The Google One subscription service is to become more exciting for iOS users. Accordingly, the range of functions on iPhones is being expanded. The integrated VPN service is now available in more countries and finally also on Apple devices.
Google One blows the whistle on iCloud+
Google’s Google One subscription service has a similar feature set to Apple’s iCloud+ counterpart. However, some of the features, including its own VPN service, could only be used on Android devices until now. That will change in the future, because Google will also unlock the functions for iPhone and iPad models.
The Google VPN is part of the largest subscription model. The premium version costs 10 euros per month or 100 euros per year and includes two terabytes of cloud storage space. Up to five family members have access to the cloud service, which also includes the VPN service.
Google’s VPN has already been available in Germany, the USA and the UK since the end of 2020. Only recently, however, it was joined by ten other European countries, including Austria, Switzerland and Denmark.
On Android, Google’s VPN service has additional features designed to make it even easier to use. These include “Safe Disconnect”, where the Internet can only be accessed when using a VPN, or “App Bypass”, where certain apps can be taken out of the VPN and use the normal Internet.
Google One vs Apple iCloud+
Google’s VPN service is capable of securing Internet connections on unprotected networks and hiding the IP address. However, typical VPN functions of other providers, which, for example, make it possible to bypass geo-locks on streaming services or game stores, are not part of Google’s range of functions.
Apple’s counterpart iCloud+ also offers a very similar scope and was only expanded last fall with the so-called “Private Relay”, which uses a similar VPN scope. Here, Oblivious DNS over HTTPS (ODoH) is used to encrypt DNS requests.
The difference to a VPN service, however, is that the relay focuses exclusively on Apple’s Safari browser. At least as long as other iOS apps also establish a connection via HTTPS.
In return, Private Relay attracts with additional security. While normal VPN providers can see the network traffic of their customers, this is not possible in Apple Private Relay. Apple uses two proxies from independent instances.
