Google has announced a unique service to improve privacy for Google One users that will compete with the best existing VPN services.

Called VPN by Google One, the feature is available to Google One users who subscribe to a storage plan of 2TB or more and pay a minimum of $10 per month or $100 per year.

Rather than a standalone VPN service, the new feature is integrated and accessible within the Google One app; Google says the feature "provides an additional layer of online protection for your Android phone."

"We already build advanced security into all of our products, but VPN extends that security and encrypts all online traffic on your phone, no matter what app or browser you use," Google One director Larissa Fontaine wrote in a blog post.

"The VPN is built into the Google One app, so with just one tap, you can rest easy knowing that your connection is safe from hackers." (VPNs do not guarantee ironclad protection from hackers.)

According to Google, VPNs allow people to use encrypted connections to browse the web, stream movies, download files, and protect themselves from local eavesdroppers when using public Wi-Fi networks, hiding their Internet Protocol address to prevent location tracking.

It competes with standalone VPN market mainstays such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

The U.S. search giant claims that it will be a fast VPN thanks to its "best-in-class network architecture," and to enable it, users need only hit the "enable VPN" toggle in settings.

As part of this announcement, Google will add VPN support to Pro Session.

"With Pro Sessions, you can book one-on-one online sessions with Google experts to learn more about VPNs and how to use them more securely online," Fontaine wrote.

"You'll get VPN and Pro Sessions in addition to other member benefits already available with the plan, such as 2TB of storage and a 10% store credit back when you purchase devices from the Google Store."

VPN by Google One will launch in the U.S. over the next few weeks and will initially only be available on Android devices. However, according to Google, the service will "expand to more countries, iOS, Windows, and Mac in the coming months."

Adding unlimited VPN service to the 2TB Google One plan is a good deal, but only if you really need the 2TB of storage space. Otherwise, there are plenty of independent VPN providers who will sell you an annual subscription for much less than $100 per year.

Furthermore, we do not know how well VPN by Google One will allow you to watch Netflix and other streaming services in other countries, which is one of the main reasons for using a VPN, whether you like it or not. Also, few privacy enthusiasts would trust a VPN operated by Google and based in the US.

Google One is a subscription-based service that offers cloud storage for a variety of Google products and services, as well as excellent technical support. It is available in a variety of countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and France.

The service currently offers six subscription plans to choose from: 100GB ($20 per year), 200GB ($30 per year), 2TB ($100 per year), 10TB ($50 per month), 20TB ($100 per month), 10TB ($150 per month). 2TB and above plans only VPN by Google One available.