Google has announced its is rolling out Google Fi's built-in VPN service to iPhone subscribers, giving iOS users another way to ensure that their connection is secure and private on a cellular or Wi-Fi network.
Starting today, we're expanding our built-in VPN to iPhone®. 🔐 With the Fi VPN, you get a private online connection and more protection from hackers included on all plans. Learn more → https://t.co/TABM9FSYFB pic.twitter.com/WVfTlcpTRO — Google Fi (@googlefi) June 24, 2021
The rollout is a little later than expected, having previously been touted for release in the spring, and Google has said in a tweet that not all iPhone on Google Fi users will have immediate access to the VPN feature. However, the company says it should be widely available "over the coming weeks."
Using the VPN, users can stream, browse, and download over an encrypted, private connection, which is especially important for unsecured public Wi-Fi. As well as encrypting all traffic between a computer and the internet, VPNs also prevent websites from tracking a user's location by masking their IP address.
Google Fi's VPN rollout comes ahead of a new upcoming online privacy feature from Apple called Private Relay. Exclusive to paying iCloud+ subscribers, Private Relay is not being advertised as a VPN by Apple nor is it a like-for-like replacement for one, but it does encrypt Safari browser traffic and uses multiple relay "hops" or proxies to securely route that data and keep it private.
