Google Fi will now encrypt all mobile traffic on Pixel phones

Google surprised us during the unveiling of the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro at the Made by Google event last week by announcing that owners of either of these two devices will enjoy free VPN by Google One. However, the perks haven’t stopped there. Today, Google announced that starting immediately, it will be adding an extra layer of security for Pixel users who are also Google Fi customers.

Essentially, if you own a Pixel, your mobile data traffic on the Google Fi cellular network is automatically encrypted and private on the newly released Pixel 7 series, as well as Pixels all the way down to the Pixel 4. This applies as long as these devices are running Android 12 or higher and won’t require any extra steps. Your mobile connection on Google Fi will be private by default.

This also extends to WiFi connections as well by turning on the Fi Virtual Private Network (VPN) which can be used on any phone, not just Pixels. Once you turn on the VPN, it encrypts all of your browsing and data activity, whether you’re using cellular data or WiFi. This protects you from attackers on unsecured networks (like public Wi-Fi) and stops websites from using your IP address to figure out where you are.

It should be noted that all of Fi’s plans already come with privacy and security features such as robocall and scam blocking and robocall detection. These features are made possible by Protected Computing, which is what Google calls its growing set of technologies that change how, when, and where data is processed to keep our data private and safe. Furthermore, Google promises to continue investing on Protected Computing in order to bring more perks like these to its growing family of Made by Google devices.