Google One VPN is coming to Windows PCs and Mac

Google One users who protect their iOS and Android connections with Google One VPN can now install the same VPN app on macOS and Windows desktop systems. 

The VPN comes with the premium $10 per month Google One Plan with 2TB of online storage. Until now, users could only install the Google One iOS and Android app, which includes a VPN that encrypts the user’s internet traffic and masks their IP address by routing it through a Google-run VPN tunnel. It helps hide online activity from network midpoints, such as Wi-Fi hotspots and ISPs.

Unlike many VPNs, the Google One VPN doesn’t let users pick an IP address to bypass geo-blocking on content. But as VPNs require users to trust that their provider is really handling their traffic securely when it passes through their servers, one of the advantages of Google One, beyond the cloud storage, is Google’s reputation. 

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Google’s VPN service is similar to Apple’s Private Relay as part of its iCloud Plus subscription, which also doesn’t let users bypass geo-blocking and protects user’s traffic when browsing from Safari. Mozilla’s VPN for $4.99 a month for the 12-month plan does let users pick servers from multiple regions, but it’s not really designed to get around geo-blocking. It’s operated by Swedish VPN provider Mullvad (translates to mole). Mullvad has a good reputation for privacy and transparency.              

The Google One VPN is available in 22 countries, including most of western Europe, parts of Asia Pacific, North America and Mexico, although the Google One app for Windows and macOS is currently not available in Europe.

The 2TB Google One Plan can be shared among five users and also includes Google Workspace Premium, which offers improved Meet video features, such as background noise cancellation and video-call recording.