this post was submitted on 12 Apr 2024
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[–] [email protected] 90 points 8 months ago (2 children)

In my opinion, the world would be a better place if Google published the source code for each project they introduced, popularised, and discontinued.

Here's a list of the Google Graveyard:

[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Fk that's a long list.

Geez I miss play music 😒

[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I actually discovered some interesting things in google play music back in the day. The play random music button actually had a few golden moments too.

Spotify just..... Feeds me what I'm already listening too. The discover weekly suggestions are usually useless for me.

YouTube music is just worse than GPM too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This was back in the day but I remember Pandora being good at discovery. There's cracked apks you can get so you don't get ads.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Honestly, they made some sort of deal and then got access to major labels some years ago and lost a lot of its magic.

I did find some great stuff with Pandora back in the day though.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

YouTube music is just worse than GPM too.

In like every way, they really missed what was good about GPM.

And the way they constantly jam YouTube Music down your throat, demonstrates mistakes were made.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

I doubt that'd ever become standard for them. Parts of the code for these discontinued products often get cannibalized by other Google products.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Maybe the news about the Windows client changing DNS settings was too much bad publicity?

A VPN would naturally route all your traffic through a secure tunnel, but you've still got to do DNS lookups somewhere. A lot of VPN services also come with a DNS service, and Google is no different. The problem is that Google's VPN app changes the Windows DNS settings of all network adapters to always use Google's DNS, whether the VPN is on or off. Even if you change them, Google's program will change them back.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

They removed \don't be evil\ from their code of conduct, so it is ok now. /s

[–] le_saucisson_masquay 45 points 8 months ago (3 children)

doesn't most vpn user want to get rid of tracking and spying ? It would makes no sense for them to use Google vpn.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 8 months ago (1 children)

That's just your bubble. Most VPN users just want to circumvent geo restrictions.

Besides that, the general VPN "propaganda" is that it encrypts your traffic and no-one can see it. The average user gets baited by that and doesn't care to look further into it.

[–] le_saucisson_masquay 4 points 8 months ago

Yeah you're right, Forgot about this use case.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago

The only real use for Google's VPN was as an extra layer of security when connected to an untrusted network or open WiFi.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

It makes just as much sense as most popular vpns. The main difference is you know you don't trust Google. Do you think something like nordvpn is any different? There's no guarantee for what they're doing either.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 8 months ago (1 children)

A VPN run by Google is like a bank run by Bernie Madoff.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

or a kindergarten run by Michael Jackson

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

He was messed up but I don't think he was a pedo. He loved kids but not in that way.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

I agree with you I'm just kidding lol

[–] [email protected] 17 points 8 months ago (1 children)

TIL Google had a VPN, nothing like trying to hold water in a siv.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago
[–] [email protected] 15 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Jamboard also, which a lot of my students still use at school.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago

Google products are always at risk if being killed. Then again, products from small companies are always at risk of being bought out and killed.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Can't have shit from Google

[–] tja 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

But jamboard was worse than all other whiteboard services. Since it did not get any new features for years it was just a matter of time it was going to be discontinued

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

It is/was integrated and simple for students to use and link to. What others do you like?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I liked that they had special privacy tech other VPNs don't have but they didn't allow you to choose the location so it was unusable for me.

I want my VPN location to be my actual location so that the weather app doesn't mess up and show the wrong city.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Your weather app should be using your location services which should be based off GPS not your IP address?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sometimes location services uses your Internet connection to figure out where you are. Imagine you're deep in a corporate building. GPS wouldn't work in there. In this case, IP-based location services to the rescue!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

That's fair

[–] Murdoc 3 points 8 months ago

Shouldn't your app just let you pick the location?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago
[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago

So, so I get a prorated refund on my Google One subscription, or...?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (2 children)

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Google is shutting down its VPN by Google One service, according to a vague customer email seen by Android Authority, less than four years after it was rolled out in October 2020.

The email doesn’t specify when this will happen, only that the VPN service will be discontinued β€œlater this year.”

Subscription prices for Google One’s VPN start at $1.99, with availability on Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows.

The company told 9to5Google that it is killing the service because β€œpeople simply weren’t using it.” Perhaps its customers were simply spoilt for choice, given this is actually one of three VPN services provided by Google alongside the VPN offerings still available via Google Fi, and Pixel devices from the Pixel 7 on up.

VPN by Google One is the latest offering to get tossed into the infamous β€œGoogle Graveyard” just weeks after the Google One cloud storage service announced it had hit a 100 million subscriber milestone.

Google mentioned in its shutdown email that the VPN was being phased out to β€œfocus on providing the most in-demand features and benefits,” which may relate to all the Gemini AI stuff that the company is shoving into Google One.


The original article contains 196 words, the summary contains 196 words. Saved 0%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] le_saucisson_masquay 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The original article contains 196 words, the summary contains 196 words. Saved 0%. πŸ‘πŸ«‘

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Almost as if the article was already written by AI πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

You can't perfect perfection!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Perhaps the author of this bot might prevent the automatic post if the savings are 0%.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Not sure.. Still saved me a spammy click

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Yeah, still useful.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago