Turn on the New VPN Project Fi to Hide Your Mobile Browsing
Google recently updated its virtual private network (VPN) feature for Project Fi clients, giving users the ability to use a VPN for everything they do in Project Fi, both Wi-Fi and cellular.
Android- only phone operator Google combines Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Three cellular networks and can automatically connect to over two million Wi-Fi hotspots across the United States.
When you use the latter, Google provides a free, always running VPN to encrypt your online activity while hiding it from the rest of the network. The Project Fi update, which began rolling out this week, includes a beta version of a new “extended network” feature. Turn it on and all your cellular activity will also be routed through Google’s VPN – and Google won’t track your activity (as it claims ):
“When you activate our extended network, all your mobile and Wi-Fi traffic will be encrypted and sent securely through our virtual private network (VPN) to every network you connect to, so you can have peace of mind knowing others are not can see your online activity. Including Google – our VPN is designed so that your traffic is not tied to your Google account or phone number (just like mobile traffic that is not sent over a VPN). “
According to Google, the enhanced networking feature should also reduce connection downtime when your device switches between cellular data and a Wi-Fi hotspot. To reduce interruptions, Project Fi turns on your mobile data as soon as your Wi-Fi signal drops below a certain threshold.
You’ll have to turn on Google’s Advanced Networking feature if you want to use it – it’s not turned on by default and for good reason. Google warns that enabling this feature can increase data usage by 10 percent and in some cases cause slowdowns as all of your data is routed through Google’s VPN.
If you don’t mind these tradeoffs, enabling extended networking is simple:
- Make sure you have the latest version of the Project Fi companion app from Google Play installed.
- Bump up the app
- Find and tap the “Fi Network Tools” option.
- Turn on Network Extension by tapping the slider.
Only devices running Android 9 Pie – Pixel smartphones at the moment – support the new feature.