Google One VPN to allow users to switch to closer locations
VPN by Google One will receive an update on July 29, 2023, as highlighted by 9to5Google. The update is set to change the default IP address region from broad to local. It will improve users’ online experiences, facilitating location-based experiences and services, as the company puts it.
The update coming up on the Google One app for Android devices, iOS, Mac, and Windows. Тhose who want to use the broad IP address region by default to reduce the likeliness of their location being tracked will be able to do so.
Google One’s VPN is designed to protect users from hacking and other online attacks. It hides their smartphone’s actual IP address, so it’s impossible to use that to trace their precise location via the device. Thus far, the app used the “broad IP address region” by default, meaning VPN placed users in their country, for example, rather than their local region.
While the broader IP address region provides more privacy to users, Google says, those who want to benefit from location-based services and experiences in websites and sites they visit might experience difficulties with the option turned on. As for location-based services, those are apps and widgets whose purpose is to improve location-based experiences.
While the broader IP address region provides more privacy to users, Google says, those who want to benefit from location-based services and experiences in websites and sites they visit might experience difficulties with the option turned on. As for location-based services, those are apps and widgets whose purpose is to improve location-based experiences.
Take weather widgets for example. They rely on a local IP address region to provide accurate information about the weather conditions in each user’s specific location. Other examples of location-based services are Google Maps and Waze.
So, once the update rolls out, users will be able to set their VPN’s default option to a local IP address region rather than a broader one. Instead of placing people in, say, Texas when they’re in New York, Google One’s VPN will put them in a city near New York. That should allow users to protect their data while browsing and still benefit from online location-based services and experiences.
As mentioned, Google One will allow users who want to use the broader IP address region by default as well via a new setting, which is set to appear on the Google One app. It will allow users to turn on the broad IP address region. Doing so will disconnect them briefly if they’ve turned on their VPN before changing the settings.
So, once the update rolls out, users will be able to set their VPN’s default option to a local IP address region rather than a broader one. Instead of placing people in, say, Texas when they’re in New York, Google One’s VPN will put them in a city near New York. That should allow users to protect their data while browsing and still benefit from online location-based services and experiences.
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