Google One VPN on the Pixel 8 series will not clutter your notifications.

Internet security is a challenge in the modern digital landscape, but Google makes some of the best Android phones with the privacy features that come with it. Google One VPN is installed by default on the Pixel phone to protect your IP address from prying eyes on the Internet, but it can be a bit annoying to use with a series of notifications in the status bar. With the release of the Pixel 8 series earlier this month, Google is changing the way its VPN service is implemented, saving valuable space in the status bar.

The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro recently announced a number of significant hardware and software improvements, including a new Tensor SoC, improved camera capabilities, and improved image quality and a more intuitive design. However, some unique changes to these new devices are coming, while first-time adopters spend a lot of time with them. Of these, Google One VPN users are likely to notice a series of notifications of the service now missing and survived by a simple lock icon in the status bar (via 9to5Google).

On Pixel phones, including the Pixel Fold, Pixel 7, 7 Pro, 7a and earlier, Google provided VPN services through Google One. Activating it works like buying additional cloud storage on Google Drive. However, this VPN service displays annoying notifications as long as it is active. Annoying help strings explain that users need to disable app notifications to hide persistent notifications that also appear on the lock screen.

Google says VPNs are built into the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. Effectively, this app is listed on the Play Store as Pixel VPN by Google OneAnd it shows as VPN by Google One In the Applications folder. The app is pre-installed on the latest crop of Pixel phones, and when the VPN service is running, items stuck in the shadow of your notifications are nowhere to be seen. Instead, you just see the key icon in the status bar, just like VPN with Google Fi. This way, your lock screen and notifications are free to display important notifications from other apps instead of running apps in the background.

Familiar controls are still here, though there is a toggle that provides a quick settings tab. Changes to temporarily suspend service are also available in the Settings app under Network and Internet → VPN. Advanced settings for VPN also allow for the interruption of services on the Wi-Fi network of your choice, detected with the help of additional access to location permissions. This setting can be useful if you have network-level security enabled on your home or office Wi-Fi. You also have the option of disabling the VPN on the software of your choice or the service provider application that uses the IP address provided by your service provider for identification and service delivery.

Although this is a step in the right direction for Google, turning off persistent notifications is far from ideal, and companies should work toward making this VPN a new default on older Pixel phones. Well. It can even encourage more people to stay connected to Google’s VPN service, which is still available on other devices through the Google One app.