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In the last few hours, multiple Pixel 8 series users have been reporting random internet connectivity issues. Apparently, some websites simply refuse to load for them. It seems that the VPN by Google app is to blame for the situation.
Yesterday was the date for the announced Google One VPN shutdown. Users of supported Pixel devices should now move to the VPN by Google app. The latter arrived in October last year with the Pixel 8 series. That said, several people have been facing connectivity issues on their Pixel 8 devices while using the VPN. There are even a few cases of people using Pixel 7 phones.
VPN by Google preventing sites and apps from loading on some Pixel 8 devices
According to reports, there are sites and apps failing to load with no apparent explanation. The problem does not affect all services, but rather some in particular. For instance, 9to5Google describes Amazon as one of those apps/sites failing to load. On the affected platforms, both the dedicated app and the website version are unusable.
The issue does not seem to affect everyone equally, since some even report not being able to access any app or website. There are also cases of devices that are totally free of problems. For those affected, VPN by Google causes problems on any platform, be it Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac.
Just disabling the VPN by Google would fix internet connectivity in most cases. Also, the app got a new version hours after the reports emerged, and some claim that its problems were fixed after updating. However, it is possible that you still do not have the new update available due to a possible gradual rollout.
More potential workarounds while a fix arrives
If you are still facing issues and have not received the latest app update, Google’s support page offers some potential workarounds for connectivity issues related to its VPN. You can try to disable the VPN directly from the system settings instead of from the app. You can also delete your Google One VPN account from your device.