I’m considering wireless plan changes, and discovered Google Fi is now available for iPhone as a beta. There are aspects of these plans that I like including no extra charge for adding iPads to the data plan.
Is anyone else using Google Fi and if so, how’s it going?
I’m assuming you’re an iPhone user? I tried it for about 6 months. It was embarrassing. No idea why I thought it was a good idea; guess I was being cheap. I highly recommend looking elsewhere.
What specifically was wrong with it? Coverage? Data speed?
Coverage and clarity mostly. iPhones are also in “beta” so you don’t have access to all of the features available. I’m in a pretty densely populated area so I figured coverage would be much better. It was like I was conversing on a CB. Definitely was bad for conducting any type of business. I do not recommend using the service.
I used Google Fi around 3 years back. I used that initially on Android phone (Pixel) then using on iPhone as beta. To get the full advantage, using that on Google phones (like Pixel) would have the best experience.
I think the benefit of using Google Fi is for travellers ( I was travelling for work around 50% for work to 4 continents). You can use one number to roam around the world , the downside is the possibility of people calling you at odd hours from different time zones
I have a Fi account I have used for international travel. That is, back before the current situation. I still have the account which I suspend for 3 months at a time until I need it again.
Originally, to enable Fi the first time, one needed a Fi compatible phone which had both CDMA and GSM capabilities so they could switch between Sprint and T-mobile networks (in the US). Once provisioned, I was able to move the SIM to my iPhone. I think this hard requirement has been relaxed or eliminated but I haven’t check recently.
I have not used Fi service in the US so cannot comment on how well it works but my understanding is that coverage should be the same as T-Mobile (unless Google moved to other GSM carriers recently).
Allison Sheridan at podfeet.com has at least one blogpost regarding use of Fi for international travel. It might be a bit dated and not exactly applicable for someone wishing to use it domestically but might be a good read for basic info.
It’s a good option for frequent international travelers. Probably the best out there. And I believe it works easily with iphone out of the box now.
Turns out going into the brick and mortar outlet of our current provider and engaging with a real person seems to have resulted in a good outcome for now.