Google's VPN (launched in late 2020) is now available for Windows and macOS users. The company has launched dedicated apps for Microsoft and Apple's operating systems, allowing Google One subscribers to use VPN on desktop computers.
Despite being called "VPN by Google One," the service is slightly different from your regular virtual private network providers, such as NordVPN or Private Internet Access (PIA). One of the reasons people buy VPN services (or use free, which is sometimes worse than not using a VPN at all) is to use geo-locked content and access various websites from different countries. This feature is not available for Google One users, but the service still lets you hide your IP address and mask the traffic.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the VPN is not available for all Google One subscribers. Only those subscribed to the 2TB plan can access Google's virtual private network, which costs $10/mo and allows sharing it with five people.
You can download Google's VPN client from the official webpage. The company provides apps for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, but the latter lacks 32-bit and ARM support, which means no luck for those using machines with 32-bit Windows 10 or the latest Surface Pro 9 with the SQ3 processor (or similar Windows on ARM machines). Confusingly, users with Apple Silicon-based Macs can use the app without issues.
VPN by Google One is available in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. You can learn more about the service on Google's official support website.
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