If you pay for a Google One subscription to get extra storage or other benefits, you might get some extra features. The company has announced that all One subscribers will get access to the VPN that was previously limited to the Premium tier, and that it’s adding dark web monitoring to warn you if your sensitive information starts circulating on sites that search engines don’t normally index.
If you live a supported country, you can use Google’s VPN on a variety of devices, including Android phones and iPhones, as well as Macs and PCs. Previously, you had to pay for the $9.99 monthly tier that included 2TB of storage to access it (or buy a Pixel 7, which includes it, even if you’re not a One subscriber). Now, though, it’s even included with the $1.99 per month “Basic” plan, which comes with 100 GB of storage. Subscribers should see VPN access rolled out to their accounts in the coming weeks.
For One subscribers in the US, Google is also adding a feature called “Dark Web Report,” which “scans the dark web for your personal information.” To enable this, you need to create a profile with the information you want to scan for – you can add things like your email address, physical address, social security number, phone number, and date of birth. If Google finds it in one of its scans, you’ll get a notification with suggestions on what kind of steps to take.
The feature is similar to one Google is rolling out to everyone that warns you if your personal information appears in search results, except the Google One version obviously searches much deeper. While Google has brought some features from its subscription service to Pixel owners (and brought Pixel features to Google One), the dark web report is currently exclusive to One subscribers, according to Esteban Kozak, director of product management for the service. However, it will be available on all One levels.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.