I've had this awesome Pixel feature for 4 years, but I just started using it

When the Google Pixel 7 launched in 2022, it came with several interesting features like Face Unlock, Super Res Zoom, an LTPO display, and a bunch of special camera additions. One feature I didn’t give too much attention to, though, was the included free VPN service.

I’d had access to Google’s VPN through my Google One subscription for a year or so already and rarely, if ever, used it. So having it show up for free on my Pixel 7 Pro didn’t move the needle for me. Over the last few months, I’ve started using VPN by Google a lot more, and I can’t believe I didn’t do this earlier.

How Google’s VPN saved me from relying on data everywhere

I don’t usually have a need for a VPN in my personal life, but I’ve had to use one for work many times. Living in France means that some US-centric websites don’t load, don’t show proper pricing, or don’t give me the same info. I have access to NordVPN through work, though, and for the longest time, that was enough for me.

And since I live in France and most of my travel happens in Europe, my current data plan works abroad, too. No need to connect to public Wi-Fi from slow airport networks or any other unprotected networks provided by a hotel, train, or café. I just stuck with my 4G or 5G connection, knowing I wasn’t risking anything by going onto an open network.

Recently, though, I ran into more and more situations where I had to cave in and join a public network. Air France started allowing free internet access on its European flights, which means I can work, browse, or talk to my friends while up in the air. Some trains I took passed by bad-reception areas for long periods of time, forcing me to connect to their onboard Wi-Fi. I found myself in a hotel room where the roaming partner my SIM card chose wasn’t getting a good signal and had to revert to the in-room network. And I visited a couple of expos that required me to join the local Wi-Fi to get their audio guide.

The first time this happened, I felt a bit iffy until I remembered that my Pixel 10 Pro XL had a built-in VPN. I turned it on, and I knew I could use my phone with a bit more ease of mind because my connection was now private, secure, and protected from whatever network provider I was currently relying on, as well as potential hackers.

After that, it has become a bit of a second nature for me to immediately enable my Pixel’s VPN each time I am near a public Wi-Fi. I also taught the trick to my husband, who didn’t know this feature was available for free on his Pixel 7 Pro, too. And ever since, I’ve started using public networks a bit more than I used to, instead of just relying on data everywhere. If I can back up some of my Google Photos pics during a trip before I come back home, or spare my battery a bit by not forcing my phone to stay on data all the time (and we know how terrible data connectivity is for the Pixel’s battery life), then why not use it?

A basic VPN that’s always there

Since the Pixel 8 and 9 series, Google’s VPN has decoupled from Google One and become a Pixel-only exclusive that’s integrated into the Pixel experience and is free to use. Google has also added a few extra features to make the VPN more customizable.

By going to Settings > Network & internet > VPN > VPN by Google > Use VPN by Google, or by using the Quick Settings tile, you can access two important settings. One lets you exclude certain apps from using the VPN, the other lets you exclude specific networks, too.

For the apps, it’s a pretty straightforward list that you can go through and add exclusions from, especially if you notice that some app is misbehaving or refusing to load when connected to the VPN. For the networks, you have to allow location access, and then look at the list of all your known Wi-Fi networks to choose which ones are safe. Your home network should be safe to remain excluded, and in general, I’d recommend keeping the mobile network excluded, too. Unless you know you’re using an unsafe service provider.

Of course, I wish Google would do more for this built-in VPN. I’m sure the company has enough servers to allow us to switch countries, for example, or ensure that hotspots created from my phone are also protected by the VPN. I’d also love a warning when VPN disconnects, or even a kill switch that stops the connection until I’ve confirmed I’m OK to switch back to an unprotected network. Those would be excellent additions to what has become one of the cornerstone digital safety features I rely on every day with my Pixel.