security updates, not rooted, with a locked bootloader, and not running a beta or unofficial version of Android.
Certain supervised accounts, such as a child’s account, are not eligible.
What Google’s VPN Can and Can’t Do
The VPN encrypts your connection and hides your activity from people on the same public Wi-Fi network and from unfamiliar internet providers. However, you cannot choose a server location. Google states that you can’t change your IP location to access content that isn’t available in your region, so it is not a tool for streaming shows from other countries.
How to Turn On VPN by Google on a Pixel
Step 1: Open Settings
Open the Settings app on your Pixel phone or tablet.
Step 2: Go to Network & internet
Tap Network & internet, then tap VPN.
Step 3: Select VPN by Google
Tap VPN by Google. If you don’t see it, your device or account may not be eligible.
Step 4: Review and turn it on
Read the disclosures and requested permissions. If you agree, tap Use VPN.
Step 5: Look for the key icon
When the VPN is connected, a key icon appears at the top of the screen. The VPN automatically connects each time you join a network.
When you first turn it on, the VPN may check for apps from your mobile carrier and suggest excluding them, since some carrier apps need to use your carrier’s network directly. You can change this later.
How to Pause the VPN
Sometimes a website, a network login page, or a work system won’t work over a VPN. You can pause it on the current network:
- Open Settings > Network & internet > VPN > VPN by Google.
- Tap Pause VPN.
The VPN stays paused until your device connects to a different network. You can also add the VPN by Google tile to Quick Settings for faster access.
Pause automatically on trusted networks
If you trust your home Wi-Fi, you can have the VPN pause there automatically. In the VPN by Google settings, tap Pause VPN on selected networks, then tap Add next to the network. To exclude specific Wi-Fi networks, you need to give the VPN permission to use your location.
How to Exclude Apps from the VPN
Some apps, like online multiplayer games, may work better without the extra latency a VPN can add. To exclude one:
- Go to Settings > Network & internet > VPN > VPN by Google.
- Tap Exclude selected apps.
- Tap Add next to the app.
Excluded apps’ traffic is no longer protected by the VPN. To include an app again, return to this screen and tap the trash icon next to it.
How to Turn Off VPN by Google
Go back to Settings > Network & internet > VPN > VPN by Google and turn the VPN off. The key icon disappears from the status bar.
Using the VPN While Traveling
If your Google Account’s home country is supported, the VPN continues to work when you travel to many other countries and regions. Google publishes a list of locations where travel use is supported. In places not on that list, the VPN will try to connect but won’t work.
What If You Don’t Have a Pixel?
If you use a different Android phone, an iPhone, or a computer, Google’s VPN isn’t available to you directly. Instead, you can use the VPN settings built into your device with a work, school, or third-party VPN service. On Windows, see our guide on how to use a VPN in Windows.
Tips
- Expect a small battery and data impact. Running traffic through a VPN uses a bit more battery and data.
- Keep it on for public Wi-Fi. That is where a VPN does the most good.
- Pause it for captive portals. Hotel and airline Wi-Fi login pages sometimes won’t load until you pause the VPN.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google’s VPN free?
Yes, on Pixel 7 and later phones and the Pixel Tablet, VPN by Google is included at no extra cost where available.
Can I still get Google VPN through Google One?
No. Google discontinued the Google One VPN in 2024. The built-in Pixel VPN is the remaining consumer option.
Can I pick which country I connect through?
No. Google’s VPN doesn’t let you choose a server location.
Summary
To use Google’s VPN, you need a Pixel 7 or later phone or a Pixel Tablet in a supported country. Open Settings, go to Network & internet > VPN > VPN by Google, and tap Use VPN. From there you can pause it, exclude apps, or turn it off at any time.
More Pixel help: how to factory reset a Google Pixel.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.