Google Fi’s VPN is coming to the iPhone soon. Most, by now, will have heard of Google Fi, the wireless communications network that the search engine giant offers as a subscription service for Android and iOS devices. Although it also includes a VPN for Android, it doesn’t for Apple’s iPhone. That is about to change, with this Wi-Fi encryption technology expanding to support Apple’s mobile devices in the near future.
Google didn’t build its own carrier network, but leases it from various other providers, making it a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). There are several other MVNOs, although none quite like Google. The company offers a unique combined sourcing from T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular with the ability to switch between networks to get the best signal as the user moves around, even when on a phone call or using the internet. Of course, with the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, the two largest contributors to Google Fi, this aspect of the service is not as special as it once was. However, Google Fi also has a Wi-Fi network that features the same seamless transition, but applied to the switch between cellular and Wi-Fi calling or wireless data and Wi-Fi data.
This Wi-Fi network makes use of the Google Fi VPN, which is coming to the iPhone this spring. The feature will be rolling out, which is how Google often handles changes to software, meaning some users will receive the capability before others. A VPN is a virtual private network, that offers a way of providing secure and encrypted data transfer even when using a third-party Wi-Fi network. For example, this allows the use of private email and connection to financial institutions without concern that the data will be intercepted. Google has identified millions of stable and open Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide that are sufficiently fast to use with its VPN. The use of the VPN requires a phone on Google Fi and one that’s compatible with its VPN software.
Google Fi For iPhone
Google Fi has always been a bit different on an iPhone. Android devices can take advantage of multiple carrier networks, while the iPhone only connects to one, T-Mobile. This has meant two Google Fi uses could see very different coverage, depending on the type of phone being used. As mentioned, the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint has now largely eliminated this issue. Android users can also take advantage of potentially faster Wi-Fi networks that were secured with Google’s VPN. A key icon with a capital ‘G’ appear on the screen (beside the Wi-Fi signal strength icon) indicating that a fast and secure signal is available, and that the Android phone has automatically switched from using cellular to Wi-Fi.
Starting this spring, the iPhone will benefit from this same capability and will gain access to Google Fi’s VPN encrypted Wi-Fi network for increased speed without any loss of security. It isn’t clear whether there will be a visual signal to the user that the VPN is active, since Apple may not allow a new icon to appear at the top of the screen. It is more likely that this would be shown within the Google Fi app. Either way, Google expanding support for the iPhone is likely to make the service even more attractive to Apple device owners.
