Microsoft announced that it will remove the free VPN feature from its Microsoft 365 subscription service at the end of February. This feature, which was offered through the Microsoft Defender application, helped to hide users’ IP addresses by encrypting internet traffic. However, the company announced that it will discontinue this privacy protection feature as of 28 February.
Microsoft 365 is losing its free VPN feature
In the official statement made by Microsoft, it was stated that investments will be made in new areas that are more suitable for user needs, and it was stated that the existing VPN feature was removed due to the low usage rate.
The VPN service was available to Microsoft 365 subscribers with a 50GB monthly data limit and automatically connected only to the user’s region. Therefore, it did not support functions such as geo-restriction bypassing, which many users preferred. These restrictions resulted in the VPN service not being widely used.
The removal of the VPN feature also garnered backlash as it took place at a time when Microsoft increased subscription prices. The company increased Microsoft 365 subscription prices for the first time in 12 years, adding Office artificial intelligence (AI) features to its suite.
The price was increased by $ 3 per month for subscribers who want to use the new features. However, it will also be possible to continue the classic Microsoft 365 plan without AI features by maintaining the current pricing.
Microsoft 365 users will continue to have access to identity theft and credit monitoring services. However, they will need to look for a different solution for VPN support. It remains to be seen whether the company will offer different privacy and security features as an alternative to VPN in Microsoft 365 in the future.
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