It was just a week ago when the big tech giant announced that its new Google Pixel 7 series comes with its Google One VPN service at no extra cost.
Generally costing around $10 per month as part of the company's Premium One plan, Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are the first smartphones on the market to include an Android VPN completely free of charge.
However, until now it wasn't clear how long users could have enjoyed this free VPN for. And, it looks like this security tool will remain a freebie for longer than many will keep the phone itself.
Google free VPN to support all Pixel's updates
"With VPN by Google One, Pixel helps protect your online activity at a network level. Think of it like an extra layer of protection for your online security," wrote the provider on a blog post.
"VPN by Google One will be available at no extra cost as long as your phone continues to receive security updates."
Google promises that its Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro devices will support up to three years of major OS updates and five years of security updates. You might have even upgraded your phone before your time is up.
This is a great news for users looking to secure their online life without the need to pay for a premium subscription.
However, Google One VPN cannot quite match the features offered by the best VPN services around.
It lacks security options like automatically connecting when you access insecure Wi-Fi, or handy extras like blocking of malware and phishing sites.
You also cannot select the server of your choice, nor spoof your location to bypass online constraints or other geo-restrictions when you're abroad. This means you should opt for another reliable streaming VPN to keep up with your favorite shows when traveling.
In terms of software infrastructure, it doesn't support different VPN encryption protocols either, besides Google's own custom offering.
Is free Google One VPN a no brainer?
Google One VPN is certainly a good way to boost your device's protection, especially seeing that you don't have to pay any fees for enjoying its benefits.
However, we have seen how this VPN software is way behind in terms of functionality to the likes of our top choices ExpressVPN, NordVPN and Surfshark.
Also, even though many free VPNs can put your privacy at risk, there are a few freebie and premium services offering no-fee plans that we would definitely recommend instead. These include the Swiss-based Proton VPN Free, the torrenting-friendly PrivadoVPN, Windscribe, Tunnelbear, Hotspot Shield and Hide.me.
To sum up, if you are planning to buy the new Google Pixel 7 or 7 Pro, make sure to enjoy the benefits of having a built-in security tool free of charge. Do keep in mind its limitations, though.
On the other hand, if the reason you're buying Google's latest smartphone is not paying for its premium VPN, think twice about it. There are way better freebies out there.
What's more, you can always consider a premium provider offering a VPN free trial instead. All the top VPN providers offer between 30 and 45 days money-back guarantee.
