Google’s free VPN offer for the Pixel 7 will keep going for years
Back in October 2020,Google One added a VPN as a free perkfor its subscribers. The service is available in over 18 countries on Android and iOS as long as you are subscribed to a 2TB or a higher-tier storage plan. And despite being available as a free perk,independent auditors found Google One’s VPN pretty okay. During thePixel 7’s launch event on October 6, the company announced that it wouldbundle VPN by Google One with the Pixel 7 seriesfor free, without the need to subscribe to a storage plan. But like all good things in life, the VPN service will remain free to use for a limited time.
In a post onGoogle’s Security Bloghighlighting the various security features of its newest Pixel phones, the company notes, “VPN by Google One will be available at no extra cost as long as your phone continues to receive software updates.” This means Pixel 7 owners can enjoy the free VPN service for five years, i.e., until October 2027. Now, that’s still a long time, and most Pixel 7 users would have already upgraded to a new phone by then. And while the list of thebest VPN apps for Androidis pretty long, it is difficult to beat a free VPN service from Google.
Google might have set the five years deadline after its experience with offering free unlimited Google Photos storage on its Nexus phones and the original Pixel. While these phones shipped with unlimited high-quality Google Photos for life, the perk was reduced tothree years on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3. And starting with the Pixel 3a and until the Pixel 5, the company reduced the perk to only offer unlimited storage space for photos and videos backed up in Storage saver quality.
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