What you need to know
- VPN by Google is currently available on Pixel 7 and newer phones, but not the Pixel Tablet.
- With Android 15 QPR2, Google appears to be adding support for the Pixel Tablet.
- Multiple reports indicate that Pixel Tablet users can now connect to VPN by Google, including on the stable Android 15 build.
After Google discontinued its VPN service for Google One subscribers, VPN by Google transitioned into a Pixel-exclusive perk. However, that perk was only available for Google Pixel phones, even as the company added support for older devices this summer. The Pixel Tablet was excluded, but new reports from users indicate that could be changing soon (via 9to5Google and Android Authority).
Although VPN by Google is a key software benefit included with a new Pixel phone, the same marketing doesn't apply to the Pixel Tablet. Google hasn't ever publicly listed the tablet as supported by the VPN service, though it did work for a brief period — until Google nixed the connection in a server-side change. Up until recently, the VPN by Google app was listed as incompatible with the Pixel Tablet on the Google Play Store.
Now, Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 users are finding that the VPN by Google app is now compatible with the Pixel Tablet. In fact, they're reporting that the Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 update pre-installs the app on the Pixel Tablet. In fact, it's usable, with the server-side limitations apparently removed. This is as good of a sign as any that Google plans to eventually support the Pixel Tablet with its VPN service.
Of course, being that Android 15 QPR2 is still in beta, there's a chance that this is all a mistake, and that Google intends to keep VPN by Google limited to Pixel phones.
That isn't likely, though, because 9to5Google notes that VPN by Google works even on Pixel Tablet devices without Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1. As long as the Pixel Tablet has the VPN by Google app (or the app is sideloaded onto the tablet), it can connect to the VPN thanks to the apparent server-side tweak.
However, Pixel Tablet users running the latest November build of Android 15 still can't download the VPN by Google app directly from the Google Play Store. The listing returns a This tablet isn’t compatible with this app message, unless you download and install the Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1.
Additionally, Google added a new flag to Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 specifically for VPN by Google on the Pixel Tablet, which is yet another shred of evidence that it indeed intends to bring the service to its tablet next year. Currently, Android 15 QPR2 is expected to release around March 2025.
