C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- With the upcoming Android 15 QPR2 release, the VPN by Google service will likely be available for the Pixel Tablet.
- VPN by Google is the replacement to Google One’s VPN service and is available exclusively for free on the Pixel 7 and later.
- The service originally didn’t support the Pixel Tablet, but Google has finally added support in the latest Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 release.
If you want to access geo-blocked content, then there are plenty of VPNs you can use to do so. It’s generally recommended to avoid free VPN providers if you value your privacy and want the best speeds, but if you own a Google Pixel device, then you should give Google’s VPN service a shot. VPN by Google is available exclusively for the Pixel 7 and later at no extra cost, but it hasn’t been available for the Pixel Tablet. That’s finally changing with the next Android release.
When Google killed off the VPN service offered with Google One subscriptions, it migrated Pixel users over to its new VPN by Google offering. They’re technically the same thing, except VPN by Google is available exclusively for select Pixel devices and is built into the Pixel’s operating system rather than being offered through the Google One app. By being built into the OS, the VPN can run without there needing to be a persistent “1” notification.
Although the Pixel Tablet is technically part of the same generation as the Pixel 7 series, it was excluded from the VPN by Google rollout. Google never commented on why it excluded the Pixel Tablet from the rollout, but thankfully, it has reversed course. With the latest Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 release, the Pixel Tablet now has the VPN by Google service preinstalled. Two Pixel Tablet users confirmed to me that the service is now available and working and that the service’s Play Store listing no longer lists the tablet as incompatible.
Google’s support page for VPN by Google hasn’t been updated to mention the Pixel Tablet yet, but it’s likely that will change as we approach the date for the stable release of Android 15 QPR2 (March 2025). While there’s a chance the inclusion of Pixel Tablet support is a mistake, I find that to be unlikely, as Google created and enabled a new build flag that specifically preloads the VPN by Google service onto the Pixel Tablet. The existence of this flag suggests that Pixel Tablet support is intentional and not a mistake, but we’ll still have to wait for Google to confirm.
Thanks to Joe Lenington on X for the tip!