INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Google Project Fi wireless service is getting a major update today that introduces an optional always-on VPN service and a smarter way to
switch between Wi-Fi and cellular connections.
By default, Fi already uses a VPN service to protect users when they connect to the roughly
two million supported Wi-Fi hotspots
Now, Google is expanding this to cellular connections, as well
&When you enable our enhanced network, all of your mobile and Wi-Fi traffic will be encrypted and securely sent through our virtual private
network (VPN) on every network you connect to, so you&ll have the peace of mind of knowing that others can''t see your online activity,& the
team writes in today announcement.
Google notes that the VPN also shields all of your traffic from Google itself and that it isn''t tied to
your Google account or phone number.
The VPN is part of what Google calls its &enhanced network& and the second part of this announcement is
that this network now also allows for a faster switch between Wi-Fi and mobile networks
When you enable this — and both of these features are currently in beta and only available on Fi-compatible phones that run Android Pie
— your phone will automatically detect when your Wi-Fi connection gets weaker and fill in those gaps with cellular data
The company says that in its testing, this new system reduces a user time without a working connection by up to 40 percent.
These new
features will start rolling out to Fi users later this week
They are off by default, so you&ll have to head to the Fi Network Tools in the Project Fi app and turn them on to get started
One thing to keep in mind here: Google says your data usage will likely increase by about 10 percent when you use the VPN.
