Google has announced plans to address location-based issues with its popular VPN service.
Going forward, Google One VPN will switch its default IP address from broad to local to improve people’s online experiences. Those users looking for greater privacy are still able to use the broader IP address region option.
While the provider has begun to notify its users from July 12, the update won’t be rolled out before July 29 across all its platforms.
Broad vs local IP location
“VPN by Google One will set your IP location to a local region by default to improve location-based experiences on apps and websites that you visit,” reads the email the provider is sending to its customers, 9to5Google reported.
That’s because certain online services and applications, such as weather forecasts or maps, need the precise location to correctly function. This doesn’t have to be your home location necessarily, but with Google’s IP broad location US users, for example, were often placed in a totally different State preventing them from carrying on some online activities with the virtual private network (VPN) turned on.
Unlike competitors, users cannot pick the best server according to their needs from a list of available networks, in fact. Now, Google seems to be listening to its users by providing at least an option to choose between broad and local IP address location.
The provider promises that this change won’t affect the security of its VPN service, though, continuing to “prevent your network provider or the websites from knowing your actual IP address or precise location.”
It’s worth noting that even after this upgrade, VPN for Google One won’t be suitable as a streaming VPN as users won’t still be able to pick the specific region across the world of their choice to unlock the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus or BBC iPlayer.
The update will go live starting on July 29 across all its platforms, namely Android, iOS, MacOS and Windows.
Google recommends users to switch on its “Use a broader IP address region” when privacy is paramount.
