On the evening of May 26, 2025, numerous Pixel device users encountered significant internet connectivity issues. The root cause was identified as a temporary outage of the ‘VPN by Google’ service, which is integrated into Pixel 7 and newer models.
Users reported that websites and applications failed to load, leading to widespread disruptions. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the ‘VPN by Google’ service was temporarily unavailable, as indicated by error messages stating, VPN by Google is temporarily unavailable. Try again later. This issue affected multiple Pixel phones and tablets running Android versions 15, 16, and 16 QPR1.
To restore internet access, users were advised to disable the VPN service. This could be accomplished by accessing the Quick Settings menu or the full-screen controls within the device settings. Disabling the VPN immediately reinstated normal internet functionality.
The outage began around 6 p.m. Pacific Time and was resolved by approximately 9 p.m. Pacific Time. During this period, Google did not report any other service disruptions.
This incident underscores the critical role that VPN services play in maintaining internet connectivity and the potential impact of their outages on user experience. Users are encouraged to monitor official channels for updates and to be prepared to disable VPN services if similar issues arise in the future.
