Proton's Plan for Your Post-Google Life: Gmail Inside Proton Mail, Private World Cup Photos and 20,000+ VPN Servers

Proton — the Swiss privacy company behind our privacy-first VPN pick — has been busy. In the span of a few weeks it shipped the feature that removes the single biggest excuse for staying on Gmail, grew its VPN network past 20,000 servers, and positioned its encrypted cloud storage squarely at the World Cup crowd. Here's what changed and why it matters.

You can now run your Gmail inside Proton Mail

The most common argument against leaving Google has never been about features — it's "too many things are connected to my Gmail." Proton's new Gmail integration dismantles that argument by removing the deadline entirely.

Connect your Gmail account to Proton Mail and it works like this:

• Recent Gmail messages are imported into Proton Mail, and new ones keep arriving there automatically — one inbox, two addresses
• You send and reply from your Gmail address without ever opening Gmail
• Proton strips trackers, ads and spam from the imported mail — reading your Gmail through Proton is already more private than the Gmail app itself
• When two people who both connected Gmail to Proton email each other, the messages become end-to-end encrypted — Google can no longer read them, even though they're nominally Gmail mail

The migration then happens on your terms. Move services to your Proton address one at a time — the bank, Netflix, Amazon, the newsletters you actually read — and Google quietly loses access to each one. No overnight switch, no mass-emailing your contacts a new address. You leave at your own pace, not Google's.

The World Cup angle: while you watch the match, who's watching your files?

Billions of people are following the tournament right now — searching scores, streaming matches, and above all producing content: photos from fan zones, match-day videos, clips shared in family groups. Most of it lands straight in Google Drive or iCloud, where files can be scanned and profiled to feed ad targeting.

Proton's pitch for Proton Drive is the same as for its mail: everything stored end-to-end encrypted, so not even Proton can see what's inside. If you're going to accumulate a tournament's worth of memories this summer, where they live is worth a thought — the same logic that applies to your inbox applies to your camera roll.

Proton VPN: now 20,000+ servers — and built for tournament streaming

Since our review, Proton VPN's network has grown again: 20,332 servers across 148 countries, with over 150 streaming platforms confirmed working. That matters this month for one simple reason: World Cup broadcast rights are carved up by country, and which stream, language and commentary you get depends on where the internet thinks you are.

What makes Proton particularly suited to tournament streaming:

• Stealth protocol disguises VPN traffic as ordinary HTTPS — useful on networks (and streaming services) that actively detect VPNs
• VPN Accelerator improves long-distance throughput, which is exactly the scenario when you're tunnelling to another continent's broadcaster
• The free tier — still the only free VPN we recommend — lets you test your setup before a knockout match, not during it
• Swiss jurisdiction and open-source, audited apps, if you care about who else might be watching

For the full picture — speeds, Secure Core, the honest cons — see our complete Proton VPN review.

The takeaway

Each piece on its own is incremental. Together they sketch Proton's actual strategy: make leaving Big Tech a gradual process instead of a leap. Your mail can move at its own pace, your files can be unreadable to the platform storing them, and your match stream doesn't have to announce your location to anyone. The World Cup just happens to be a very good month to start.

Try it yourself

20,000+ servers in 148 countries, 150+ streaming services — and a free tier to start with. Try Proton VPN with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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