Google VPN failed to convince users

In 2020, however, Google added another useful feature, namely the VPN service. Unfortunately, this one did not "catch on" among users.

Photo: Google

Google is shutting down its VPN by Google One service, according to a vague customer email seen by Android Authority, less than four years after it was launched in October 2020. The email doesn't say when this will happen, only that the VPN service will be discontinued "later this year."

Google One VPN subscription prices start at $1.99 and are available on Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows. The company told 9to5Google that it was discontinuing the service because “people just weren’t using it.” Perhaps its customers were simply spoiled for choice, as it’s actually one of three VPN services provided by Google, in addition to VPN offerings that are still available through Google Fi and Pixel devices starting with the Pixel 7.

VPN by Google One is the latest offering to be tossed into the infamous “Google graveyard” just weeks after the Google One cloud storage service announced it had reached the 100 million subscriber milestone. In an email announcing the discontinuation, Google mentioned that the VPN was being discontinued in order to “focus on delivering the most requested features and benefits,” which may have something to do with all the Gemini AI stuff the company is incorporating into Google One.